I brought my copy of the famous book by Kevin Coates to the school of violin-making. Although today I do not use anything from Coates' except for drawing the wood-texture and details of finish, some ten years ago I designed and built a few violins after the method described in the book. The book played a very bid role in my violin-making, since it is from this book that I got an impetus to study design and establish my own method. I still recommend this book to anyone interested. Unfortunately the book is a collectors' item, but it might be available from Amazon.
30 November 2008
Geometry and Violin-making
I brought my copy of the famous book by Kevin Coates to the school of violin-making. Although today I do not use anything from Coates' except for drawing the wood-texture and details of finish, some ten years ago I designed and built a few violins after the method described in the book. The book played a very bid role in my violin-making, since it is from this book that I got an impetus to study design and establish my own method. I still recommend this book to anyone interested. Unfortunately the book is a collectors' item, but it might be available from Amazon.
29 November 2008
A special violin-making day: any consequences?
Today two of my violin-making students, Jun Seki and Yoko Yonezuka, finished their first violins. It took them an impressively short period totaling ca2oo hours of work: an experienced luthier would need roughly the same time.They managed to create beautiful violins with a beautiful and inspiring sound. In the end of t
he day I played the two instruments. The pupils seemed to be moved to tears and I heartily congratulated them with the good result.Both Jun an Yoko, and possibly another student, decided to re-inscribe for another term to learn the basics of baroque violin-making. Baroque violins?! At the school where
baroque instruments are not on the agenda because there is no baroque market in Japan - one can only appreciate their genuine passion for the music and violin-making!Baroque music market in Japan is still microscopic if compared to Europe but there seems to be more interest than supply and it is consequently a good moment for the pupils
like June and Yoko to start playing a role. Will they? This depends as much on them as on their fellow citizen involved with HIPP - historically informed performance practice. The public shall no doubt be grateful and supportive.
28 November 2008
"La Follia" by Marcelo Viana Cruz
This violin was made for me by Marcelo Viana Cruz in 1998.I studied violin-making with Luca Primon in Milan. Marcelo was his pupil living in Cremona. Since I came there from Brussels only for a short course with maestro Primon, Marcelo kindly offered me his apartment. We shared the roof from December 1997 to May 1998. Our relationship developed into a great friendship lasting to this day.
The violin labeled Marcelo Viana Cruz in Cremona and named "La Follia... per Dmitry Badiarov". We both shared profound interest and passion about baroque instruments. At that time our approaches differed wildly. I believed in a rational approach. Marcelo believed in intuition and spontaneity... hence the name "La Follia". We both argumented our credos by refering to documents, surviving instruments and works of art. The instrument was strung with nearly equal tension gut strings 0.82, 0.91, 1.36 and 2.50 and I played it as such with La Petite Bande for at least two years.
It was at that period when Sigiswald Kuijken got interested in these strings and instruments: the interest which resulted in my making of a set of early-baroque violins (completed last year), and, less directly - the violoncello da spalla. Indeed, it came to me as a surprise when, in February 2002, Sigiswald asked for my opinion on da spalla because at that time I was diving deep into the history of early-baroque violins.
Marcelo's violin has a warm, rich sound, extremely well varied in each register. I will use it in December at a lecture on the history of gut strings, which I shall be delivering at the University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo.
P.S. Photographed at my String Arts Studio
26 November 2008
Dmitry Badiarov: daily routine
26th of November - I was assembling the ribs for two violins in the morning and afternoon. The new violins shall be built using the model developed in 2002. The first violin after this model (see the picture) was made for Blai Justo. The last two were made for Mikio Tsunoda (no.60) and for Kaoru Ouchiyama (no.61, being varnished now).In the early afternoon I ordered some extraordinary wood from Italy to make violins, another violoncello da spalla and a cello.
Now, after the coffee break and posting this note, I will continue the work at my studio and dedicate the late afternoon and evening to the rhetorics in the music of J.S.Bach and playing some repertoire on my baroque violin and violoncello da spalla.
25 November 2008
Violoncello da spalla is an undocumented phantasia!
Artists working in whatever medium study both the history of their medium and the history of art in general. This is artists' usual academic curriculum. Musicians do not study the history of art. At least, not at St.Petersburg Conservatoire or Brussels Royal Conservatoire, though, in Brussels we had a heavy dose of aesthetics and history of baroque music. We have been lucky when, thanks to Gorbachev, we were no longer supposed to study scientific atheism or scientific communism at the conservatoire and our professor read us history of art and religion instead. But this was not the regular course and I do not know if it was kept. All those, who studied at St. Petersburg Conservatoire at that particular moment, continue to be keenly interested in art and in the history of their medium: violins, cellos etc. They read books and think.Cellists truly interested in their instruments read books and articles on the history of their instrument and music rather than write or tell me that violoncello da spalla is an undocumented phantasia. The above picture was drawn by a cellist who was one of the founding members of the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna and a pupil of the famous violoncellist (really famous) Giuseppe Jacchini. This picture decorates one of Violoncello parts in Torelli's op.4.
