Word: stradivariuses
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...lthough Burgin is forgetful in his private life (once he even left his Stradivarius on his commuter train), he has a legendary memory for music. And many times he has saved the situation when a conductor lost his place-by simply playing on until the maestro found himself again. In the words of the late Felix Weingartner, Burgin says: "As long as even one piccolo is playing, we don't give...
...after his spell in the limelight, Concertmaster Burgin will be back at his accustomed chair in Boston. He will mark the bowings efficiently, play his passages beautifully, and go home to Brookline on his usual commuter train, where trainmen have instructions to see that he does not lose his Stradivarius...
Secret Formulas. Most experts agree that there are plenty of modern fiddles every bit as fine as the finest Strad. Says one liutaio (literally, lutemaker): "I cannot tell you the names of my clients because they always claim to be playing a Stradivarius." In Italy alone there are some 120 liutai. amateur and pro, who turn out from three to six instruments a year and sell them for as much as $600 each.* Among the best known are the four Bisiach brothers of Milan and Flo ence, Rome's Politi family, Milan's Luigi Ornati and Ferdinando Garimberti...
...Boston gossiped even more about her private life. It was rumored she was starving because she had been so extravagant. Her biographer, Morris Carter '96, describes a friend of hers, "who said it was amusing to imagine her standing on a street corner, wearing all her pearls, playing her Stradivarius, and begging alms." He admits that most of her food came from her Brookline farm, but her "poverty" did not prevent her from buying Rembrandts and Raphaels...
...most of David Oistrakh's time is spent flying from concert to concert, his Stradivarius slung from one shoulder, his movie camera from the other. "Liszt had enough time to be a great composer and a great virtuoso," he complains, "and he got around on horseback." He gives 25 to 30 concerts a year in Russia, and 30 to 40 abroad. For every appearance in Russia he gets the top 5,000 rubles (his tax is never above 13%), and can keep most of whatever fees he charges for concerts abroad (upwards of $1,000 apiece). Recently, when...