jacobsaunders Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 The bottom line still is, unless I have missed something, A violin that an "active, reliable, business in Canada" considers to be a DG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Liu Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Is someone making fun of a Chinese name again?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Blevins Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Even though Charles Beare is a one of the best Experts of today there are many others who would have the expertise to be able to Identify this instrument authenticity. I would Eco Michael's statement: nothing to debate about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Even though Charles Beare is a one of the best Experts of today there are many others who would have the expertise to be able to Identify this instrument authenticity. Absolutly, I couldn't agree with you more. It is just curious that none of them appear to have done so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Darnton Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 It is just curious that none of them appear to have done so. You must have spent a lot of time on the phone over the last couple of days calling them all! Otherwise, there'd be no way to know that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 You must have spent a lot of time on the phone over the last couple of days calling them all! Otherwise, there'd be no way to know that. Does "appear" have a different meaning in american english? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Liu Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 By the way, does anyone know why the violin was in pieces (assuming that it had been in pieces for years)? And Michael, did you see it in John Becker's workshop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Molnar Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 I don't doubt its authenticity. And congratulations Dr.Pong on being such a generous patron. I know a couple of Prof. Crow's former/present students. His new position is well deserved and has generated quite a bit of excitement. This is one of the (frequent) times I wish I was an insider. I'd love to know the history behind how this Del Gesu sat in pieces for so many years and was relatively unknown/forgotten by many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Molnar Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Looks like Joseph and I had the same question and were writing at the same time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Darnton Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 If I have the right violin in mind, it was brought through my shop by a respected dealer whom I'm not going to out because it's his story if he wants to tell it. It was apart, I believe, because its restoration plan was being formulated at that point. You know, it's really not that unusual for a known violin to disappear for decades, then show up again. I curate one Strad that was out of use for a couple of decades, and it even was maligned in a book as being a soundless wreck by someone who'd neither seen it or heard it (the violin is exceptionally nice, in fact.) The book also made some mystery of it being out of circulation (as if every violin owner has an obligation to post the current address of their violins in some sort of public registry, perhaps--which, amusingly, this one was, so it hadn't disappeared at all.) http://www.frankalmond.com/?page_id=9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 The bottom line still is, unless I have missed something, A violin that an "active, reliable, business in Canada" considers to be a DG. I'd expect that a reliable business, in the sense I refer to one, would have sought out another opinion concerning it. and may also have procured a third party certificate for the client. I don't know the story in this particular case, or much about the fiddle, but I bet I could probably find out without running up much of a long distance bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremyamoto Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 George Heinl and Co. is a wonderful shop in downtown Toronto. I've been there many times and played my first Strad there was I was in my teens. Rick Heinl is always so nice when I come in the shop and I remember that day I played the Strad. I had some complicated map in my hand to get back to where I was staying and they sat with me for over half an hour checking all the bus routes and making sure I'd be able to get back home safe. They always seem very willing to help out young violinists, much like Michael Remenyi. I've never done business with them (i.e. purchasing an instrument) but I have no doubt that they are able to authenticate any instrument out there and are very reliable. They may not have a fancy website, but they are an old school, English shop and there's always a Strad or two hanging around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 with no disrespect to mr heinls shop, jeremys wording sounds incredible; real strads "hanging around" at a violin shop in canada, i thought they had work to do playing, so jeremy, next time you find a real strad with time on its hands, tell it to hightail it down to southern california and hang out at my shop for a while, i think i can make space for a strad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremyamoto Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 If I could tell a Strad with time on it's hands to high-tail it anywhere, it would be into my case! What I meant was that they are curators for quite a few private collections and fine instruments often come to them for adjustments, restorations, etc, and this doesn't include their own collection of fine instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devaraja42 Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 You know .... I've never seen a violinist hold their violin by the G peg ... and this fellow does it TWICE !!! ...must do wonders for the tuning I've seen Pinchas Zukerman do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 I have no doubt that they are able to authenticate any instrument out there and are very reliable. Not to be nit-picky, but I haven't met a human yet who can accurately authenticate "any instrument out there". The best ones will will tell you "I dunno" every now and then... The ones who aren't the best will feel they should know everything and end up blowing it on a few (or sometimes more than a few). Then, there's the question of authority. Of those who "do" authenticate instruments, how many have a reputation that will uphold and/or enhance the instrument in the marketplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen maloney Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 "Dr.Pong" sounds like an april fools joke, doesn't it? Paging Dr. Pong ! Your order is ready ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Liu Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Paging Dr. Pong ! Your order is ready ! I don't know if it is fashionable among the forum participants to engage in mockery, but I personally think it's culturally insensitive. See ABC News coverage of Rush Limbaugh comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Cossmann Cooke Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 I don't know if it is fashionable among the forum participants to engage in mockery, but I personally think it's culturally insensitive. See ABC News coverage of Rush Limbaugh comments Joseph Liu speaks my mind. We are all engaged in a very intense craft. Humor helps keep things on the forum light and is a good antidote to the occupational hazard of taking ourselves too seriously. But who here is not of some racial or ethnic background or other and therefore could not be hurt by misguided attempts at humor? This is not about being politically correct. It is about respecting each other as human beings. Enough said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 well spoken julian and joseph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiingfiddler Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Looks kind of scary to me (holding the violin by a peg), but I've seen a number of seasoned violinists do it. One of them is Igor Yuzefovich, assistant concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony and recently-appointed concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. http://www.igory.net/ To repeat what I noted to one Maestroneter recently: There are two kinds of people who cause the most wear and tear on string instruments: The ten year old taking his fiddle back and forth to school each day and the professional musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen maloney Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 To repeat what I noted to one Maestroneter recently: There are two kinds of people who cause the most wear and tear on string instruments: The ten year old taking his fiddle back and forth to school each day and the professional musician. Actually, Zukerman picks up the del Gesu from the bridge as well. Seen him do it a number of times - picks up the del Gesu from the strings by the bridge as well. Something about the fact that there's already 60 some odd pounds of pressure on the bridge, the violin weighs less than a pound or something like so it makes no difference. For the record, I play PING PONG with my Chinese violins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiingfiddler Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Actually, Zukerman picks up the del Gesu from the bridge as well. Seen him do it a number of times - picks up the del Gesu from the strings by the bridge as well. Something about the fact that there's already 60 some odd pounds of pressure on the bridge, the violin weighs less than a pound or something like so it makes no difference. For the record, I play tennis with my Chinese violins. Confirmation and vindication of my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen maloney Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Confirmation and vindication of my post. Right on. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, Ski. It's like - how nonchalant can you be with 10 million bucks? I've tried some Strads, sure, but after playing a few notes I fairly quickly handed them back to their owner with both hands carefully placed and waited a little too long while they took it back. I'll stick with playing my "usual rubbish, Markneukirchen ca 1920". At least if I destroy it, it's no big deal. Might get chewed out by Jacob Saunders but what else is new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Might get chewed out by Jacob Saunders but what else is new? Refreshing to see that you are at least scared of somebody, Steve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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