06.08.2012
A 17th Century Violin in the Mikhailovsky Orchestra
Maxim Viktorov has donated a unique instrument from his collection to the Mikhailovsky Theatre. It is a violin made in about 1650 by Jacob Stainer, the celebrated Tyrolean master. Vladislav Gluz, the leader of the orchestra, will have the honour of playing it.
Jacob Stainer is considered one of the originators of the perfect canonical form of the violin. His name is uttered in the same breath as the great masters of the Cremona school — the Amati, Stradivarius, and Guarneri families. Experts hold that Stainer’s instruments combine fullness and volume of sound with the softness and tenderness characteristic of the flute. Johann Sebastian Bach owned a Stainer violin, and Mozart was also very fond of his instruments. 18th century collectors valued Jacob Stainer’s violins more highly than those of Stradivarius.
The instrument was delivered from Moscow on the evening of 23 June, during Neil Shicoff’s gala concert in the Grand Hall of the Philharmonic. Vladislav Gluz first laid his hands on the violin in the interim. He will need time to familiarise himself with the precious instrument, so it will be a few days before it can be heard.
Earlier Maxim Viktorov, Chairman of the Board of the Investment Programme Foundation and Managing Partner of the Legal Intelligence Group, opined that the Stainer violin would be a superb addition to the theatre’s masterful artistic accomplishments.
Jacob Stainer is considered one of the originators of the perfect canonical form of the violin. His name is uttered in the same breath as the great masters of the Cremona school — the Amati, Stradivarius, and Guarneri families. Experts hold that Stainer’s instruments combine fullness and volume of sound with the softness and tenderness characteristic of the flute. Johann Sebastian Bach owned a Stainer violin, and Mozart was also very fond of his instruments. 18th century collectors valued Jacob Stainer’s violins more highly than those of Stradivarius.
The instrument was delivered from Moscow on the evening of 23 June, during Neil Shicoff’s gala concert in the Grand Hall of the Philharmonic. Vladislav Gluz first laid his hands on the violin in the interim. He will need time to familiarise himself with the precious instrument, so it will be a few days before it can be heard.
Earlier Maxim Viktorov, Chairman of the Board of the Investment Programme Foundation and Managing Partner of the Legal Intelligence Group, opined that the Stainer violin would be a superb addition to the theatre’s masterful artistic accomplishments.