It is not difficult to obtain a copy of my article on this subject in Paris or in London. The Galpin SJ is also available in all major libraries. The article contains a rather complete bibliography of the previous research as well as a few original propositions. Both the study and re-construction of the violoncello da spalla were made in 2004 upon request of Sigiswald Kuijken. Since then I made nine violoncellos da spalla.
It is definitely sure that the baroque violoncello was also played da spalla and that it was frequently 5-stringed. However even if, lets suppose, it never existed, should this "new" form of creativity and musical expression be incinerated? Readers may circle as necessary: "Yes", "No", "I don't know"...
Though, I bet, the readers who would circle "Yes" do not visit this blog or anything concerning the history of their instruments.
String Arts Studio
Violon Baroque op.61
The next violin got its coat of varnish.
It has a warm deep orange-brown colour and a pronounced pseudo-dichroism with almost imperceptible hues reminiscent of French vin rosé and, at certain viewing angles, black grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Good with varied Basso section including lutes or theorboes, organs or harpsichords, excellent with viols or violone. Excellent in combination with solo voices, bowed, plucked or wind instruments in both musica da camera or da chiesa. Best served in the evening, candle light recommended but not indispensable.
Pictures shall come in two weeks.
It has a warm deep orange-brown colour and a pronounced pseudo-dichroism with almost imperceptible hues reminiscent of French vin rosé and, at certain viewing angles, black grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Good with varied Basso section including lutes or theorboes, organs or harpsichords, excellent with viols or violone. Excellent in combination with solo voices, bowed, plucked or wind instruments in both musica da camera or da chiesa. Best served in the evening, candle light recommended but not indispensable.
Pictures shall come in two weeks.
Got any problems? Sell them as your merits!
A few days ago I was showing one of my violins at N orchestra. The violin enjoyed success. It does sound not too bad, at least not worse than some 30.000 - 60.000 EUR violins, it looks beautiful - maybe even more beautiful and it is easy and welcoming to play.The players who already know my violins also know that they improve with time.
In that particular N orchestra I was asked for whom I made my instruments. I mentioned Sigiswald Kuijken, Ryo Terakado, Francois Fernandez... It produced no expected ahha-reaction. Maybe they did not know these names? I remember telling one of Oistrakh students at Brussels conservatoire that I was studying with Kuijken and the student was puzzled, "Never heard that name. Why not with Oistrakh?" Incidentally Kuijken was teaching in the room next door but I did not tell it.
Well, at the famous N orchestra, I thought, they probably heard at least about La Petite Bande, Leonhardt and Saval but these names were an empty sound too. "Really? You do not know Sigiswald Kuijken? But he is the most famous baroque violinist in the last and this century and Petite Bande is an orchestra with a really long history!" "No... we never heard about these."
What I heard the next was one of the funniest stories of this year. "Listen, man, but that's really a big problem of yours that you make instruments only for totally unknown musicians!"
N.B. Picture: String Arts Studio. Situated in 30-40 minutes from one of the central station hubs of the city, it is surrounded by a large forest full of wild-life: heirs, foxes, raccoons, snakes, insects of all kinds, birds. At times the nature around is so quiet that you could record inside. There are no roads in immediate vicinity of the Studio. An ideal place for making violins and music.
23 November 2008
This is for you my friend
I was at Tokyo Opera City - a stylish building in the center of Tokyo featuring amazing concert halls, art galleries, offices, promenades, elegant restaurants, bars...It was a cool winter afternoon, around the lunch time, and I was looking for a not-too-crowded place to have a bite. It happened to be a Japanese style restaurant. The interior was simple but pleasant, contemporary designers' creation with Japanese touch: harmonious colours of natural wood and green tea, massive wooden tables and chairs, reddish-brown dry flowers and branches arranged on table-tops in an exquisite manner. It was not as quite as I'd like it be, in fact, it was noisy and full of office workers wearing identical black suits and identical hair-styles, all busy with their lunch-sets. "I'd never be able to survive in an office".
A middle-aged man sitting next to me was reading a newspaper while waiting for his food. "An artist", I thought, "and it looks like he wants to tell me something..." The next moment he turned to me with a smile and asked, "Are you a musician?" I was not surprised by the fact he started talking to me because that's what I expected, but his keen eye did surprise me a great deal. Sure, I don't look like an office-worker or a truck-driver but I had no instruments with me or music scores or anything that would make my profession so obvious. "Yes... how do you know?" He smiled again but did not answer my curiosity.
"I have been here for an exhibition", he said, "Masuo Ikeda... I love this artist! Some thirty years ago, when I was young, I discovered him for the first time. I just started working for a company, it was my first job, and although my salary was low and I had no disposable income, I saved a sum worth many months salary to buy his art-work... by the way, where are you from?"
I knew people usually can not guess my origin and asked, "What do you think?" "I'd say... Italian, or Brazilian..." He missed on that but not too bad. An average Japanese believe I must be an American but my companion by all means was not average. "You are almost right!", I exclaimed, "that's what Europeans believe but... I am a Russian." "Are you?", he looked genuinely surprised, "I love Russian poetry!" and without extra words he went on reading a poem by Evgueny Evtushenko. I was overwhelmed! I would not be able to read from memory any Russian poem not to mention the Japanese poems!
