A rare Guarneri violin that was kept for a century in a private collection has been played for the first time in public in Moscow. The Guarneri instruments are even more revered by some players than those made by the legendary Antonio Stradivari.
The violin was recently bought by a 35-year-old Russian businessman and collector. Maksim Viktorov reportedly paid a record price of $US 3.5 million for the instrument at a private auction sale in London. Viktorov has a world-class collection of violins and regularly lends them to performers. “I am very glad that the maestro has never taken and played publicly with any instrument except his own for the last twenty-eight years. Now, this is a true exception done purely for Moscow,” Maksim Viktorov said. The violin was played in the hall of the famous and newly-restored Pashkov mansion in Moscow. To learn more, please, press the VIDOE button.