{"id":1510,"date":"2014-03-23T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-03-23T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indogomagazine.com\/indogo\/?p=1510"},"modified":"2014-03-27T00:31:04","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T00:31:04","slug":"rare-violins-inspire-awe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/indogomagazine.com\/indogo\/rare-violins-inspire-awe\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare Violins Inspire Awe"},"content":{"rendered":"

When many of us think of precious objects, the largest gems or the most famous paintings may come to mind. But certain rare violins inspire the same awe – and command the same astronomical prices – as these other treasures.<\/p>\n

The \u201cVieuxtemps\u201d violin played by American virtuoso Anne Akiko Meyers is worth well over $16 million. It was made in Italy in 1741 by Guarneri del Gesu and represents the pinnacle of violinmaking\u2019s Golden Age.<\/p>\n

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Meyers says it is unlike any instrument she\u2019s ever played.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe G string is so dark and rich. It really can sound like a cello\u2026. the E string sounds like you are in a really sky high cathedral listening to music pouring out,” she said.<\/p>\n

One treasure among many<\/strong><\/p>\n

The violin is dubbed \u201cThe Vieuxtemps\u201d after Henri Vieuxtemps, the great 19th century violinist who once owned and cherished it. It is only one of the ultra-rare antique instruments that pass through Paolo Alberghini\u2019s showroom in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

As he opens a safe which stores anywhere from $5 million to $50 million worth of instruments \u201cdepending on what we have for sale at the moment,\u201d he explains that the Vieuxtemps, which was a nearly perfect violin when it was made, has been nearly perfectly preserved.<\/p>\n

In Alberghini\u2019s view, those who possess this treasure are more like stewards than owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to be able to be part of the life of this instrument in a meaningful way, and to share it with the world or to preserve it so that somebody else can share it in the future is something that attracts many wealthy collectors around the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n