My companion took his bag and searched inside for a while. The bag must have been fool of small things. Then he took out a post-card with an artwork by Masuo Ikeda and improvised a Japanese poem. "This is for you, my friend". He stood up and left.
I sat with the postcard in my hand and the poem dedicated to me. I was not sure if this was not a dream.
P.S. Photograph: my last violin no.60 and the next violin no.61. It's being varnished right now. Today I laid the first coat of varnish on it.
22 November 2008
Una foto del violino moderno
Ecco una fotografia del violino moderno (no.60) quale costruito due o tre settimane fa. Lo suonato nella dimostrazione registrata nel mio laboratorio String Arts Studio. Lo strumento suona bene con le corde moderni di plastica et anche con le corde storiche di budello e po essere usato come un violino moderno con le montature moderni, oppure come un violino romantico del 800 con le corde di budello nudo, apparte della quarta corda. Il laboratorio String Arts stato fondato in San-Pietroburgo in 1992, poi traslocato a Belgio, Brussels, dove io vesuto dodici anni dal 1994 al 2006, costruendo strumenti barocchi e suonando con i grupi come La Petite Bande e Ricercar Consort tra l'altri. Adesso il SAS sia apperto in Tokio.
Le invito a visitare anche mio sito pero' per il momento non c'è una versione italiana. Spero di metterla tra poco. C'è anche video su youtube.
Шестидесятая скрипка
Это та самая скрипка которую я продемонстрировал в этом видео.Не забудьте посетить мой сайт. Надеюсь перевести его на русский в ближайшее время, но времени на это пока нет да и нет срочной надобности - кто из нынешних российских скрипачей не говорит по-крайней мере по-английски? Давно таких не встречал.
20 November 2008
Baroque Violin: Sound and Images
The sound-track is the same as in the previous post, without my introductory ご挨拶. See how it was all made. I also included some pictures from my recent concerts.
19 November 2008
The sound of my 49th baroque violin
The violin in this video was made a few years ago in Brussels. It is particularly dear to me because I was able to solve quite a conundrum: violin design the baroque way - the problem I was thinking about since the early 90th in St.Petersburg, and the woodworking techniques of the old masters (N.B. It is a very casual recording produced with iMovie on a MacBook with a built-in mic!).
Some of the 17th and 18th century violins were notoriously cleanly crafted. Such are the Strads and their copies, just to give an idea. However, many instrument-makers created works appealing in a very different way without exaggerated concern for cleanliness: Guarneri del Jesu, Carlo Testore and others in Italy and in the neighborhood. Consequently, a del Jesu can't be copied as easily as a Strad and were never copied in such numbers. It is not because they are less perfect technically or sound-wise. In fact, many soloists prefered del Jesus both for the sound and the character.
If you had the chance to live in Belgium 12 years and study the Flemish carved altarpieces you might have felt that the character of carving in those altarpieces is fairly close to the carving of some of the 17th-18th century violins. In those altarpieces expression is often more important than neatness. Priority for expression, for various reasons, was occurring in the history of the western art every now and then and it did not bygone masters such as Guarneri del Jesu or Carlo Testore.
The plan for this violin was drawn by me a few years before I made the instrument. The carving is very rough. Much rougher than usual. This was done on purpose of testing the whole concept, and I feel satisfied - my theories held up under a tough test. I could have sold this instrument several times however I chose to keep it for myself. You can visit my Studio to play this instrument or listen to it in the video above. It is also recorded on this CD.
Re: video: recorded in the end of the day at my Studio.
Some of the 17th and 18th century violins were notoriously cleanly crafted. Such are the Strads and their copies, just to give an idea. However, many instrument-makers created works appealing in a very different way without exaggerated concern for cleanliness: Guarneri del Jesu, Carlo Testore and others in Italy and in the neighborhood. Consequently, a del Jesu can't be copied as easily as a Strad and were never copied in such numbers. It is not because they are less perfect technically or sound-wise. In fact, many soloists prefered del Jesus both for the sound and the character.
If you had the chance to live in Belgium 12 years and study the Flemish carved altarpieces you might have felt that the character of carving in those altarpieces is fairly close to the carving of some of the 17th-18th century violins. In those altarpieces expression is often more important than neatness. Priority for expression, for various reasons, was occurring in the history of the western art every now and then and it did not bygone masters such as Guarneri del Jesu or Carlo Testore.
The plan for this violin was drawn by me a few years before I made the instrument. The carving is very rough. Much rougher than usual. This was done on purpose of testing the whole concept, and I feel satisfied - my theories held up under a tough test. I could have sold this instrument several times however I chose to keep it for myself. You can visit my Studio to play this instrument or listen to it in the video above. It is also recorded on this CD.
Re: video: recorded in the end of the day at my Studio.
18 November 2008
New baroque violin in-the-white
Rich warm, deep, moist sound. Nothing dull or thin, nothing dry, nothing boring.It has been made after the model I developed in 2002. I made a few instruments using this model, including the latest modern violin, and the violin for the Spanish soloist Blai Justo. He has recorded a solo album last year for Ramee due for release next year.
