Serendipity

This is one of those weeks that reminds me how great it is when (occasionally) all kinds of stuff comes together perfectly. Today is a rehearsal and concert with Yo Yo Ma, who’s always incredible to work with. That’s just the beginning of an interesting week…On Friday and Saturday I’ll be playing the Brahms Double Concerto with our terrific principal Joseph Johnson and our eminent (new) Music Director Edo de Waart. Then next Monday lots of chamber music on my own series with a stellar group including legendary cellist (and now blogger) Lynn Harrell. On top of all that, I just found out something really amazing about the extraordinary violin I’m currently playing on which also relates to my upcoming week. It turns out that from about 1873 to 1897 this violin was played by a man named Engelbert Roentgen, who was the Concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig during that period. After doing the math and a bit of research, it seems that almost without a doubt Mr. Roentgen was playing this very instrument as Concertmaster when the Brahms Double was premiered in Leipzig (Brahms conducting) on January 1, 1888. Joachim would’ve been a few feet away with his 1715 Strad, along with the cellist Hausmann. An incredible legacy, and it’s humbling to be a small part of it.

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