On an absolutely gorgeous day, I am reminded of the story of a poor music consumer. A man bought a Chinese violin (with case and bow included) for $32.75. The violin arrived but was not set up - basically, the bridge had not been set in place nor calibrated. He took it to a local shop to have it taken care of and was told it would run him $79.00 to have this done, plus TAX, of course. He then asked if they could also TUNE the violin, whereupon they said they would be glad to tune the instrument for him but he would need to pay an additional $39.00 for that - plus tax. He would owe them about $127.00 for the service he required and they could not offer him a discount because he was not a regular customer.
Showing posts with label violins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label violins. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell is an American violinist born on this day (December 9), 1967. Bell began violin lessons at the age of four. Later on, he studied with Joseph Gingold at Indiana University (Jacobs School of Music), from which he graduated in 1989. However, by 1985, he had already made his Carnegie Hall (New York City) debut. He is best known for his soundtrack recording of the violin music on the film The Red Violin. Bell has taught at the Royal Academy of Music (London), MIT, and Indiana University. There is lots of information about him on the internet as well as videos on YouTube and on MySpace websites. He has also recorded most of he standard violin repertoire. He plays the Gibson-ex-Huberman Stradivarius (1713 - a notoriously famous violin.) That's not Joshua Bell on the left - I have no clue who that is but she looks French. God provides beauty in so many different forms - I am simply beyond amazed. Ciao.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Messiah Strad
Messiah Stradivarius picture - a clear photograph from the Ashmolean Museum in England. It looks brand new because it has never been played, though it was constructed (according to most experts) in 1716.
Cozio
Cozio di Salabue plus Tarisio plus Stradivari are three names intertwined forever. Count Cozio di Salabue and Luigi Tarisio, the original violin hunter, collected so many violins by Antonio Stradivari (and others) that it could almost (almost) be said that they preserved for posterity about one hundred million dollars worth of priceless instruments. (Please see my earlier blog - What's Up With The Messiah)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Painting
Since the last one (red apple) worked well, I thought I would try another one. This is a painting I no longer own. It's titled Guarnerius. I was almost able to do it justice!!! Please note that it is an abstract and a realistic painting at the same time - whimsical I think. The actual size is 16 X 20, in case anyone cares. It was done with acrylic over canvas board. An artist friend told me once that he hated canvas board - I told him I hated canvas. We could never agree. It was all his fault, of course.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Modern Stradivarius
Strads are not the only violins that have gone mysteriously missing. General John T. Honeycutt constructed over sixty violins, having taken up the luthier’s craft after his retirement from the military. Almost fifty of them are now missing and there are precious few examples of this master craftman’s art, even through photographs. One of the few that I found (#13) is shown in the Gallery, as is a magnificent example of one of his rare violas, now owned by Karl Winkler of Albuquerque. I could not locate a sample of the General’s label. Should you come across one of his instruments, his website directs you how to proceed.
Gitlis
Well, now that I've started this, here's something about one of my favorite fiddle players:
ATribute to Ivry Gitlis
I must confess that until recently, I had never heard of this phenomenal artist – so far removed is he from the present generation of violin players. His playing style – so expressive, charming at times, fierce at others, always vigorous, often freewheeling - is also of another, more individualistic generation, a generation not embarrassed by conscious displays of high-tension emotion – the epitome of singing with the violin. There is an astonishing recording of the Tchaikovsky Vals Sentimentale by Gitlis which, in my estimation, will never be equaled. Simply stated, nobody plays like that anymore. His stupendous technical prowess aside, with Ivry Gitlis, there is no doubt about the utmost dedication, conviction, and wisdom of the man behind the playing. As has been said before, the violin doesn’t play itself.
Ivry Gitlis was born on August 22, 1922, in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel), to Russian parents. He received his first violin at the age of five and gave his first concert five years later, at age ten. When violinist Bronislav Huberman heard him play, he encouraged him to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where, at age thirteen, he won a first prize. After graduation from the Conservatoire, he studied with Carl Flesch, Georges Enesco and Jacques Thibaud, among others – almost the same teachers under whom Henryk Szeryng studied a few years before him. In 1939, just before the war, he went to England, and when World War II broke out, worked in a British munitions factory and in the entertainment unit of the British army. After the war, he made his European debut at the Royal Albert Hall. In 1951, he made his debut in Paris – which was later to become his main residence - and has since gone on to give concerts all over the world. Ivry Gitlis is considered one of the most gifted musicians of his generation, and many of his recordings are now classics.
During his long career, Gitlis has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Leningrad, Tokyo, Paris, Concertgebouw, etc., etc. and the most famous conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Charles Dutoit, George Szell, Eugene Ormandy, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Being a supporter of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Ivry Gitlis played at the Oslo gala commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords. In 1990, Gitlis was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and, as a consequence, has graciously performed at numerous UNESCO fundraising galas for educational and cultural projects.
In addition to being a violin virtuoso, he writes and composes and is the author of the autobiographical L’âme et la Corde, which was published in 1981 to critical acclaim. His first recording, "Le Concerto à La mémoire d'un ange" (Concerto to the Memory of an Angel), Alban Berg’s violin concerto, won the Grand Prix du Disque (Grand Recording Prize) in France. In 1968 he participated in John Lennon's Dirty Mac project on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus program (on a track called "Whole Lotta Yoko"). In 1971, Bruno Maderna wrote "Piece for Ivry" for him, and in 1972, he premiered "Mikka" by Xenakis. Subsequent recordings, many of which until their recent re-releases had become sought-after collectors’ items, have included the concertos of Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Wieniawski and the Bartok Concerto and Solo Sonata for which he received the Best Record of the Year award from the New York Herald Tribune. Although less widely known as a chamber player, Ivry Gitlis has made music with a wide range of artists - Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, William Primrose, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Stephen Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich, with whom he recorded the Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas.