While varnishing the new baroque violin I started making two new instruments. violadabraccio.com
16 November 2008
Baroque Violin: custom neck
My new baroque violin is almost ready. Tomorrow I shall try the sound and start varnishing.I fitted it with a custom made neck - a little lighter and thinner upon my customer's request. Although I gave it dimensions as thin as possible, it will still be suitable for the "equal feel" gut strings, which means the G-string is above 2.5mm thick, as well as for all of the historical stringing types throughout the 17 and 18th century repertoire.
It is also a little thinner at the first position however not too thin to be suitable for the geminianian shifting technique. Read my FoMRHIQ article on the history of the violin neck and the dependence of its shape from the current playing techniques (FOMRHI Apr 1999 # 95, C-1630: Violin Neck: the changes from baroque to modern).
14 November 2008
Baroque Fridays
Fridays are special days. Fridays start with Japanese lesson. Preceded by a ride on a train with a book or an iPod and a cup of good espresso - it's not a bad exercise for the brain, specially when it is about the passive voice:
a. 何かいいことがあったんですか。
б.ええ。鈴木さんに誕生日のパーティーに招待されたんです。
а.よかったね。
So some say, baroque music has some sort of mysterious frequency which stimulates the part of the brain responsible for communication and language skills. The theory must be true. It has been proven by so many friends of mine - baroque music specialists - who speak freely 4 to 7 languages. I hope I won't be an exception from that theory.
As usual, after the lesson I worked at my studio till late night. Today I made the last small parts for the baroque violin: the black bridge, the sound-post, the tailpiece, and glued the fingerboard. The pictures shall come soon.
a. 何かいいことがあったんですか。
б.ええ。鈴木さんに誕生日のパーティーに招待されたんです。
а.よかったね。
So some say, baroque music has some sort of mysterious frequency which stimulates the part of the brain responsible for communication and language skills. The theory must be true. It has been proven by so many friends of mine - baroque music specialists - who speak freely 4 to 7 languages. I hope I won't be an exception from that theory.
As usual, after the lesson I worked at my studio till late night. Today I made the last small parts for the baroque violin: the black bridge, the sound-post, the tailpiece, and glued the fingerboard. The pictures shall come soon.
13 November 2008
My 60th violin
The 60th violin... somehow the figure has certain gravitas in it. I finished this modern (that is, not baroque) violin a week ago and showed it at Tokyo and St.Petersburg Philharmonic orchestras where it produced a "pleasant surprise". Today, on top of making a baroque violin, I started two new instruments. For those who could not visit me and try the new instrument I made this video. I simply played the 1-week old violin to my 2-years old portable computer. Every time I play the violin, I think of Pietro Guarneri of Mantova, violist, violinist and violin-maker who was making really beautiful violins for the court orchestra of which he was also a concertmaster... please, forgive the quality of this casual recording. Recorded a few minutes ago at my studio.
11 November 2008
Untitled story
The tour of St.Petersburg Philharmonic in Tokyo is over. I knew some of the orchestra members for almost 25 years. They were my class-mates at the Music Lyceum and St.Petersburg State Conservatoire. Inevitably, we had loads of things to discuss - music, styles, instruments, performers from Liszt, Wieniavsky and Paganini to Piatigorsky and Temirkanov (who grew up in the same provincial town where I grew up), and simply the daily life. They asked me, of course, how I find the life in Tokyo as they could not imagine living in a city like that. Well, it takes time to learn how to live in a place other than one's home town and I have enough experience with that.
I enjoy Tokyo endlessly for its vibrant cultural life, rich traditions, modern art and architecture, lots of concerts, lovely people, efficiency, climate after all - in the latter sense it's a paradise after St.Petersburg and Brussels and is nearly ideally suited to violin-making. There are some peculiarities not easily found elsewhere. I am indebted to my friends and specially my Japanese language teacher for revealing some secrets (秘密). For example, the language teacher told that if at someone's home you are served black tea instead of green, it might be a sign for you to thank the host for their hospitality and leave. She also told that lovers would not tell "I love you" but rather "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" (お月様がきれいですねー?) because "I love you" is too crude, rude, impolite, non-refined... just unacceptable (and so are Je t'aime, ti amo, "я Вас люблю..." etc). I don't know if this is still true though, but it must have been true for her generation.
In my own experience I observed that when a person tells "It's interesting" or "I envy you!", this more often than not means "Thank you, I am not interested". When a local photo-lab person told me "You treat the light like European masters", this clearly meant "Man! You've got to study more", and when someone writes "I love you!" - pay attention! This might be an invitation to stop relationship :-) You can't get bored! The time and heart are best teachers. I met a few foreigners who take Japan as their second homeland. It is a beautiful place!
Visit our website S.A.S. Call us if you would like to see and try my latest violin, however it is due for delivery on the 15th this month.
