| Strads/del Gesus
The story of rare instruments of the violin family stretches back to the first half of the 16th Century, to the town of Brescia in Northern Italy. Brescian violins are seen in paintings more than 100 years before the creation of such instruments in nearby Cremona by the most highly regarded violinmakers of all time, Antonio Stradivarius (1644-1737) and Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarnerius del Gesu (1698-1744), and incredibly some of the early 16th Century instruments are still played regularly. It is generally agreed, however, that the zenith of the violinmaking art was reached in the workshops of the two renowned Cremonese masters and that the oeuvre of "Strad" and "del Gesu" has never been exceeded in terms of mastery of the aesthetics of lutherie (the art of violinmaking) or in the creation of miracles of acoustical projection and pure beauty of sound. Interestingly, the basic shapes and architecture had changed relatively little since those earliest days and remain fairly consistent in contemporary 21st Century instruments. Violins by Stradivarius were considered valuable works of art even in his day, when only nobility and monarchs could afford commissions of his fine instruments. Although not so highly valued at that time, del Gesu instruments nowadays often command prices equal to or even higher than those of Stradivarius, due to their great scarcity and powerful tonal qualities -- for example, a violin of del Gesu has recently been placed on the market for $20 million and one sold in October 2009 for $10 million. A few other followers from Cremona and Venice approach Strad and del Gesu in adulation and multi-million dollar values, particularly the Venetian cello-makers, but Strad and del Gesu still generally command the highest prices by far.
Tonal Properties/Desirability
For the last 200 years most of the world's top violinists have employed Strad or del Gesu instruments to charm audiences. Today's concert artists often claim they cherish their "Strads" or "del Gesus" as much as life itself and lovers of classical music who listen to their top musical heroes serenading them in a concert hall or via their MP3 player are very often listening to the voice of a Strad or a del Gesu. Naturally then, the mystique surrounding these instruments and the elevation to super-stardom of their musical champions has given way to pragmatism as collectors who have an awareness of the deep intrinsic value of these masterpieces of Western civilization have bid them up to multi-million dollar values and highlighted their significant investment potential.
Numbers
In addition to violins, Stradivari also made guitars, violas, cellos, and at least one harp -- more than 1,101 instruments in all, by current estimates. Approximately 650 of these instruments still survive. On the other hand, del Gesu made probably not many more than 100 instruments altogether, all but one of them violins.
Strads
Strads are played by many of the most well-known soloists of today, such as Leonidas Kavakos, Gil Shaham, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Kyung-Wha Chung. Some famous Stradivarius instruments are the Soil of 1714 owned by virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, the ex-Huberman Stradivarius of 1713 played by Joshua Bell, the Davidov Stradivarius, a cello currently played by Yo-Yo Ma and the Barjansky Stradivarius, a cello currently played by Julian Lloyd Webber. The Duport Stradivarius, a cello owned by Mstislav Rostropovich until his death in 2007 was subsequently sold for $20 million to the Nippon Foundation of Japan. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra uses several Stradivarius instruments that were purchased by the Austrian National Bank and other sponsors: the Chaconne, 1725; the ex-Hammerle, 1709; the ex-Smith-Quersin, 1714; the ex-Arnold Rose, the ex-Viotti, 1718; and the ex-Halphen, 1727. The Lady Blunt Stradivarius, a particularly fine violin in near-mint condition dated 1721 (made when the master was 77!) was bought by the Nippon Foundation two years ago for $10 million.
del Gesus
Famous Guarneri "del Gesu" violins include the Ex-Kochanski violin of 1741 bought by a Russian industrialist from its long-time owner and player, Aaron Rosand for $10 million in October 2009. Often 19th Century masters like Niccolo Paganini, Henri Vieuxtemps, Joseph Wieniawski, and 20th Century players such as the late Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Isaac Stern and Henryk Szeryng preferred del Gesu violins over Strads for concerts and recordings, due to their almost limitless power and projection, although they would often also keep a Strad with them in a double case alongside their principal concert instrument. Paganini's priceless "Cannon" violin by the maker (so-called because of its booming tone) is kept in a case in the Municipal Museum in his home-town Genoa, Italy, very infrequently let out and closely monitored under constant guard.
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