Monthly archive
15 headlines
Source-linked reporting
vermontcountry.com
Judith Ensign writes about Francis Morris, a Berkshire County violin maker, highlighting his craft and workshop in Great Barrington as part of the history of violin making. The article discusses Andrea Amati and Cremona as origins of the modern violin and notes Morris as a rare US luthier based in Berkshire County.
bostonclassicalreview.com
Máté Szücs performed the Walton Viola Concerto with the Boston Civic Symphony at Jordan Hall, led by Francisco Noya. The review discusses Higdon's blue cathedral and Walton's Viola Concerto in the season-opening concert.
thetimes.com
The article discusses forests that supplied wood for Stradivari violins and how storms destroyed those forests.
ottawacitizen.com
The Ottawa Citizen reports that violinist Niv Ashkenazi will perform with a violin reclaimed from the Holocaust at an event marking the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht at Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue. The instrument, part of the Violins of Hope, has an inlaid Star of David and was donated by a U.S. Holocaust survivor; Amnon Weinstein founded Violins of Hope in 1996.
theviolinchannel.com
The 2018 Violin Society of America International Instrument and Bow Making Competition prizes were announced in Cleveland. Dual gold medals for Violin Tone and Violin Workmanship went to Mira Gruszow and Gideon Baumblat, a double gold award went to Christopher Savino, and gold medals were awarded to Justin A Hess, David Leonard Widmer, Philip Ihle (violin), Hayato Nagaishi, Damien Gest, David Leonard Wiedmer (cello), and Yongje Song, Lucie Martinie, Victor Bernard (bow).
theviolinchannel.com
The article reports that 22-year-old Yuliia Van from Ukraine and 24-year-old Roman Kholmatov from Ukraine were awarded joint-1st prize at the 2018 Mirecourt International Violin Competition in Mirecourt, France. It notes their backgrounds and prior prize history, the 1st prize amount of €5,000, and lists the 2018 jury members.
fnp.de
The article discusses investors increasingly buying valuable violins, including a Stradivari, to profit from rising prices. It cites Daniel Hope and Georg Bongartz, mentions the Stradivari Lady Blunt and its record auction price, and notes efforts by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben to lend historical instruments to young musicians, including Mayumi Kanagawa who plays a Pietro Guarnerius violin.
artsfile.ca
Timothy Chooi, a student of Pinchas Zukerman, makes a surprise appearance in Southam Hall to perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with NACO. The article notes Chooi’s studies at Juilliard, his prize for the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, and the prize package including 50,000 Euros, a NAXOS recording contract, a Guadagnini violin loan valued at over $500,000, and future debuts.
freestatesymphonyorchestra.blogspot.com
Jeanne-Louise Moolman, principal violist of FSSO, is one of two South Africans participating in the 45th International Viola Congress (IVC2018) in Rotterdam, hosted by the Dutch Viola Society from 20 to 24 November 2018. The congress theme is Exploring New Ways to Perform, marking the 50th anniversary of the International Viola Society.
tarisio.com
Alina Ibragimova is associated with Anselmo Bellosio violin, c. 1775, as featured on a Tarisio digital exhibition page. The page mentions the instrument being Amatese in model with Venetian details and notes Ibragimova has performed on it since 2005 and that she uses a François Peccatte bow found at Tarisio. Commentary is by Jason Price.
maz-online.de
The Werder violin-making duo Gideon Baumblatt and Mira Gruszow (both 34) won multiple awards at the 23rd International Violin Competition in Cleveland, Ohio, receiving two gold medals and two silver medals. The competition highlighted a rare double gold for the first violin part and silver medals for the cello and quartet, with the pair having previously earned a silver medal two years earlier.
mk.ru
The item is an antique Italian cello by Giovanni Battista Rogeri, valued at about $100,000. It disappeared in 1995 after the musician Korчагин left it in the hallway of a Moscow apartment building; the case was opened in 1997 but no suspects were found and the case was closed for the statute of limitations. The instrument later resurfaced on a French auction and its history and custody are being investigated by Moscow law enforcement and Russian cultural authorities.
vesti.ru
The Rostropovich–Vishnevsky daughters Elena and Olga Rostoropovich auctioned more than 300 lots from their parents' collection at Sotheby’s. The maestro’s cello by Giovanni Guadagnini, crafted in 1783, sold for 1.93 million pounds (about 2.48 million dollars). Another cello by Santo Serafin from 1741 sold for 610 thousand pounds (about 782 thousand dollars). The auction included a Boesendorfer piano and other items, with total proceeds over four million pounds. The most beloved Stradivarius cello remained in the musician’s family.
echospb.ru
The article reports that a Guadanini cello once owned by Rostropovich was sold for 2.48 million dollars (1.93 million pounds). It notes that the instrument was sold at auction in London for 782 thousand dollars and that the sale was the most expensive item from Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya's collection, with Rostropovich indicating the purchase happened in Paris. The item’s maker is identified as Guadanini, with a note that another Rostropovich cello was made by Santo Serafin.
classicfm.com
The article reports that three cellos from Mstislav Rostropovich's private collection were auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York, with two instruments setting new auction records. Included is a 1783 Guadagnini cello acquired by Rostropovich in 2000, and a Santo Serafin cello sold for £610,000; one Guadagnini did not sell.