Monthly archive
12 headlines
Source-linked reporting
bbc.co.uk
BBC News reports that a 1610 Amati cello worth hundreds of thousands of pounds has been placed on a lifetime loan to teenager Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who won BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016. The anonymous donor arranged the loan, and violin maker Florian Leonhard described the instrument as the ultimate virtuoso soloist’s tool.
nytimes.com
The Limbach Commission ruled that the heirs of Felix Hildesheimer are entitled to a remedy for his 18th‑century Guarneri violin, potentially looted or lost after a forced sale in Nazi Germany. The instrument was created in 1706 by Cremonese violin-maker Giuseppe Guarneri (filius Andreae). Hildesheimer, a German Jew who ran a Speyer music business, purchased the violin in 1938 and died by suicide in 1939 after property confiscation.
ladige.it
The article reports that a violin made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, owned by concert performer Pavel Vernikov, was stolen on a train in Geneva, Switzerland. The instrument’s value is stated as over 1.5 million Swiss francs (about 1.4 million euros), and four bows plus the musician’s identification documents were also stolen.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports a 1747 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin was stolen in Geneva, Switzerland, with the owner’s wallet and passport also in the case; the instrument comes with four bows by Eugene Sartory, Dominique Peccatte, Marie Nicolas and Jacob Eury. Recent Guadagnini sales from this period have reached over US$1.5 million. A contact number is provided for information: +41 795 218 286.
thestrad.com
The article discusses a violin attributed to Antonio Mariani of Pesaro, bearing his label with a partly illegible date 166-. It references the Mariani family and their reputation, notes on their workshop practices and stylistic traits, and mentions the instrument illustrated in The Strad from March 1985.
classicvoice.com
The violino Guadagnini valued at 1.5 million euros was stolen from Pavel Vernikov on a train returning from Vienna, along with four bows and identification papers. The instrument, a 17th-century Guadagnini nicknamed Contessa Crespi, was loaned to Vernikov by the Fondazione Pro Canale of Milan and previously used by Riccardo Brengola.
thesun.co.uk
The Sun reports that an antique violin worth £1.5 million was stolen from a packed train’s luggage rack at Geneva Cornavin station while Pavel Vernikov tried to alight. Vernikov, a concert musician, said a ‘large man’ blocked his attempt to retrieve the violin, which was made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in Piacenza in 1747 and is valued at £1.5 million; four bows were also in the case. Vernikov is appealing for help to recover the instrument.
thescottishsun.co.uk
The report concerns violinist Pavel Vernikov, whose 1747 Guadagnini violin valued at £1.5 million was stolen from a train at Geneva Cornavin station. The instrument, made in Piacenza by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1747, was taken after a large man blocked Vernikov while he tried to reach the violin from the luggage rack; four bows were also taken and Vernikov’s wallet and papers were stolen. The article notes the instrument’s maker and mentions other musicians who have used Guadagnini instruments.
slippedisc.com
The anonymous purchaser of the Du Pré-Harell Stradivarius has placed it on extended loan with István Várdai, a Hungarian cellist and 2014 ARD winner. The instrument, made in 1673, is one of fewer than 65 surviving Strad cello models and has been previously owned by Jacqueline du Pré, Lynn Harrell, and Nina Kotova.
theviolinchannel.com
Joshua Brown, a 17-year-old American violinist, has been granted long-term use of a 1679 Pietro Guarneri violin on loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago. He studies with Almita and Roland Varmos at the Academy of Music Institute of Chicago and has previously won major prizes at the Enkor and Cooper International Violin Competitions.
slippedisc.com
The article reports that Joshua Brown, a 17-year-old from Gurnee, Illinois, has been handed a 1679 Pietro Guarneri violin on long-term loan by a patron of Chicago’s Stradivari Society, a division of Bein & Fushi.
168.hu
The article reports that Várdai István, a renowned Hungarian cellist, received a Stradivari cello worth several billion forints from an anonymous German patron. The instrument, dating from 1673 and known as Ex du Pré-Harrell Stradivarius, is one of only 65 Stradivari cellos made. Previous owners included Jacqueline du Pré and Lynn Harrell, with a storied history including Harrell once leaving the cello in a taxi. The piece also notes the cello’s rarity among Stradivari’s 750 bowed instruments.