What does $11-million sound like?
A cello, apparently.
Specifically, a rare Stradivarius cello that was used today in a special Ottawa Chamber Music Festival performance. It was built around 1696 by the famed Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. It is one of just 63 Stradivari cellos known to exist in the world. And it is valued at $11-million.
“I think it’s a combination of craftsmanship and the aging of the wood and the varnish and all these different things combined that make these old instruments so special,” says Arnold Choi.
Choi is the 28-year-old Calgary musician who currently plays, and protects, the priceless instrument. He says the age and value of the cello is always in the back of his mind as he travels from concert to concert. He treats like he would a baby. “I always have it net to me when I’m driving. When I fly, of course, I always buy a seat for it.”
The cello is on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank – a unique program designed to put rare and prestigious instruments in the hands of up-and-coming Canadian talent. “Every three years we host a competition to give access to those instruments to emerging Canadian musicians,” says Tara Lapointe of the Canada Council.
The “bank” consists of 20 different instruments worth a total of $37-million. The instruments are loaned or donated to the Council by benefactors.
The most valuable by far is the Stradivarius cello. “It has such an incredible tone and power to it,” says Choi.
Choi was part of a special free performance in the lobby of the Canada Council offices on Elgin Street. “The tone was just beyond what I would have believed from a cello,” says one concert-goer.
Or, as another listener fittingly summed up, “It was priceless”
