An unsigned Monday (12/2) article in The Economist (London) notes that an 18th-century Del Gesù violin known as the “Vieuxtemps,” currently played by Anne Akiko Meyers, recently sold for more than $16 million last year. “This makes it the most expensive violin ever sold. Welcome to the red-hot violin market…. ‘During the recession, wealthy people lost so much money on stocks and property, but the ones who owned rare violins didn’t lose a penny,’ says Paolo Alberghini, a New York violin dealer who was involved in the Vieuxtemps sale. ‘In fact, they made money. These instruments are recession-proof.’ … This market for instruments often puts musicians at a disadvantage. ‘Some of the best instruments today are inaccessible to musicians,’ observes Gordan Nikolitch, head of London Symphony Orchestra. ‘You might find a benefactor who’ll lend you his instrument, but you don’t know how long you’ll be able to play it.’ … Mr. Nikolitch of the LSO sees a silver lining…. Less-famous luthiers are finally getting some attention. ‘A violin by [Jacob] Stainer [an Austrian 17th-century violinmaker], for example, makes an excellent sound and costs just one hundredth of the average Stradivarim,’ he notes.”
Posted December 4, 2013
