Smashed violin anecdote?
Hello!
I remember an anecdote about a famous violinist, who was upset because everyone always mentioned the sweet tone of his strad and not his own playing.
So after a concert he smashed the violin over a chair and asked the deeply shocked audience: Why I destroyed my strad? Haven't you heared this was only a cheap fiddle?
So (or kind of) went the story.
Does anyone know the story, and how it goes exactly or who the violinist was? I have only a vague memory and no clue if its true or just a joke.
Yours
Replies (17)
"Famous violinist smashed cheap violin to demonstrate his independence of expensive instruments"
more like,,,dependence?:)
^^^That's what I thought
I believe it was indeed Kreisler. The way I heard it (which was many years ago, and I don't know if it was told to me by a musician or I read it somewhere) is that just after World War I when Kreisler gave his first post-war recital in Carnegie Hall, there was still a lot of anti-Germanic sentiment. Most of the music critics praised Kreisler's performance, but one wrote that the only reason Kreisler sounded so good was because he played a Strad. It was the next evening (so the story goes) that Kreisler played the first piece on the program, bowed after thunderous applause, and ceremoniously smashed his fiddle onto the stage, making the following announcement to a shocked audience: "I shall now play my Stradivarius."
Of course, this could be just one of those stories that turns out to be fictitious legend, but I do so hope it's true.
Sandy
so that's where the rockers got the guitar smashing idea from!
from this and from heifetz's story about telling the lady that he hears nothing from a strad in the case, one can imagine a great violinst can be ticked off if he does not get all the attention:)
In the world of electric guitarists a popular (and stupid) saying is "the tone ist in the fingers", i.e. you don't need to spend a lot of money for a great instrument, because the playing is all that matters...
It could be worse, someone in the audience might want to smash it for you after you play.
...or while you play?
;-)
Recently a world-renowned soloist gave a recital in my town. A great player, except for the fact that he was playing on a $2500
Chinese factory fiddle. The sound was so unpleasant I would have left if I could have. If I had the chance, I would have smashed HIS fiddle. I have no idea why he thought the POS sounded good. I was personally offended.
^
Signed Lovingly,
Jean Baptiste Lully
AKA Scott Cole
:>)
after hearing Heifetz, Kreisler said to roomful of distinguished violinists "Well gentlemen, we might as well break our fiddles across our knees". Well, I feel the same way....about kreisler!
"From Emily Grossman
Posted on April 10, 2008 at 09:24 AM
Kreisler?"
Now that's one evil violinist;-)
Marc,
I said I would smash his violin, not my foot.
Scott
^
great response Scott !
Apocraphically speaking,
He was also known for getting ticked at violinists who couldn't play their parts....and smashing their instruments to make his emotions known.
As I recall. :>)
Quoth Grove:
"He was known to have broken violins over the backs of certain players when their playing displeased him"
I'm gangrene with envy at his "la chuztpa."
If you are interested in Kreisler's character, you might read his account of four weeks in the first world war:
http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/Kreisler/Kreisler.htm
An impressive piece of writing.
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April 10, 2008 at 09:24 AM · Kreisler?