"Casa Stradivari is a visionary project.
In these rooms past and present connect, looking to the future"
(Maxim Vengerov)
STRADIVARI KREUTZER 1727 BACK IN CREMONA
Maxim Vengerov second guest of the Casa Stradivari’s Artistic Residency program
“It has been an emotional moment to arrive at Casa Stradivari and visit the place where Antonio Stradivari lived and worked. It was also special to bring the legendary 1727 Kreutzer Stradivari back to its home after so many years. Casa Stradivari is a visionary project, bridging past and future. I believe the work it carries out by bringing together musicians and young luthiers is very important,” said Maxim Vengerov, among the world’s most beloved violinists, who recently visited Cremona as a guest of the Casa Stradivari’s Artistic Residency program. Accompanying him was the violin once owned by Rudolph Kreutzer, the instrument with which he enchants audiences worldwide and which has returned to the workshop-home where the extraordinary story of the greatest luthier of all time began.
Vengerov was welcomed by the President of the Casa Stradivari Foundation Antonio Gambardella, Fabrizio von Arx, Artistic Director, and founding partner Vincent Bernasconi. In the recently restored residence, relaunched through an artistic and educational project, he met with young apprentice luthiers attending the advanced training course organized by the Foundation and played the violins they crafted in the same spaces where Stradivari had set up his first workshop.
In the morning of May 6th, Maestro Vengerov held a Violin Masterclass to three young musicians, winner of the competition organized by the Foundation, Martina Cicciò, Luca Alberto Kaufman and Letizia Gullino, who played three pieces: Zigeunerweisen op. 20 by Pablo de Sarasate, the 1st tempo of the Concerto for violin and orchestra in E minor op. 64, by Felix Mendelssohn and finally the 1st tempo of Pëtr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for violin and orchestra in D major op. 35.
Accompanied by the brilliant pianists Eun-mi Park and Umberto Ruboni.
Bravo to everyone!
In the afternoon Maestro Vengerov was the protagonist of a Round Table moderated by Oreste Bossini entitled « The Resonances of Stradivari », in which he engaged the theme of the relationship between violinist, instrument and sound together with Fausto Cacciatori, curator of the Collections of the Violin Museum, Robert Brewer Young, luthier and professor of philosophy at the European Graduate School of Oxford University, So-Ock Kim, violin professor at the Royal Academy of Music, Steven Smith, director of J&A Beare and Fabrizio von Arx, artistic director of Fondazione Casa Stradivari.
There were two violins of the Collection of the Violin Museum waiting for Maestro Vengerov to be played together with his Stradivari Kreutzer 1727: the Stradivari Clisbee of 1669 and the Stradivari Il Cremonese of 1715.
Both events, free and open to the public, were held at the Auditorium G. Arvedi of the Violin Museum, which we thank for the hospitality.
Three Stradivari back in Cremona!
One of the most exciting moments of this Artistic Residency was the return of three Stradivari here in Cremona, but especially for the first time at Casa Stradivari: the first was, of course, the Stradivari Kreutzer of 1727.
His happiness is contagious!
The Kreutzer was joined by two more 1718 Stradivari violins, brought from London by Robert Young and Steven Smith, of J & A Beare: the Stradivari Mylnarsky and Lord Seale.
A unique moment, it seemed to have travelled to the time of Stradivari, in which in his house he played and listened to violins together with artists and friends, in search of that resonance of the present, discussing art, music and beauty.
This is the philosophy of Casa Stradivari.
See you soon with the next news and Artistic Residences!
From left: Fabrizio von Arx (Artistic Director Fondazione Casa Stradivari), Steven Smith (director of J&A Beare), Robert Brewer Young (Head of Scientific Research & Conservation J&A Beare), Antonio Gambardella (President Fondazione Casa Stradivari)
Fabrizio von Arx (Artistic Director Fondazione Casa Stradivari), Gian Domenico Auricchio (Special Commissioner of the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona), Maxim Vengerov, Gianluca Galimberti (Mayor of Cremona), Antonio Gambardella (President Fondazione Casa Stradivari)
Press
Thanks to the national and local press, which immortalized the thoughts of Maestro Vengerov in an impeccable way. We leave you the link of the article written by Ansa and the article written by Nicola Arrigoni of La Provincia di Cremona, which reported the wonderful words of the Maestro, used as the title of this newsletter: « Casa Stradivari is a visionary project ».
