Final countdown
Violin relay team races to finish line.
The luthiers Patrick Robin from France and Michael Stürzenhofecker from Switzerland are the last to participate in a ‘violin relay’ at Permanenten, West Norway Museum of Decorative Art. The task has been to create a copy of Ole Bull’s Guarneri del Gesu violin from 1744.
The final two weeks
In the remaining two weeks the violin makers will finish the instrument and prepare it for playing. Over the last five weeks it has been shaped, but many details remain before Henning Kraggerud can test play it at Permanenten on 4 June 2010.
The luthiers are rigging up the strings and sanding and lacquering the instrument. Lacquering is usually the longest stage and one reason why there are now two violin makers in the workshop rather than only one.
Challenging
‘This is the job none of the others wanted’, jokes Stürzenhofecker.
Despite the pressure the team expect to be finished on time, and, with over 20 years of experience, their word can surely be trusted. Nevertheless, just to make sure, both Stürzenhofecker and Robin will stay in Bergen until Sunday, 23 May.
The original is coming
The relay violin will be on show in connection with the exhibition Ole Bull and the Master Instruments, which opens at Permanenten on 26 May 2010.
Several world-class instruments will be on show. Works by Antonio Stradivari, J-B Vuillaume and Gasparo da Salo are included, along with the original Ole Bull del Gesu violin, on loan from its current home in Taiwan.
After the exhibition the relay violin will become part of the collection of Dextra Musica, who will loan it out to young and talented violinists.
Read more about this spring’s violin exhibitions at www.kunstmuseene.no
