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It is understood
that Antonio Stradivarius built this violin when he was 23
years old, in the year when he married. Andre has
suggested that he must have been very much in love at that
time and that the violin may have been made especially for
her.
Stradivarius constructed violins between 1666 and 1737.
He also manufactured other instruments including violas,
cellos, mandolins and guitars.
It is thought that timber was stored submerged in seawater
due to the lack of storage places around Venice. The
timber after long periods of time in seawater undergoes a
change in structure causing the timber to become less
porous, hereby resulting in a significant difference in
sound quality.
While the
sound of Stradivari's instruments still has not been fully
explained by modern research tools, technical devices such
as the scanning laser vibrometer are aiding researchers in
testing the theory that the careful shaping of belly and
back plate, in order to "tune" their unique frequencies, may
be a critical factor.
Whatever the reason for the unique sound of the
Stradivarius, in the hands of Andre this beautiful
instrument certainly comes to life with a depth and richness
that would even impress Antonio Stradivarius if he were
alive today.
When asked recently about his violin, Andre responded with
the following:
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'Every
Stradivarius is unique. This was his 2nd violin. He
made it at the age of 23 and I know he was in love.
I feel that. I have had a lot of famous violins
under my chin, but in this one I felt the love and
passion of Antonio Stradivarius. I was looking for a
violin with the voice of Maria Callas: both very
high and very low. I think this violins the one I
was looking for.' (quote)
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More information on
Antonio Stradivarius
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Take a look at the CD
DVD link for savings on Andre Rieu DVDs and CDs
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Andre's
passion and perfection when playing demonstrates the
depth of his love of performing music and reaching
into the hearts of listeners.
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