Roberto Ruisi, the 18-year-old concertmaster of the National
Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB), will perform on the
c.1685 ‘Sauret’ Stradivarius violin for the orchestra’s final three
concerts this season. The instrument, valued at £1m, has been
loaned by 83-year-old violinist and teacher John Ludlow, who in
1948 became the NYOGB’s first concertmaster.
The instrument is named after its former owner, violinist and
composer Émile Sauret (1852–1920), who used it as his principal
instrument for 35 years. It was then purchased by the violinist
John Sheridan and came into the possession of W.E. Hill & Sons
after Sheridan’s death. In 1965 it was bought by Ludlow, who went
on to lead the London Concert Orchestra and orchestras of the Royal
Opera House and English National Opera, among others. He was also
professor of violin at London’s Royal College of Music (RCM) for 27
years.
Ludlow consented to loan the violin after discovering not only that
Ruisi would be starting his studies at the RCM in the autumn, but
also that he and Ludlow were born in the same part of Birmingham,
and attended the same school. Ruisi became the NYOGB’s youngest
ever concertmaster when he was appointed in 2012 at the age of
15.
The violin can be heard at the orchestra’s concerts in the Sage
Gateshead (7 August), Symphony Hall, Birmingham (9 August) and the
BBC Proms (10 August), where the programme will include works by
Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Lutoslawski and Harrison Birtwistle.
Photo: Katja Ogrin
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