Noémie Viaud, based in Risskov, Denmark, is an award-winning luthier who makes violins, violas and cellos and has produced instruments that win prizes at international competitions. Her 2021 violin is a Stradivari model interpretation using spruce and Bosnian flamed maple, finished with her own oil varnish; prizes listed include multiple medals at Violin Society of America competitions and the XVI Concorso Internazionale Di Liuteria Antonio Stradivari.
The rare Stradivari violin made in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari, dubbed the “Da Vinci, Ex-Seidel,” sold for USD 15.3 million at a Tarisio auction in New York on June 9, 2022. The instrument was once played by Toscha Seidel, Einstein’s teacher, and Seidel is noted as having taught Einstein in 1934; the violin is described as from Stradivari’s Golden Period and remains in pristine condition.
The Christie’s Exceptional Sale in July features a 1679 Hellier Stradivari violin, created by Antonio Stradivari, projected to fetch $11 million. The instrument is noted for its ivory inlay, diamonds, and gilded varnish, and is described as a historically significant model by Christie’s and Smithsonian-curated context.
Rebecca Solnit discusses the 1721 Carlo Giuseppe Testore violin owned by Kronos Quartet’s David Harrington. The article reflects on the instrument’s centuries-long endurance and its implications for culture, history, and climate-conscious thinking.
The article discusses Conor Gricmanis, a Shropshire musician, returning home to perform on a priceless 1572 Andrea Amati violin with his group Noxwode during a UK tour. The instrument was loaned to him for the recording of his debut album and will accompany the tour.
The 'Hellier' Stradivarius, made in 1679, was expected to sell for between £6 million and £9 million but received no bids at Christie's auction in London. The violin is notable for its gem-inlaid purfling and its significance as a turning point in Stradivari's career, marking a departure from traditional proportions.
The Strad February 2022 issue features Théotime Langlois de Swarte in a French-themed focus, with articles on Vuillaume’s bows and Pierre Baillot, plus coverage of Sol Gabetta, a Bruch Masterclass, and Philippe Graffin’s Sentimental Work.
Jason Price interviews Joseph Pearson about seven Nazi-era stringed instruments associated with Goebbels’s Ministry of Propaganda, including a 1731 Camillo Camilli violin, an undated Guarneri cello, a 1734 Nicolo Gagliano violin, a 1698 Matteo Goffriller violin, a 1736 Pietro Guarneri violin, a 1761 Guadagnini violin, and a seventeenth-century Giovanni Maria del Busetto viola.
The Violin Channel reports VC Artist Inmo Yang won the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, receiving a €30,000 prize, mentoring prizes, a Genelec product prize, and an NFT trophy. He was awarded a loan of a 1772 Guadagnini violin from Turin, lent through Jane Ng via J & A Beare and the Beare’s International Violin Society.
Alexandra Tirsu receives Ida Haendel’s Stradivari, loaned by London’s J & A Beare, to the 30-year-old Moldovan-Romanian violinist. Tirsu will use the instrument for her debut recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Beethoven Romances, and a concert by Paul Lorenz.