A Violin’s Life:
- The Lipinski Stradivarius
In this recording, Frank Almond, leader of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, traces the and history of a famous violin made by Antonio Stradivari, called the “Lipiński” Strad”.
As an illustration of the violin’s capabilities, Mr. Almond performs works by Tartini, Schumann, Julius Röntgen and the instrument’s namesake, who was a Polish virtuoso.
The specific selections are:
Lipinski:
- Caprice Op. 29, No. 3
Röntgen:
- Violin Sonata No. 2 in F sharp, Op. 20
Schumann:
- Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121
Tartini:
- Violin Sonata in G minor ‘Devil’s Trill’
Performed by Frank Almond (violin) & William Wolfram (piano)
‘A Violin’s Life’ traces the provenance and history of the “Lipiński” Strad, one of the most notable of the coveted string maker’s instruments, which are worth millions of Dollars today. Crafted in 1715, the violin is named for the Polish virtuoso Karol Lipiński, who played this instrument from about 1818 until his death in 1861. Lipiński was given the violin by a student of the legendary Giuseppe Tartini, the instrument’s first known owner.
After Lipiński’s death the instrument eventually came into the Röntgen family, which included the composer Julius Röntgen. In the 20th century the violin changed hands several times, in 1962 arriving in the possession of the Estonian violinist Evi Liivak, who passed away in 1996.
The violin sonata by Robert Schumann, and the sonata by Tartini are the most well-known among the selections on this CD.
Here is Yitzhak Perlman performing the Tartini Devil’s trill sonata. (Mr. Perlman also plays a Stradivarius violin, formerly owned by Yehudi Menuhin)
And next, here is Frank Almond, playing the “The Devil’s Trill” Sonata by Giuseppe Tartini on his Lipinski Strad:
Tags: Frank Almond, “The Devil’s Trill”, Tartini, Lipinski Stradivarius