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2003
It's 200 years old, & it's in Stone. Now hear Yehudi
Menuhin's violin for yourself |
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| John
Reid, Tim Toft - and violin |
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...well
not quite "in stone"....! The great violinist's instrument
is of course of the usual wood variety - but it now has pride of place
in Tim Toft's collection.
Tim resides in the Staffordshire town of ... Stone. |
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Tim
Toft Violins
The website all about the business
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It's
almost impossible to assess the career of the great Yehudi Menuhin,
who surely was one of the greatest classical musicians of the twentieth
century, as well as its greatest violinist.
Now the instrument that he loved and used all through his life has
been acquired by Tim Toft, himself an expert in stringed instruments.
The violin was bought in New York in 1924 for the infant prodigy
Menuhin when the boy was just eight years old.
Not surprisingly, it had a long history before that, being made in
1770 by Carlo Ferdinando Landolphi.
Collector
Tim Toft is an expert in violins and violas and cellos, running a
well-known business from his base in Stone.
He says he could barely contain his excitement when he realised the
instrument (used by Menuhin on his debut at Carnegie Hall among other
occasions) was to be sold by the family estate.
And now?
 Strangely
enough, Tim himself is unable to play a violin; so, to hear it in
action, he will occasionally be lending it out to the musicians he
says "who will appreciate its quality".
One of the first to play it after Tim bought it was John Reid, leader
of the English Haydn Orchestra (pictured above).
Hear
BBC Radio Stoke's Janine Machin talking to Tim and John Reid
about the importance of the violin - and (bonus...) hear John
Reid playing Vivaldi on it
Click here to
listen
You
need Real Player to hear this programme
It's a free program that allows you
to listen to audio on the Internet
Click for
our Real Player download guide
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Viewing
As Toft's organises the summer concerts Music in The Garden series
in Stone (set in Tim's gardens - pictured right), it's quite
possible the violin may be used during one of them.
It will certainly be on view - for the admiration of concert-goers.
(See listings
for dates)
And... if you're wondering ... yes, it was expensive.
But Tim isn't saying exactly how expensive....
For more classical music events check our Classical
Listings page
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BBC
Stoke and Staffordshire
Cheapside
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST1 1JJ
tel: (+44) 01782 221281
e-mail: stoke@bbc.co.uk
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