Video

A real Stradivarius vs its faithful copy – Can you hear the difference?

31 March 2018

Esther Abrami plays a violin by Stradivari and its faithful copy by Florian Leonhard side by side.

The video was filmed by Wright Music Media at Florian Leonhard Fine Violins in London. The pianist is Alison Rhind.

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Michael Browder#CommentAvatarLabel Commented on: 7 November 2018 15:54
For me the number 2 was superior--slightly richer in all registers-- which is exactly why I thought it was NOT the Strad (vis a vis the Paris and Milwaukee experiments). Both sounded like good instruments to me, though. I am long over the worship of 'old instruments.'
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Alexander Mourett#CommentAvatarLabel Commented on: 13 April 2018 03:17
A Real Stradivarius? This must be a joke.
Nice job Florian, you finally bit the Strad.
And for those of you who doesn't know why Strads are priceless - listen to, say Perlman.
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Austin Audu#CommentAvatarLabel Commented on: 6 April 2018 20:03
It was obvious from start the Violin1 was darker richer (mellower, heart opening sound, typical of older instruments)
Violin2 though a really nice instrument (would be interesting when it is also a few 10s of years old!) but it definitely lacks the depth of tone and color, though a slightly broader spectrum in the mid range, making it sound a bit fuller. But more shrill... very obvious signature next to the real Strad.
And we are only listening through a recorded media with compromised fidelity!!!
Surprising to me too that those blind tests attendees sometimes couldn't tell!!! I guess their conclusions are good for the makers of newer Violins.
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Richard Rice#CommentAvatarLabel Commented on: 31 March 2018 21:05
Number 1 had a fuller sound at the extremes - low notes on the G, high notes on the E. Number 2 was noticeably weaker on the low notes, and shriller on the high notes.
Having read a number of articles in which experts could not distinguish in blind tests between the sound of Strads versus recently made instruments, I was surprised that the difference between these two instruments was so obvious.
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Juan F. Tavira#CommentAvatarLabel Commented on: 31 March 2018 20:40
I liked more the number 1 just because sometimes I felt that number 2 was a bit too high pitch/yelling
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