This afternoon we had a chance to hear the extraordinarily talented Elizabeth Pitcairn play the legendary “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius violin of 1720. It is the same “Red Violin” about which the movie was made… Sort of. When asked how accurate the movie was, she smiled and politely assured us that, “The movie is based on history about which we know nothing.”
Another funny story she told was the day as a teenager she answered the phone to be told it was an auction house calling to let them know the violin — which had once been in their family — was coming up for auction, and that if they were interested it would probably go for about $1.2 million. She said she decided to get her mon on the phone at that point.
As to the concert… The sound was amazing. It always fascinates me when I hear master musicians. The sound they can make seems to transcend what the physical device is capable of, and they seem to do it with such ease.
I often spend Sunday afternoons watching football or trying to get some writing done… This was a nice change.
