Stradivarius 1710 Violin "Camposelice"

It has been nearly 20 years since I encountered with Stradivarius. I can never forget the moment I first held the violin in my hands and touched the strings---I felt as if I had fallen deep into the sea of jewels. Fascinated by the vibrations created by the sound and the wood, I found myself playing the violin for hours to explore the ideal sound. The sound capacity of Stradivarius was incomparable with any other violins I ever knew. I was impressed that even I could make the most noble and elegant sounds. But such moments would not last very long, and at first, I struggled taking the lead and control of the violin. As I became thoroughly familiar with the instrument, my challenge was to bring out its greatest feature, convey the nature of my sound to the instrument, and combine it with the character of the instrument through dialogues. Then, I would wonder how I could maximize the outcome in my music expression.

It was 5 years ago when I first encountered with “Camposelice”, which was generously loaned from Nippon Music Foundation. Over the 5 years, I have been so committed to my relationship with “Camposelice” that I found the timber of the sounds as brilliant as its varnish, just like a well-cut diamond stone. At first, I was overwhelmed by the magic of the sound, which enabled the most intense fortissimo and the diminishing pianissimo to resonate in any hall without losing its effect. But as I pursued my music expression, “Camposelice” made me realize various potentials. It was very much like the process of painting---the painter encounters with superb colours, gets inspired, and completes a masterpiece with the various colours created on the palette.
As if it were alive, “Camposelice” keeps inspiring me to discover “something new” even after 5 years. Today, 300 years from its creation, we are still enchanted by the magic of Stradivarius, which I am sure will continue to live eternally.

(From NMF Concert program December 8, 2009)