He was great. His contention is that the key to the unique sound of the Strads and other great violins of that era is the treatment of the wood, which the makers did to preserve it better.
Apparently the heirs lost the recipe, replaced it with something else, then spent nearly 300 years lost and wandering in Violin Phase Space trying to figure out where they went wrong. Those of us who have worked in semiconductor manufacturing recognize this problem all too well. :)
Agreed. At least a selection of different musicians could have been chosen. What we have proved is that ONE GUY plays a new violin as well as he plays the stradivarius.
Every violin has a "personality" and as you live it and love it, you become tuned to how to produce the best from it.
Is there a space containing extra greatness in the Strad that simply cannot be reached, even by a good player, who has not played the thing for years and years and discovered all of its personality?
http://www.nagyvaryviolins.com/Nagyvary_Nature_Page.pdf
He was great. His contention is that the key to the unique sound of the Strads and other great violins of that era is the treatment of the wood, which the makers did to preserve it better.
Apparently the heirs lost the recipe, replaced it with something else, then spent nearly 300 years lost and wandering in Violin Phase Space trying to figure out where they went wrong. Those of us who have worked in semiconductor manufacturing recognize this problem all too well. :)