I forgot to post this until now. In the middle of March I learned that the 1732 “Red Diamond” Stradivari was being repaired at a New York City luthier’s and went on the hunt. I found the luthier, but the violin sadly was not available that day. The scent of the trail did however lead to a wonderful opportunity to play a Vuillaume that once belonged to Spivakov (super bright E string, of course, and blazingly brilliant in Tchaikovsky), a 1704 Stradivari (actually kind of disappointing—it had undergone multiple repairs), an Andrea Amati (nice! not sure what year) and—best of all—a seriously light bow made by François Nicolas Voirin (1833-1885). I think he was related to Vuillaume (cousins?); he revolutionized the Tourte model by making the stick thinner yet somehow stronger. I hadn’t realized until that day what an enormous difference it makes to play with such a light and beautiful bow: my right arm felt unworthy. The coveted Strad may have failed to materialize, but… well, as a wise man once said, you go looking for “this” and you find “that.”
[Pictured: the Vuillaume]
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