Boris Sverdlik Fecit Cremona 2015 #294
In Omaggio a "Viotti" Stradivari 1709
The Viotti; ex-Bruce violin, made by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona in 1709. The violin receives its name from its first known owner, violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti.
As one of the greatest virtuoso violinists of his day, Viotti was very influential in the field of instrumental technique. His advocacy of Stradivarius violins was also key to the recognition of their maker as the foremost of all luthiers.
Boris Sverdlik Fecit Cremona 2015 #296
In Omaggio a "Lord Wilton" Guarneri 1742
The Lord Wilton Guarnerius, sometimes called the ex-Yehudi Menuhin, made by Italian Cremonies maker Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri del Gesu in 1742.
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It was named after Seymour Egerton, 4th Earl of Wilton, a musician, associate of Arthur Sullivan, and 19th century owner of the instrument. It was owned and played by the celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin from 1978 to 1999. After Menuhin's death in 1999, the instrument was sold ] to the collector David L. Fulton. Zlatko Balokovic also played the instrument from 1952 to 1961.
Boris Sverdlik Fecit Cremona 2015 #298
In Omaggio a "David - Heifetz" Guarneri 1742
"David - Heifetz" violin made by Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri del Gesù of Cremona in 1742. Known as the “David” ever since the 19th-century German violinist Ferdinand David owned and played it, the violin was Heifetz’s principal concert and recording violin throughout his long career.
Heifetz entered into the most important partnership of his lifetime in 1922, when he purchased the “David” Guarneri violin from William E. Hill & Sons. Upon his death in 1987, Heifetz who lived in Los Angeles, left the “David” to the Fine Arts Museums with the strict stipulation that it be “played on special occasions by worthy performers.” 2002, the Museums offered the violin as an extended loan to the San Francisco Symphony.
Boris Sverdlik Fecit Cremona 2016 #300
In Omaggio a "Il Cannone" Guarneri 1742
The italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini bequeathed his Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ 1742 violin,because of its power and resonance, given the name ‘Il Cannone’, to the City of Genova, which received the instrument from Paganini’s son Achille in 1851, eleven years after Paganini’s death.
For over a century it was carefully conserved by the Genovese authorities and rarely played; this has given us a priceless gift of a masterpiece in astonishingly pure condition.
Boris Sverdlik Fecit Cremona 2016 #301
In Omaggio a "Tizian" Stradivari 1715
The ‘Titian’ Stradivari of 1715 has long been counted among its maker’s finest golden-period violins. The violin was owned by successive noblemen and collectors, and had little major concert use. From 1923, the important violinist Efrem Zimbalist owned it for two years before it again passed into a private collection. The instrument’s most recent owner was the late Irwin Miller.
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In the hands of soloist Cho-Liang Lin, its current player, it has revealed itself to be a formidable concert instrument of unusual power and scope, remarkable for its focus and resilience under the bow.