Daisuke Yamamoto, violinist and concertmaster for the Richmond Symphony (Photo courtesy Richmond Symphony)
Daisuke Yamamoto’s hands were shaking the first time he held a Stradivarius violin.
“I had never handled one before,” says Yamamoto, violinist and concertmaster for the Richmond Symphony. “It was exciting but nerve-wracking.”
When he began to play the legendary instrument, “it was like the sky opened and heaven is singing to you,” he says. “It’s a magical sound. You can never imagine that a violin can have that kind of sound.”
During the weekend of Sept. 12-15, Yamamoto will play one of nine Stradivarius violins — handcrafted between 1685 and 1725 by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari — during Strad Fest, a multiday celebration of the world’s finest and most coveted instruments. The event, which will open the symphony’s 2024-25 season, will include an evening with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, exclusive demonstrations led by world-renowned luthier Sofia Vettori, and the symphony’s season-opening concert, ExSTRADvaganza.
“For any violinist, being able to play on the Strad for a day or two is a dream, because in our world the maker, Stradivari, is considered in high regard,” Yamamoto says.
The Stradivari family, into which Antonio was born in 1644, lived and worked in Cremona, Italy. Antonio practiced his craft until his death in 1737. His methods, interpretation and design represent the pinnacle of excellence and still serve as a model for violin makers.
Luthier Sofia Vettori will lead demonstrations during the symphony’s Strad Fest. (Photo courtesy Sofia Vettori)
Stradivari’s workshop offered a comprehensive range of services that included the sale of violins, bows, cases and other string instruments. “Everything was well organized,” Vettori says. “He was solving the problems of musicians in his time.” The strategic location of his workshop, “combined with his prolific output, contributed to the survival of many of his instruments, enhancing his legacy in the violin-making world,” she notes.
Also from Italy, Vettori started making violins when she was 17. “I learned from my father, and he learned from his father. My brother and uncle make violins as well. Violin making has been in our family for 90 years,” she says, adding that her husband, luthier Theodore Skreko, was 14 when he started making violins. “The way we make violins is the same way they were made in the 1730s — same material and construction techniques.”
Vettori loves the idea that each violin she makes will be carried and played by musicians. “It’s like having a big family around the world. Music brings joy and peace. It brings so many people together under the umbrella of music.”
When she begins to work with a piece of wood, she envisions the instrument and how it will be played. “Violin makers and musicians need each other,” Vettori says. “We need feedback from the musicians.”
It’s rewarding, Skreko says, “to make something that someone can use to make their art with. Everything that goes into making violins is a conscious choice. There are always changes and lots of little considerations while you are carving.”
Individually, Vettori and Skreko have each made over 100 instruments, which are now all over the world. Over his lifetime, Antonio Stradivari made up to 800 violins.
Stradivarius violins today sell for millions of dollars. Stradivari’s 1721 Lady Blunt violin fetched nearly $16 million at auction in 2011. “These instruments are usually bought by a foundation or bank. They will buy it and give it to talented musicians,” Vettori says.
Among the performers at Strad Fest is violinist Itzhak Perlman. (Photo courtesy BYU Arts)
Because of their worth, Stradivarius violins have to be transported in specific ways. In 2011, the Library of Congress transported the 1704 Betts Strad to Oberlin College for a Violin Society of America workshop, where violin makers were working on a project to replicate the legendary instrument. It arrived with armed guards and a special vault. “There are even strict procedures on how to handle a Stradivarius,” Skreko says.
There is a definite mystique surrounding a Strad. Just the idea of playing a Stradivarius “makes you feel better,” Vettori says. “I’ve always been impressed with the projection, with how the sound goes under your fingers on the strings.”
Yamamoto says it takes some time for a violinist to get the know the instrument and its full potential. “The sounds and colors that you coax out of the instrument, the possibilities are endless,” he says. “Whatever we imagine in our head, an instrument can re-create.”
He is looking forward to finding out which Stradivarius he will be playing in the symphony’s upcoming concert and what its personality is. “I still get that excited feeling whenever I get the chance to play a great instrument like this. It’s going to be fun,” he says. “At least I won’t be as nervous as the first time.”
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