I enjoy Tokyo endlessly for its vibrant cultural life, rich traditions, modern art and architecture, lots of concerts, lovely people, efficiency, climate after all - in the latter sense it's a paradise after St.Petersburg and Brussels and is nearly ideally suited to violin-making. There are some peculiarities not easily found elsewhere. I am indebted to my friends and specially my Japanese language teacher for revealing some secrets (秘密). For example, the language teacher told that if at someone's home you are served black tea instead of green, it might be a sign for you to thank the host for their hospitality and leave. She also told that lovers would not tell "I love you" but rather "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" (お月様がきれいですねー?) because "I love you" is too crude, rude, impolite, non-refined... just unacceptable (and so are Je t'aime, ti amo, "я Вас люблю..." etc). I don't know if this is still true though, but it must have been true for her generation.
In my own experience I observed that when a person tells "It's interesting" or "I envy you!", this more often than not means "Thank you, I am not interested". When a local photo-lab person told me "You treat the light like European masters", this clearly meant "Man! You've got to study more", and when someone writes "I love you!" - pay attention! This might be an invitation to stop relationship :-) You can't get bored! The time and heart are best teachers. I met a few foreigners who take Japan as their second homeland. It is a beautiful place!
Visit our website S.A.S. Call us if you would like to see and try my latest violin, however it is due for delivery on the 15th this month.
10 November 2008
Galeazzi G-string on a violin in St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Yesterday I suggested Dmitry Petrov, a violinist of St. Petersburg Philharmonic who specializes in Paganini, to try a Galeazzi's G developed in collaboration with Aquila Corde several years ago. He was overwhelmed by the power and beauty of its sound. Unfortunately, it sounded like one great string and three bad strings so he decided not play it in concert at Tokyo Opera City tonight. However, the Paganini style strings shall probably make their way to Russia soon. According to Petrov these historicized Gs might go well with Oliv or Pirazzi but most of modern strings shall probably sound too poor.
Galeazzi was born in Turin in 1758. He taught violin in Rome, composed music and directed a theatre. His Elementi teorico-pratici di musica (1791- 6) is one of the most detailed late 18th-century Italian theoretical works. It is important for understanding the Classical style and instruments, and it is there he gave a description of the G-strings used in the end of the 18th century. Paganini's strings were essentially the same.
Galeazzi was born in Turin in 1758. He taught violin in Rome, composed music and directed a theatre. His Elementi teorico-pratici di musica (1791- 6) is one of the most detailed late 18th-century Italian theoretical works. It is important for understanding the Classical style and instruments, and it is there he gave a description of the G-strings used in the end of the 18th century. Paganini's strings were essentially the same.
Assistant search
Lately I have been looking for assistance with various workshop procedures as well as for the future projects. Finding the right person is not as easy as it might seem.
While in Brussels I had a few visitors. One gentleman from Germany showed his work which was really good, but he would not want to change his habits learned at a violin-making school. Another woman from France or England said she was dreaming about learning baroque violin-making from me and wanted to send me a letter of recommendation from John Dilworth. I did not need the letter however I gave her my violadabracio.com address. She was not sure how to spell viola da braccio and so - she never appeared again. I did not expect that viola da braccio may be difficult to spell for someone interested in baroque music and instruments. Someone - a bow-maker - recently tried to pre-cut classical bow sticks for me. Unfortunately, the work was ways too rough and since this was in exchange for a hefty payment I had to decline his candidature. I asked if the guy knows about Tourte/Vuillaume's method of graduation - and he did not know. I just don't know why he never read a single book about bow-making. The famous method is not a secret! There were some other visitors, but for various reasons I had no assistance except for some years in St.Petersburg where I started my career as a violin-maker in 1992.
If you live in Japan or willing to come to Japan, if you are a violin-maker or willing to become one, if you have passion for music and violin-making, if you have no preconceptions and have an open, inquisitive mind, please, show up.
While in Brussels I had a few visitors. One gentleman from Germany showed his work which was really good, but he would not want to change his habits learned at a violin-making school. Another woman from France or England said she was dreaming about learning baroque violin-making from me and wanted to send me a letter of recommendation from John Dilworth. I did not need the letter however I gave her my violadabracio.com address. She was not sure how to spell viola da braccio and so - she never appeared again. I did not expect that viola da braccio may be difficult to spell for someone interested in baroque music and instruments. Someone - a bow-maker - recently tried to pre-cut classical bow sticks for me. Unfortunately, the work was ways too rough and since this was in exchange for a hefty payment I had to decline his candidature. I asked if the guy knows about Tourte/Vuillaume's method of graduation - and he did not know. I just don't know why he never read a single book about bow-making. The famous method is not a secret! There were some other visitors, but for various reasons I had no assistance except for some years in St.Petersburg where I started my career as a violin-maker in 1992.
If you live in Japan or willing to come to Japan, if you are a violin-maker or willing to become one, if you have passion for music and violin-making, if you have no preconceptions and have an open, inquisitive mind, please, show up.
9 November 2008
A young lady at the school of violin-making
A young lady came to see the department of violin-making at Daikanyama Academy after she had found this poster on the stand of the school at the recent String Fair in Tokyo. Unfortunately, I was unaware that - among other things - she came to see me until she left. I knew about her original intention from the school's office as they thanked me for the presentation of student's instruments at the Fair.
