Rewards and Challenges of a Newly Purchased 1720 Rochester Stradivari

Minnesota’s Michael “Mike” Antonello is a widely known classical violinist able to imbue warmth and beauty into the compositions of composers such as Mozart and Brahms. Interviewed in Fanfare Magazine, Michael J. Antonello spoke in depth on his 1720 Rochester Stradivari.

Challenging to play at first, the legendary instrument was purchased “sight unseen” while he was on tour in Scotland. His wife had long been urging him to take a break from collecting American fine art to focus on acquiring an exceptional violin. For his part, he maintained that his 1736 late Stradivari, purchased at an excellent price, was a perfectly acceptable workhorse, particularly for recordings.

The 1720 Rochester Stradivari was an impulse buy from Kenneth Warren and Sons that came at an excellent price. A clear indication that the violin, previously owned by a Japanese amateur collector, had not been played was that the strings were elevated above the fingerboard to an extent that playing the instrument was challenging.

With the instrument having perhaps never been played extensively in concert settings, he had his work cut out in trying to keep the 1720 Rochester Stradivari in tune. It took him three years of work to get the vibrations to a point where the instrument was pulling him into notes, rather than pushing him off.

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How Violinist Michael Antonello Began His Recording Career

A prominent professional concert violinist and fine art collector, Minnesota resident Michael J. “Mike” Antonello has recorded 18 classical music albums. In addition, Michael Antonello has served as a concertmaster for several orchestras, including Michigan’s Grand Rapids Symphony.

After accepting the concertmaster position with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Mr. Antonello became acquainted with Philip Greenberg, a conductor, violinist, and a connoisseur of fine violins. Mr. Greenberg was instrumental in encouraging Mr. Antonello to rekindle his passion for performing as a concert violinist.

The friendship between the two violinists began in the late 1960s, when Mr. Greenberg invited Mr. Antonello, the new Grand Rapids concertmaster, to join him in playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Western Shore Symphony. Mr. Greenberg was impressed with Mr. Antonello’s skill and expression.

After losing track of Mr. Antonello when he began working in the insurance sector, Mr. Greenberg found him again by chance in Rochester, Minnesota, where Mr. Antonello was playing a violin solo in the orchestra. The elder violinist encouraged Mr. Antonello to record his musical repertoire while he was still young.

Mr. Greenberg, then the director of the Kiev Philharmonic, facilitated recording sessions for Mr. Antonello, beginning with Mendelssohn and Beethoven concertos, then moving on to other musical masterpieces of the classical violin.

The History of a 1720 Stradivarius Violin

A resident of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Michael J. “Mike” Antonello is an accomplished professional concert violinist who has recorded 18 critically acclaimed albums. A collector of fine art, Michael Antonello owns two of the most famous violins ever made, including a 1720 golden period “Ex-Rochester” Stradivarius.

Mr. Antonello acquired the Stradivarius sight-unseen from violin dealer Kenneth Warren and Sons, which had acquired it from a Japanese collector. When Mr. Antonello first held his new violin, he noticed that the strings sat high above the fingerboard, an indication that the Stradivarius was rarely played.

The violin’s written record dates back to 1820, when it was entered into a collection in Rochester, England. This means that the first hundred years of the Stradivarius’ history is a mystery.

Although the Stradivarius was in pristine condition, it took Mr. Antonello three years to get the instrument to play correctly after so many years of not being used. The violin now plays beautifully and hits notes precisely. Find out more about Mr. Antonello’s musical history and accomplishments at michaelantonello.com.