Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond (center) performs with the orchestra. A violin dealer says Almond was quite cautios about the security of the instrument.
Posted on 01/29/2014 12:26:19 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Chicago violin dealer Stefan Hersh, a close friend of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond, said he was stunned when Almond called to tell him that robbers Monday evening took the priceless Stradivarius violin he plays.
"I've never heard of an armed robbery for a violin," said Hersh, founder of Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, which buys and sells rare instruments.
Hersh, also a violinist himself, examined the Lipinski Stradivarius with Almond when the instrument's anonymous owner offered to loan it to Almond. Almond has played the instrument in concert since 2008.
Hersh said his initial presumption was that the stolen violin would be recovered quickly, because "there's no black market for them."
However, "the more time goes on, the more organized this looks," Hersh said.
When it comes to security for a fine instrument, the basic protocol is to make sure you don't leave it unattended, Hersh said. Some insurance contracts will not pay out if the instrument is left unattended in a car or elsewhere. That explains why people might see the members of a string quartet bring their instruments into a diner when they eat, he said.
Almond "is on the very cautious side" when it comes to security for the violin, Hersh said. "He and I wouldn't be friends if he wasn't."
The owner or curator of a famous painting can develop a close and emotional bond with it, Hersh said. But as a musician, when a person uses a Stradivarius to make music, "the bond is even closer." In Almond's case, playing the Lipinski Strad joins him to a tradition going back to the violinist Tartini and including a whole bunch of interesting people, Hersh pointed out.
As a musician and violin dealer, Hersh worries that the stolen violin might be affected by rapid changes...
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond (center) performs with the orchestra. A violin dealer says Almond was quite cautios about the security of the instrument.
More on the stolen Lipinski Strad...
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I’m amazed that the glue used to hold the assembly together has lasted 100s of years.
A good guy with a gun could put an end to all of this violin violence.
Violin violins?
Very interesting question.
I looked quickly and was surprised to find the first commercial glue production began in 1700 in Europe.
Did horses die to produce Strads?
“Instrument dealer says Frank Almond ‘very cautious’ about violin security.”
He sure was. Who would ever think that a stroll through the ghetto with a $3.5 million dollar violin would carry any risk of theft? Nobody could have foresaw that.
I have a very expensive fiddle made 1854, I’ll rain hell down upon anyone who tried to take it.
Well that was the source of the material, so likely yes, LOL.
Is a Strad more than the sum of it’s components?
A profound question, which is far beyond my knowledge base.
Is a Strad more than the sum of it’s components?
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All quality musical instruments are.
Yes it is...Many have tried to reproduce Strads and have yet to succeed, even though they’ve used the latest technology to copy every detail.
Some say the secret is the wood. Some say it’s the varnish. Nobody knows.
Some died. For others it was a close shave.
If the thieves knew what they were stealing (which it seems they or whoever commissioned them did), they don’t steal on spec. They’ve already got a buyer for it, and in fact, it’s probably sitting in his living room right now.
There’s a slight chance that they were just thugs who thought they’d get a few bucks for a violin and Almond was the first person who happened along with a violin, of course, in which case it could be anywhere. But normally when something like this is stolen, it’s stolen by another collector or by a nutcase who feels that he is the only one who really understands it and can really take care of it. The heirs might try to sell it, but he won’t, generally.
I've read/watched a number of investigations and remain surprised that "Science/(reverse)Engineering" can't figure 95% of it out.
They made a movie about a jazz band performing with the symphony orchestra ...
It was rated “R” for all the sax and violins.
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