While at school she was guided around by another teacher who made a few outstandingly interesting comments on the violin made by one of my students, such as 1. oil varnish is hard to make because one has to wash pots, 2. oil varnish is allegedly easier to use than the spirit varnish, and 3. the tool marks on the wood of my student's violin were left due to the student's incapacity to carry out the work cleanly. I did not feel like defending the student's work or talking about peculiarities of European art aesthetics to my colleague since I did not want the lady wonder about his expertise. I hope he enjoyed some success there. Unfortunately, my colleague missed quite a few important points.
Students are perfectly capable to work cleanly and many do work at least as cleanly as their teachers. Lots of old violin-makers who were perfectly capable to work cleanly, however they did not want - for various reasons. Giuseppe Guarneri del Jesu and Carlo Testore just to mention a few among the brightest examples. There are other examples in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as among the now living European master-creators such as Marcel Ponseele, Graham Nicholson, Jan de Winne, Francois Bodart, Luis Emilio Rodriguez, Mimmo Peruffo... I do not mean that their work is not clean, but only that their work has been lifted up on a whole different level: both in terms of technical perfection and aesthetically. El Greco or Picasso can't be called technically imperfect or unclean. The examples can be extended by a list of European artists from the earliest times to the present day, however writing it now is not my purpose. Among these artists only those are known who have re-thought it all from scratch and dared to built something anew.
Visit our website or enroll for baroque (or modern) violin-making course at our school.
While at school she was guided around by another teacher who made a few outstandingly interesting comments on the violin made by one of my students, such as 1. oil varnish is hard to make because one has to wash pots, 2. oil varnish is allegedly easier to use than the spirit varnish, and 3. the tool marks on the wood of my student's violin were left due to the student's incapacity to carry out the work cleanly. I did not feel like defending the student's work or talking about peculiarities of European art aesthetics to my colleague since I did not want the lady wonder about his expertise. I hope he enjoyed some success there. Unfortunately, my colleague missed quite a few important points.
Students are perfectly capable to work cleanly and many do work at least as cleanly as their teachers. Lots of old violin-makers who were perfectly capable to work cleanly, however they did not want - for various reasons. Giuseppe Guarneri del Jesu and Carlo Testore just to mention a few among the brightest examples. There are other examples in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as among the now living European master-creators such as Marcel Ponseele, Graham Nicholson, Jan de Winne, Francois Bodart, Luis Emilio Rodriguez, Mimmo Peruffo... I do not mean that their work is not clean, but only that their work has been lifted up on a whole different level: both in terms of technical perfection and aesthetically. El Greco or Picasso can't be called technically imperfect or unclean. The examples can be extended by a list of European artists from the earliest times to the present day, however writing it now is not my purpose. Among these artists only those are known who have re-thought it all from scratch and dared to built something anew.
Visit our website or enroll for baroque (or modern) violin-making course at our school.
7 November 2008
Baroque Japan
After completing workshop procedures scheduled for this day I spent a few hours on preparation of projects for the next year. The aim of these projects is to popularize European Baroque repertoire, instruments and European baroque culture in Japan.
St. Petersburg Philharmonic
St. Petersburg Philharmonic is on tour in Tokyo. One of these days I will have to fix the bridge and the fingerboard on the violin of the leader of the 2nd violins, Dmitry Petrov, my ex-school-mate in St.Petersburg. My latest modern violin had success compared to some of the finest instruments in the group. After the try-out, which took place at Santory Hall, I was surrounded by the musicians answering their questions about stringing and mise-au-point of their instruments. Antique instruments in Russia look and sound decisevly different from those in the West or Japan. The look much older and have a different sound, which is hard to describe. On of my mentors Marco Tiella believes that there are more original instruments in Russia than outside. His opinion is not very popular with western dealers, who maintains that Russian instruments aren't properly restaured, thus unintentionally reinforcing his point: Russian instruments are more original and have more original features preserved.
Routine work...
I answered an urgent request from Masaaki Suzuki, sending him a picture of the violoncello da spalla which he needed to apply for the subsidy from the cultural ministry to support academic research at Tokyo University of Fine Arts an Music as well as the orchestra.
In the past I was asked to provide similar assistance for La Petite Bande: our work on the gut strings and stringing types with Mimmo Peruffo, early baroque violins (a set of which was recently played on this CD) and the violoncello da spalla.
In the past I was asked to provide similar assistance for La Petite Bande: our work on the gut strings and stringing types with Mimmo Peruffo, early baroque violins (a set of which was recently played on this CD) and the violoncello da spalla.
5 November 2008
Baroque violin
Today I shall assemble the parts of a new baroque violin. This instrument shall be the last instrument this year. The weather in Tokyo is favorable for varnishing. By all means, it is considerably more favorable than the Belgian weather, the country where I lived during 12 years and made a few dozens of instruments and bows for masters such as Sigiswald Kuijken, Francois Fernandez, Luis Otavio Santos, Ryo Terakado, and others (日本語). Visit my website :)
Scrollavezza smile
One evening, at the string fair in Tokyo, I was talking about my encounter with Renato Scrollavezza whom I visited in 1996 together with my mentor Marco Tiella, the founder of Milano School of Violin making and the ex-chairman of Triennale in Cremona. To my enormous surprise, the next morning a violin made by Renato in 1968 came to my workshop for some minor sound adjustments and replacement of the strings. What a fine instrument it is!
