Busy violinconcertoweekend: Friday Sibelius v.c, Saturday Kachaturian v.c, Sunday Barber v.c AND I PLAYED ON A STRAD!! for the 1th time of my live

April 23, 2006 at 9:28 PM

This was a busy weekend. Last friday I played with national competition winner Birthe Blom Sibelius violinconcerto (+Valse Triste Sibelius + 4th symf. of Nielsen) in a concert.
She is studing in Swiss with Pierre Amoyal who had a STRAD of 2 million euro. Because she had won the last 2-yearly national competition she had also a STRAD. A violinfriend of another orchestra told me that it was his wish ever to play in his live a STRAD, but he did not dare to ask that to Birthe. So I asked her after the concert: "Hello Birthe. This violinfriend of mine would like playing once in his life on a STRAD. Could he play on your instrument?"
I never thought my friend would make a chance, but without hesitating a second (and not knowing my friend) she said : "That is ok" and walked with us with her concertclothing on and her Strad on her back to the dressingroom for the conductor and her. And opened her violincase and gave the STRAD without saying to this friend: "Be carefull".
(Some time ago Janine Jansen was in a televisionshow and layed her STRAD on the table. A politician who was also interviewed took unasked her violin during that program and she paniced and said: Carefull, carefull, carefull!!)
My friend played some jazzy improvisations and I got the STRAD (a bit trembling) in my hands, taking it more carefull than my violin with the woodwormholes in it. I played an Irish reel or gig (folkmusic), the only piece I can play without notes in front of me and gave it back to her. My violinfriend also said that he was a bit nervous during playing on this special instrument. Of course Birthe can make a much bigger tone on that instrument, but I could not hear the differences.
Another Dutch violinist Isabelle van Keulen had sold her STRAD, because apart for the dark tone for the Shostakowitchconcerto's she does not hear the diffenrence between a new build good instrument or a STRAD. She has given some concerts with a new build instrument with dark varnish -so it looks old-, a STRAD and another instrument and let people guess what was the best instrument. She didn't told what instrument she played. Most people thought that the new instrument was the STRAD and choose THE NEW BUILD VIOLIN AS THE BEST INSTRUMENT and not the STRAD.

Bithe Blom
Next day a rehearsalday in Amsterdam 10.00-17.00 hour. Apart from 4th symf of Tsjaikovsky the violinconcerto of Khachaturian with another national competition winner Simone Lamsma, who is studying in England and won the international Benjamin Britten violincompetition.

Simone Lamsma
Saturdaynight I had a party of a friend who became 40 years.
Sunday 10-17.00 hours another rehearsalday were we played 4th symf. of Schumann and the violinconcerto of Barber (without soloist yet)
Sundayevening I had my normal sundayeveningorchestrarehearsal where we played Slavonic Dances of Dvorak.
But most impressive was this weekend playing for the first time in my live a STRADIVARIUS.

From Julie C.
Posted on April 23, 2006 at 9:40 PM

WOW, Bram! Congratulations on playing a Strad!!!!! :) Sounds exciting!

From Jasmine Lewis
Posted on April 23, 2006 at 11:28 PM

Lucky!

From Ben Clapton
Posted on April 24, 2006 at 1:00 AM

My violin teacher was lucky enough to give a presentation of a Strad in Perth some time ago (about 15 years ago), when the partner of my then violin teacher (as i was just starting) found a violin at an auction and bought it for $500, and upon getting it valued, found that it was actually a genuine Strad. That's a good buy.

My teacher didn't really like the tone of the strad however. In his standard (romantic) repertoire, the violin didn't really sound all that great, but in one piece he had learnt for the occassion (written around the time the violin was made), the violin seemed to come to life. Now it may have had something to do with the room (thick carpeted, a shocking baby grand piano), but it goes to show that just because you have an expensive violin it won't neccessarily sound great.

One of my friends has two violins - one approx $15k, the other approx $20k. He plays on the $20k one because it's worth more, however many of his friends feel that the $15k violin sounds a lot better.

All the same - it's great to play on a strad :>

From Jim W. Miller
Posted on April 24, 2006 at 2:01 AM

I'd be like Stradivarius, smatavarius - I'm hangin' with Bithe Blom!

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on April 24, 2006 at 7:05 AM

Bram, you and Colleen had such exciting weekends. I'll bet the reel and jig you played on the Strad sounded fantastic. Yay, Bram!

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