How was the sound quality of the “new” strad - esp compared to an original Strad?
It was an original strad. I called it “new” because it was new to the orchestra and to the artist. This violin had been locked in a vault (thought lost) for 30 years and no one had heard it before.
The previous owner (a concert violinist) had left it in Milwaukee when she could no longer play. Apparently she used to “summer” here between tours, and she liked this town. I’m not sure that her heirs knew the instrument was here, but when they discovered it in the vault, they decided to sell. They had many stipulations about who should get it which is why everybody was pleased that the orchestra foundation raised the cash to buy it.
This is a news account which is not exactly how I heard the story. Ownership is a little muddled in this account, but it's generally the same.