String theories
Jun 27, 2013 4:58:24 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2013 4:58:24 GMT -5
Good morning, once again, to you all! Writing in the FT, Andrew Clark discusses the myths, magic and mystique of a Stradivarius violin. True or false? The quality of a Stradivarius violin stems from its combination of wood and varnish, the secret of which has yet to be uncovered. If a “Strad” is not played regularly, it loses its distinctive sound. Stradivarius instruments are the most expensive on the market because they are old and few have survived into the modern era. Andrew concludes thus:
FT - String theories
This summer, the Ashmolean hosts a special exhibition celebrating the life and work of Antonio Stradivari. For the first time ever in the United Kingdom (UK), the Ashmolean will bring together 21 of Stradivari’s most important, well-preserved instruments to showcase the brilliance of his craft, including 11 works from his Golden Period. Worth a trip to Oxford?
Ashmolean - Stradivarius
“There’s no such thing as a typical Stradivarius,” Whiteley explains. “They’re all slightly different. Even in old age he was trying to push the boundaries to create the perfect balance between carrying power and expressiveness. Others copied the style of his ‘golden period’ so that it became a convention.”
Whiteley says the Stradivarius debate has nothing to do with wood, varnish or age but revolves around a question players alone can answer: why is a Stradivarius different from an instrument that makes an identical sound? I put it to Ehnes, a self-confessed Stradivarius “nerd”, who has played no fewer than 93 Strads. He said that judging a violin strictly on the basis of its sound was missing the point. “Lots of violins sound good. The difference lies not in how they sound, but in the possibilities they give to the player. That’s where Stradivari was a genius. Even if you have a day or a week with a Strad, it’s not enough to discover what it can do for your imagination. That’s the most important thing.
“People don’t come to a concert to hear an instrument. They come to hear a performer, and a violin is a tool for a performer. If you have an instrument that makes you think, ‘What can I do here, what is the range of dynamic gradations and colour possibilities I can develop here?’, that’s the area where Stradivarius instruments are extra-special.”
Whiteley says the Stradivarius debate has nothing to do with wood, varnish or age but revolves around a question players alone can answer: why is a Stradivarius different from an instrument that makes an identical sound? I put it to Ehnes, a self-confessed Stradivarius “nerd”, who has played no fewer than 93 Strads. He said that judging a violin strictly on the basis of its sound was missing the point. “Lots of violins sound good. The difference lies not in how they sound, but in the possibilities they give to the player. That’s where Stradivari was a genius. Even if you have a day or a week with a Strad, it’s not enough to discover what it can do for your imagination. That’s the most important thing.
“People don’t come to a concert to hear an instrument. They come to hear a performer, and a violin is a tool for a performer. If you have an instrument that makes you think, ‘What can I do here, what is the range of dynamic gradations and colour possibilities I can develop here?’, that’s the area where Stradivarius instruments are extra-special.”
FT - String theories
This summer, the Ashmolean hosts a special exhibition celebrating the life and work of Antonio Stradivari. For the first time ever in the United Kingdom (UK), the Ashmolean will bring together 21 of Stradivari’s most important, well-preserved instruments to showcase the brilliance of his craft, including 11 works from his Golden Period. Worth a trip to Oxford?
Ashmolean - Stradivarius