Stradivari-Geige achieves a record amount, but remains under the world record!

Stradivari-Geige achieves a record amount, but remains under the world record!

On Friday, February 8, 2025, a Stradivari Geige over 300-year-old achieves an impressive sum of around 10.9 million euros at an auction in New York. The auction house Sotheby’s announced that this rare instrument, which is famous for its extraordinary sound, became the third most control musical instrument in the history of the auctions. Nevertheless, it remained below the record of $ 15.9 million that the "Lady Blunt" achieved in 2011. The currently auctioned violin, which was named after the former owner "Joachim-Ma", impresses with a sound that is described as "rich, complex and full of depth". She previously belonged to the well-known Chinese violinist Si-Hon Ma, who bequeathed her to the New England Conservatory in Boston before his death in 2009 to finance grants.

fascinating sound experiments in Paris

In the meantime, a remarkable test of various violins took place in Paris, in which the audience could not see the instruments. Around 100 listeners listened to the sounds that were played behind a curtain by musicians from the Radio France orchestra. Antonio Stradivari was also an instrument among the seven violins that were in the competition. Interestingly, the audience did not choose the most expensive violin, but a valuable instrument from Guarneri del Gesù from the 18th century, which is also known for its extraordinary sound qualities. This event had the goal of sensitizing the listeners to the different sound nuances and characters of the violin, as the concert master of the orchestra reported, and not necessarily to choose the best violin, as the French figaro stated.

Both events reflect the fascination and the value of historical musical instruments, which underline their importance in the world of music in both auctions and in musical experiments. The Stradivari Geige remains a symbol of traditional craft and musical heritage, while the sound tests in Paris promote interest in the diverse sound characteristics of such masterpieces.