Stradivari violin

Interesting question. Having some knowledge about both Strads and Guanieri violins, I think that you have to take into account that each of these violins sounds different from another, even those made by the same maker. For example, Joshua Bell recently replaced his Strad with another Strad because the new one, the "Gibson", had a "bigger" sound, which was more conducive to concert performance than chamber music (as an aside, it was very similar to upgrading your components when you think of it, although the cost is a little different!). Similarly, Bobby McDuffie fell in love with his del Gesu after having played dozens of them, searching for the one that best suited his style and taste as an artist. While it's all well and good to generalize (Strads are more tempermental and sweeter than del Gesus, which have more power, are more versatile and are better for filling a large hall, and all of them have a tone that modern violins just can't match), the fact is that unless you're extremely familiar with the sound of a particular Strad or del Gesu, it's unlikely that any recording is going to let you know the instrument being played unless you know the artist or the liner notes tell you. My guess is that the sweetness and tone of a lot of these violins may be lost by the close miking of recordings (it has been said, and I can believe it having heard Bobby's del Gesu up close and on recordings, that no recording of Heifetz ever fully captured the sweetness of the tone he got from his del Gesu), and that fact in addition can mask the fact that a lesser violin does not project into a concert hall with the power of one of these rare violins. So in answer to your question, I agree that without being intimately familiar with the violin in question, it would be difficult to tell what type violin is being played on a music reproduction system, but I would probably place the reason more on the recording process and the fact that all these rare violins sound different than on the playback equipment. By the way, I believe that there is a recording by violinist Elmar (?) Oliviera where he plays a number of rare violins from his collection on one disc, would be interesting to hear that disc to hear the differences in sound among the different violins.

rcprince: your post is wonderfully informative, well-written and perfectly on target. BRAVO! i'm sure pleased you take the time to share your wisdom with us. i hope you'll continue to teach us. -cfb

(From an email to a group I belong to, I realize these are vague references, but they might lead you to something of interest):

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"A few [The Absolute Sound] issues back there was a long article on the project where about thirty Strads and Guarneris were recorded under identical conditions—same player, same mikes same everything. The whole package is expensive but you can buy a sampler for around $25...

Telling the Strads from each other or the Guarneris from each other may require a violinistically trained ear, but if you can’t tell the Strads as a group from the Guarneris as a group, you need either a new audio system or a lot of thought on just what you are listening for and how effectively. It is really obvious, blind or otherwise...

If you don't believe, buy the Bein and Fushi comparison CD(you can order it from them in Chicago). Then you will."
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Good luck and hope this is of interest,

Charlie

Charlie: I think that's the Oliviera disc they're referring to; thanks, I was trying to figure where to get it. Oliviera is a fine violinist, it would probably be worthwhile picking it up, just to hear the differences. I agree that if you hear them side by side under the same conditions you can hear the differences, but given the state of most commercial recordings (which the Oliviera disc is definitely not) and the fact that there may be no clues as to the type of violin used on those recordings, I would think only true violin afficianatos, violinists and dealers would consistently be able to pick out the types of violins being used on them (let alone the actual violin). For example, Bobby McDuffie's recording of the Barber concerto on Telarc was made with his previous violin, while the one he made before that, his recording of Kreisler and similar romantic short pieces (which is a lot of fun, if you haven't heard it), was made with the del Gesu. After he told me, I could hear the difference, although to my relatively untrained ear it could also have been the difference between the different halls and the different styles of music played that I was hearing. In a live concert setting, the differences are much easier to notice, in my experience.