Gitlis is also a well-known and respected teacher, giving master classes all over Europe and beyond, regularly spending summers at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and in France, where he has created many classical music festivals. A frequent contributor to films as a composer as well as an actor, he has worked with the likes of Truffaut and Schlondorff. In 2001 he was one of the featured commentators (along with Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn) in Bruno Monsaingeon’s film, “The Art of the Violin”. Tony Palmer’s 2004 documentary film on Ivry Gitlis was premiered at the Prague Spring Music Festival where it was praised by the Oscar-winning director Andrea Anderman as "the best artist's profile I have ever seen". Most recently, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, he was honored (in 2004) as part of the Festival devoted to great violinists of the 20th century. Based in Paris since the end of the sixties, Ivry Gitlis still performs throughout the world. His return to the London stage in 1996 after a long absence marked the 50th anniversary of his Wigmore Hall debut and was quite a sensational experience - critics and audience alike agreed on the great impact of his unique personality and extraordinary interpretations, many of which can now be seen or heard on the YouTube website. The depth of his expressive powers can hardly be exaggerated. He plays the "Swan Song" Stradivarius of 1737 (the year of Stradivari’s death).
ATribute to Ivry Gitlis
I must confess that until recently, I had never heard of this phenomenal artist – so far removed is he from the present generation of violin players. His playing style – so expressive, charming at times, fierce at others, always vigorous, often freewheeling - is also of another, more individualistic generation, a generation not embarrassed by conscious displays of high-tension emotion – the epitome of singing with the violin. There is an astonishing recording of the Tchaikovsky Vals Sentimentale by Gitlis which, in my estimation, will never be equaled. Simply stated, nobody plays like that anymore. His stupendous technical prowess aside, with Ivry Gitlis, there is no doubt about the utmost dedication, conviction, and wisdom of the man behind the playing. As has been said before, the violin doesn’t play itself.
Ivry Gitlis was born on August 22, 1922, in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel), to Russian parents. He received his first violin at the age of five and gave his first concert five years later, at age ten. When violinist Bronislav Huberman heard him play, he encouraged him to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where, at age thirteen, he won a first prize. After graduation from the Conservatoire, he studied with Carl Flesch, Georges Enesco and Jacques Thibaud, among others – almost the same teachers under whom Henryk Szeryng studied a few years before him. In 1939, just before the war, he went to England, and when World War II broke out, worked in a British munitions factory and in the entertainment unit of the British army. After the war, he made his European debut at the Royal Albert Hall. In 1951, he made his debut in Paris – which was later to become his main residence - and has since gone on to give concerts all over the world. Ivry Gitlis is considered one of the most gifted musicians of his generation, and many of his recordings are now classics.
During his long career, Gitlis has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Leningrad, Tokyo, Paris, Concertgebouw, etc., etc. and the most famous conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Charles Dutoit, George Szell, Eugene Ormandy, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Being a supporter of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Ivry Gitlis played at the Oslo gala commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords. In 1990, Gitlis was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and, as a consequence, has graciously performed at numerous UNESCO fundraising galas for educational and cultural projects.
In addition to being a violin virtuoso, he writes and composes and is the author of the autobiographical L’âme et la Corde, which was published in 1981 to critical acclaim. His first recording, "Le Concerto à La mémoire d'un ange" (Concerto to the Memory of an Angel), Alban Berg’s violin concerto, won the Grand Prix du Disque (Grand Recording Prize) in France. In 1968 he participated in John Lennon's Dirty Mac project on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus program (on a track called "Whole Lotta Yoko"). In 1971, Bruno Maderna wrote "Piece for Ivry" for him, and in 1972, he premiered "Mikka" by Xenakis. Subsequent recordings, many of which until their recent re-releases had become sought-after collectors’ items, have included the concertos of Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Wieniawski and the Bartok Concerto and Solo Sonata for which he received the Best Record of the Year award from the New York Herald Tribune. Although less widely known as a chamber player, Ivry Gitlis has made music with a wide range of artists - Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, William Primrose, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Stephen Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich, with whom he recorded the Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas.
Gitlis is also a well-known and respected teacher, giving master classes all over Europe and beyond, regularly spending summers at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and in France, where he has created many classical music festivals. A frequent contributor to films as a composer as well as an actor, he has worked with the likes of Truffaut and Schlondorff. In 2001 he was one of the featured commentators (along with Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn) in Bruno Monsaingeon’s film, “The Art of the Violin”. Tony Palmer’s 2004 documentary film on Ivry Gitlis was premiered at the Prague Spring Music Festival where it was praised by the Oscar-winning director Andrea Anderman as "the best artist's profile I have ever seen". Most recently, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, he was honored (in 2004) as part of the Festival devoted to great violinists of the 20th century. Based in Paris since the end of the sixties, Ivry Gitlis still performs throughout the world. His return to the London stage in 1996 after a long absence marked the 50th anniversary of his Wigmore Hall debut and was quite a sensational experience - critics and audience alike agreed on the great impact of his unique personality and extraordinary interpretations, many of which can now be seen or heard on the YouTube website. The depth of his expressive powers can hardly be exaggerated. He plays the "Swan Song" Stradivarius of 1737 (the year of Stradivari’s death).
Violinhunter
Violinhunter has just created a new blog and it's quite a nice feeling. I will talk about Amati and Stradivari and Guarneri and Guadagnini and Maggini and Vuillaume violins and Cozio di Salabue and Luigi Tarisio and a few other things. Not religion and not politics. That's all for now.
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