2 November 2008
Baroque violinist Géraldine Roux in Tokyo
Géraldine Roux, baroque violinist and an old friend, has recently been on concert tour with Le Concert Spirituel in Tokyo.She plays baroque violin, viola and viola d'amore as a member of the leading European baroque orchestras touring worldwide. The viola d'amore was built for Géraldine by me in the late 90th.
Visit our website for more information on all of the work going on at our studio and keep coming back to this frequently updated blog.
Le Concert Sprituel - exceptional concert in Tokyo
2008, October 28, Tokyo Opera City - exceptional concert given by the French baroque orchestra Le Concert Spirituel.The program highlights were three suites from the Water Music and one suite from the Music for the Royal Fireworks. Apart from the 32-strong string band, the orchestra included 18 baroque oboes, 8 bassoons, 2 contrabassoons, 9 baroque trumpets (led by the marvelous Jean-Francois Madeuf; the trumpets were built by a friend of mine since 14 years Graham Nicholson who also played on stage), and 9 baroque horns led by the legendary Pierre-Yves Madeuf. The orchestra was conduced by Herve Niquet whose charismatic personality makes wonders.
The sound was gorgeous. Each phrase was given distinct character, and the vibrant yet flexible rhythm emphasized by the flawless articulation and dinamics seemed to give each movement almost a physical presence. It seemed as if each phrase danced around the hall at least twice. The mastery of the brass-instrument players goes beyond the words. I have hardly ever seen such big smiles in such big numbers on the faces of TOC goers.The concert ended with a lovely party on the 53rd floor of the TOC building. Herve Niquet, a brilliant pianist too, played a few tango while the orchestra members danced around. It was his birthday.
I was surrounded by the string-players for about two hours, who flooded me with questions about all baroque things: early German violins, early Italian violins, gut strings of various types, tunings, lire da braccio, viole da spalla, plans for the near future etc etc etc. Visit our website for the information on my work.
P.S. Photographs by D.Badiarov
バディアロフ ヴァイオリン
バディアロフ ヴァイオリンバディアロフ・ヴァイオリンの評価 (ポスター)
“天才的ルティエだ” フランス人音楽評論家 ウーベール・ストックラン (resmusica.com)2008年8月29日
“なんと言う美しい音!私は演奏するのをやめる事ができない。” ベルギー在住奏者 ディアナ・ロッシュ
“貴重ですばらしい音がする。誰でももこの楽器の虜になる” マドリッド教授カルロス・アルブイージェック
“私にとってのストラディヴァリウスだ!非常に嬉しい!” スペイン人奏者 ブライ・ジュスト
“驚いた、なんと言う弾きやすさ” バロック・ヴァイオリンの第一人者 シギスヴァルト・クイケン
“音が大きくて美しい。将来性のある成功する楽器だ。” ベルギー人奏者 フランソワ・フェルナンデス
“演奏するのが楽しい” 寺神戸 亮
“新しい楽器で、こんなに美しいのは初めて見た” 若松 夏美
“理由は判らないが、彼の楽器は純粋なイタリアンの性格を持っている”
イタリア人ルティエ レナート・スクロラヴェッツァ
“この豪華なヴィオラがあったからこそ全てが可能になった!ありがとう!” アメリカ人奏者 アーロン・ヴェストマン
“モンテヴェルディ公演で、君の楽器は我々と同僚そして聴衆をも完全に納得させている。” シギスヴァルト・クイケン
“・・横抱えで弾く低音弦楽器ヴィオロンチェロ・ダ・スパッラの、歌で言えばバリトンにたとえられる渋さ・・機能優先のモダン楽器にはない音色でかそけき響きを慈しむ事ができた” 読売新聞 音楽評論家 三宅幸夫 2006年
“その音色の多彩さ、まろやかで深く豊かな響きには独特の魅力がある。スパッラの魅力と表現の可能性を確信させた。” 音楽の友 音楽学者 那須田務 2006年6月号
“ディミトリー・バディアロフによって17世紀のサロンの伝統がよみがえった ”
クロノカ・ディ・ロヴェレト新聞(イタリア)
What people are saying about my instruments
"Your new violin is fantastic!
I really liked the sound. Especially D and G.
And this G string is very interesting!
I will order this string immediately!
Indeed, when I saw the back of that violin, it reminded me my Grancino.
I really like this one piece DOS (slab?) cut back.
And I liked the color of the varnish too.
It's slightly lighter than Kaoru's, isn't it?
Anyway, it's a beautiful instrument!
Congratulations!
The white violin looked and sounded also promising.
