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Subject |
cellofool
Registered User
(8/12/00 8:49:06 pm)
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Here's
another new topic....
What's the best cello you;ve ever
played or have seen/heard someone else played up close. Strads?
Montagnanas? Have you ever heard/played aforementioned instruments
and been kind of disappointed? Curious what people stories are out
there. Ever played a 'cheap' cello and been blown away? What kind
was that?
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Laura
Wichers
Registered
User
(8/12/00 9:49:33 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
Best that I've seen: GARY HOFFMAN'S
"Rose" AMATI. Man oh man I love that cello.
Best that I've
played: A Gofriller owned by a Detroit cellist. Absolutely
gorgeous.
Honorable mention: Tim Eddy's Gofriller. I didn't
hear enough of it to tell if it what his playing or the instrument
or a combination, but WOW! sounded great.
-Laura
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Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(8/12/00 9:49:59 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
Best cello ever? Yo Yo Ma's
Montagnana. Zara Nelsova's Strad wasn't too shabby either. Our
principal cellist has a gofriller on loan that is superb. I think it
really depends a lot on the player.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
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Laura
Wichers
Registered
User
(8/12/00 10:01:33 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
It occurred to me that sometimes a
not-so-hot instrument may sound pretty darn good when a very fine
player is playing it. And of course great instruments can sound
pretty bad when played by not-so-hot players.
But I still
think Gary Hoffman's Amati is absolutely won-der-ful. (Of course
this isn't a case of a not-so-hot player.)
-Laura
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David
Sanders 
Registered User
(8/12/00 11:14:16 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
The "Hausmann" Strad.
Lynn
Harrell's Montagnana.
Garbousova's Guadagnini.
I was
fortunate enough to play on all 3 of those. They were all wonderful.
The Strad was the first time I ever thought to myself that if I did
have $4.5 million, I would buy it.
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J
Butler
Registered
User
(8/12/00 11:56:01 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
I played on the Feuermann Strad for
a very short time many years ago. I was fairly young and only
remember being awed at the fact it was a Strad.
I played on
the del Gesu cello within the last two years when it was being
offered at Bein and Fushi. Does anyone know if this sold?
I
never played it, but had many opportunities to hear Sammy Mayes'
Montagnana as a student. Now I've heard it many times with Yo-Yo
playing. The most interesting was a concert in which he broke a
string and grabbed our principal's cello, a Carcassi. I was
surprised to hear a distinct difference - the Carcassi actually
carried better and sounded better IMHO.
Its easy to be awed
when knowing you are playing a multi-million dollar instrument, but
one must also remember that the price tags are primarily an
indication of the instrument's value as an antiquity, and not a
reliable indication of its sound producing quality.
Cheap
cellos - I remember Bob Gardner as a student in Aspen. He was
principal of the NYC Opera and played principal in the Festival
Orchestra. Word was that his cello was a box, yet he made it sound
wonderful. It seems the best players can make any cello sound
appealing - yes, a fabulous cello always helps, but the lesson is to
look within to create a great sound, especially for those of us who
will never have the $$ to buy an old Italian instrument.
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justinkagan1
Registered
User
(8/13/00 12:12:31 am)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
Re: the Gardner "strad"...Bob still
plays it exclusively...it's an old Juzek. Unfortunately, owing to
deteriorating hearing over the years, he has had to hook up several
amplifying/feedback-like gizmos so he hear it when he plays. Doesn't
stop him...yeah, it's a decent-sounding instrument, and I think he
revels in its fame. Carter Brey also played for an eternity, dog
knows how many solo concerts, on some beater thing that cost like
$750 until he got his Guad. As for the "del Gesu"....funny thing how
for a century and a half or so, starting from the Hills, this
instrument never was proclaimed a del Gesu...fat chance. Sure, some
bunghole will probably buy it for $10 million, but if that's an
authentic, then I'm OyOy.
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RonH
Registered User
(8/13/00 12:12:53 pm)
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Hoffman's Amati, Yes
Laura,
I agree. I saw Gary
Hoffman play at a brief noontime recital at the Chicago Cultural
Center (formerly, the Chicago library). The sound of his Amati was
the most amazing sound coming out of a cello I've ever heard. The
hall may have had something to do with it - maybe the "big boys" can
comment on this.
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Dorie
Straus
Registered User
(8/13/00 4:00:54 pm)
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yeah
and
I was stunned a year or so ago when
I saw him in a local high school auditorium take that thing and stab
the end pin into the floor with all his might like it was a post
hole digger.
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David
Sanders
Registered User
(8/13/00 4:47:42 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
I talked to Charles Beare about the
del Gesu cello, and he assured me that it is, indeed, a del
Gesu.
A rhetorical question: if one doesn't believe Beare, who
does one believe?
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justinkagan1
Registered
User
(8/13/00 11:31:03 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
David, forgive my cynicism if you
may, but why have so many important violin-making authorities over
the years never attested to a del Gesu cello until now? Are you
convinced that Bein & Fushi are more expert than all of their
predecessors, especially the generations of Hills, for starters? Del
Gesu instruments have been 'specially prized and catalogued for a
couple of hundred years now. It seems suspect just rhetorically. I
know that the Beares are knowing, and perhaps if they had this
instrument they'd be making the same claim (has it ever passed
through their shop?), as might Francais in his cogent periods, etc.
Have you or anyone you know played this axe? Curious to hear about
it, since most of the del Gesu fiddles I've heard are spectacular.
The sad truth is that if the experts are baffled and given to
bickering, where does that leave "us". Doesn't steal from the
pleasure sensations of playing a great instrument (not to mention
owning one), just the reality.
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David
Sanders
Registered User
(8/14/00 1:53:48 am)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
Hi Justin,
When I first heard of
this cello, it was in Beare's shop. I was in London and a couple of
our guys saw it. It went from Beare to Bein and Fushi.
What
Beare told me was that this cello was not unknown, and in fact,
there had been a mention of a del Gesu cello in several of the
earlier reference books.
When Bein had it, I did play it, as
did several of our members. I liked it very much, although it wasn't
the "end-all" cello for me.
David
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justinkagan1
Registered
User
(8/14/00 9:39:13 am)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
David: not to beat a dead horse, it
seems from what I remeber in the B & F "flyer" reintroducing
this instrument they did cite past mention of it but there seemed to
be this lingering doubt as to a definitive proclamation. To me it
seems extraordinarily unlikely that G.del G wouldn't have made a
cello at some point in his life. My fear is that the prices of old
Italian instruments will spike yet again to some unnegotiable level.
Or maybe it should be this way?!
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jekerry
Registered User
(8/14/00 9:47:08 am)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
You mean they don't just play all by
themselves?? I thought once you got an instrument like that you just
sat there and pretended to play . . . Oh well, my hopes of being a
great cellist has to be abandoned again.
Jane
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OyOy
Registered User
(8/14/00 10:24:50 am)
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Re:
Here's another new topic
I just hope to goodness that it's
NOT authentic. Otherwise you'd be me. 'Nuff said!!
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ekifri
Registered User
(8/14/00 3:12:10 pm)
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Re:
Here's another new topic....
I dunno. I played a Guanerius violin
once - I swear it played itself.. Seemed to know all the repertorie
too.
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Bob
Blais
Registered
User
(8/14/00 8:21:01 pm)
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Bob
Gardner's cello
I've heard that Bob Gardner's
current cello cost him $100.
Bob
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