The Russian Fund for Supporting Unique Cultural Projects named after Kogan bought the Roобrecht violin by Guarneri del Gesu from the 17th–18th century in Italy for temporary use by Merited Artist of Russia and renowned violinist Dmitry Kogan. Kogan already performed on it during the May concert of the Five Great Violins project in the Hall of Columns, Moscow. The instrument is scheduled to be part of Kogan's tour across Russian cities, with performances in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg mentioned.
The Russian Foundation for the Support of Unique Cultural Projects named after Kogan bought the Robrecht violin, a Stradivari-era Guarneri del Gesu instrument, in Italy and loaned it to Dmitry Kogan. Kogan plans to tour Russia with the instrument, with debut performances in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg.
The article reports that the Russian Foundation for Supporting Unique Cultural Projects named after Kogan purchased the Guarneri del Gesù violin Rocchetto from the 17th-18th century Italian master Guarneri del Gesù and loaned it to Dmitry Kogan. Kogan plans to tour with the instrument across Russia, starting with performances in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg; the purchase price was not disclosed, but Guarneri del Gesù instruments are valued at over 10 million dollars. The violin will be stored with Kogan, and the foundation has announced future performances as part of the project Five Great Violins.
The article reports that as part of the MITO Settembre Musica festival, the Quartetto d’Archi di Torino will perform at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona on September 15. The quartet members listed are Gianluca Turconi and Umberto Fantini (violins), Andrea Repetto (viola), Manuel Zigante (cello), with bassist Paolo Borsarelli. Tickets become available from September 1 at the Teatro Ponchielli box office with free seating and post-distribution of counter-tickets.
The article reports that a Guarneri RoBRECHt violin was delivered to Yekaterinburg. A similar Stradivari sold at auction for $17 million. Valeriy Savelev, a businessman and member of the Sverdlovsk Legislative Assembly, acquired the instrument through his fund supporting unique cultural projects. Dmitry Kogan, co-chair of the fund and violinist, had discussed acquiring the RoBRECHt earlier, and the instrument was showcased during a concert shelling out the foundation’s cultural mission. The instrument’s documentation was completed on September 1, and Kogan played it on September 8 in Chelyabinsk, with a concert in Yekaterinburg on September 15 as part of an international Eurasian music festival. The fund plans further purchases of Cremonesi, Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri violins for the Urals Philharmonic Orchestra.
The article reports on the award ceremony at Pisogne for the 5th National Violin Making Contest chaired by Roby Lakatos and the 2nd International Violin Making Contest chaired by Uto Ughi, noting participants from 30 nations and detailing medal winners across categories for antique instruments, copies, and bows. It lists gold, silver, and bronze recipients including Sylvain Rusticoni, Matteo Riva, Sergio Maggi, Marcello Villa, Valerio Ferron, Franco Merlo, Filippo Protani, Rac’z Pale, and Demsar, with special prizes awarded to Ivan Chobacov, Oh Dong Hyun, Dino Graziani, and Matteo Crotti.
Michael Pahn, an archivist and musician, discusses how the fiddle and violin are essentially the same instrument but expressed differently in old-time music versus refined violin technique. He notes that Ken Slowik compares them to identical twins with one dyed green and reflects on how emotion and technique shape the instrument's sound.