Maybe that one will be even more dynamic and powerful?" -- Ryo Terakado, 05.02.2009
Luthier de génie -- Hubert Stoecklin, resmusica.com, 29.08.2007
Quel bel instrument tu m'as fait!!, je ne peux pas m'arreter de le jouer!!! -- Diana Roche
El chelo es precioso y maravilloso. Tiene un sonido increible. Todo el mundo que lo ha visto se ha enamorado de él. -- Carlos Albuisech Tejedor
It's a Stradivarius! I am totally happy! -- Blai Justo
Amazing, how well it works! - Sigiswald Kuijken
You always told me that this instrument is built for being strung with equal tension, but I actually never really tried it, you know there are hardly "baroque" orchestras around which appreciate this kind of setup of the violin... I put quite thick strings on it. I must say it is a completely different touch of playing these strings, I have really to practice! But the sound is suddenly so warm and full, like never before, it's wonderful! -- Rainer Arndt
A loud and beautiful sound. Interesting and a promising violin, certainly, a very successful one... - François Fernandez
The most beautiful newly made violin I have seen! -- Natsumi Wakamatsu
I can not explain why, but his instruments have purely Italian character. -- Renato Scrollavezza
I couldn't have done any of these things without the gorgeous viola that you made for me, so I am most thankful! -- Aaron Westman
I absolutely love it. It plays practically by itself and has a wonderful full but clear sound. It even works fabulously with my modern violin, which is not the case with all other baroque bows I have used. Thank you! -- Margaret MacDuffie
We just had our second concert with Schütz / Monteverdi program - it goes very well, the instrumets really convince us, the colleagues and the audience! -- Sigiswald Kuijken
Le verdad es que tu trabajo e investigaciones nos motivan mucho a seguir adelante, son un buen ejemplo a seguir -- Armando Plancarte
It is such a fun! -- Ryo Terakado
Con Dmitry Badiarov torna la tradizione dei raffinati salotti musicali settecenteschi" (The tradition of the refined 17th century music saloons returns with Dmitry Badiarov) -- 03/06/1998, Cronaca di Rovereto, Italy.
I loved the quiet, tender and refined spalla's sound which could be compared with that of a baritone; the natural, ingenuous sound does not exist in the modern instruments... -- 23/05/2005, YOMIURI newspaper, Japan
バディアロフ・ヴァイオリンの音を聴けるCD
* J.S.バッハ:無伴奏チェロ組曲 寺神戸亮:ヴィオロンチェロ・ダ・スパッラ DENON Aliare COGQ-32->3
* J.S.バッハ:カンタータvol36 バッハ・コレギウム・ジャパン BWV6のチェロ・ピッコロ独奏声部 BIS1611
* J.S.バッハ:カンタータvol39 バッハ・コレギウム・ジャパン(鈴木雅明指揮)BWV68,85,175,183の
チェロ・ピッコロ独奏声部 BIS1641
* ヴィヴァルディ「四季」ラ・プティット・バンド Accent ACC 24179(「春、秋」の独奏vl,「冬」のvc声部)
* モンテヴェルディ VESPRO DELLA BEATA VERGINE ラ・プティット・バンド Challenge Classics
CC 72311(チェロ以外のヴァイオリン2台、ヴィオラ2台)
* J.S.バッハ:カンタータBWV49のチェロ・ピッコロ独奏声部 バッハ・コレギウム・ジャパン 発売予定
* J.S.バッハ:ブランデンブルグ協奏曲に使用されている3台のスパッラ バッハ・コレギウム・ジャパン 発売予定
プロフィール ディミトリー・バディアロフ Dmitry Badiarov
ロシア生まれのルティエ。12歳からヴラディミール・オイベルマンの弟子。21歳からサンクトペテルスブルグのヴラディミール・ヤキメンコの店で弟子を続け、100台以上のオールドを修復し目が養われる。最初に製作した楽器がロシア全土ルティエ・コンクールにてマスター獲得。楽器製作と修復の工房をサンクトペテルスブルグとブリュッセルにて運営し、その間ミラノでルカ・プリモンの短期コースも受ける。常に古い楽器や文献を研究し、ヴィオロンチェロ・ダ・スパッラと初期バロックヴァイオリンの復元は古楽界に新風をもたらす。今までに製作した約60台の楽器は世界各地で高い評価で演奏されている。現在東京に工房を持ち、東京藝術大学でレクチャー講師、代官山音楽院でヴァイオリン製作講師を行う。
ホームページ:violadabraccio.com 〒192-0351 八王子市東中野165-13
Tel&Fax: 042-677-7027 (個人の工房ですので、いらっしゃる前には必ずお電話等で予約して下さい)
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Our early-baroque violins in Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Virigine
We heard rumors that La Petite Bande released a CD with Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Virgine. The group uses a set of early baroque violins built at my Studio during 2006 and 2007 with the financial support of a German shipping company.Re-construction of this type of violins took over 10 years and was my dream since I settled in Brussels in 1994. The first prototype was made in 1997 and introduced at Accademia di Musica Antica in Rovereto, Italy. The first performer among our customers who got involved with these instruments was Ryo Terakado, however the set could not have been built without the enthusiasm of Sigiswald Kuijken.
The set of instruments have been played by La Petite Bande during several concerts. It sounds remarkably like a consort, the sound of instruments being something between the violins and viols. The unique sound results from a peculiar construction of these instruments as well as from the use of equal-tension strings. Visitors can see the reading of the Vespers recorded by an amateur fan from the hall below.
Visit our Studio for more information on our original research and instruments.
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