estebanana -> RE: Stradivarius? You'd be better off with a modern violin (Apr. 11 2014 23:07:23)
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Look, it makes no difference if Strads & Guarneri's are opened up and changed over the years, the modern instruments that are made are based on them. Here's the important thing to bear in mind, there is something intrinsic to the Cremonese method of construction that defies change from the being repaired or renecked (modernized. ) The modern copies, and they are usually copies or closely based on Strads et al are also modernized. I can give you list longer than anyone on the this Foro of Italian violins, violas and celli I've held and played, but I'll spare you the name dropping. Here's the deal: Tests are all subjective in some way, the best Strads and the Guarneri del Gesus may not have been in that the room,because the best of the best are concert violins on tour or held by concertmasters who are busy working. The woman doing the playing also was hearing the violin under her ear and she was at the end of her loan period on her Strad, she may have shopping for a new fiddle, so she was looking for certain things and used to hearing a particular Strad under her ear. I've been with good world class players when they select instruments and they take a lot of time to try them and they put them down an try them again. They ask someone else to play it and stand back 5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet and they evaluate. They consider modern and vintage instruments and often times if they can afford it they will go with a vintage instrument. Concert artists also play high profile instruments, because well someone has to so it may as well be Yo Yo Ma who has Strad and not the kid done the block. Take the cellist David Finckel, he was the cellist of the Emerson Quartet until he retired to work solo with his wife Wu Han the pianist. Finckel is big advocate of playing modern instruments, but I've never heard him say stupid things about about those who play old masters instruments, like "They only play them for the prestige." Because this clearly is not true. People play older instruments because they are good. Take Jacquline du Pre, she played the Davidoff cello for about five years, but her playing style changed and the Davidioff no longer suited her, so she was playing on a modern cello at the end of her career because it suited what she was doing. She still kept the Strad cello before it was sold to YoYo Ma, and he kept his Montagnana cello. The point is great players grab the instrument that suits what they are trying to accomplish at the time. If they can acquire a great old master instrument that suits them they will. If not they will go with a modern instrument that suits them. They may even want to need to change instruments for a particular piece of music because it is better on that fiddle or cello in the way they play it. There are many, many considerations for choosing modern or antique, but to say they simply pick older because of the name or the cache' of having a violin by an old master is really not a major consideration. They want them because they are great instruments. The argument that new is better or old is better is not really important and sound testing is always subjective in some respect.
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