A 300-year-old violin, reputed to have been played on the Oscar-winning “Wizard of Oz” score, will go on the auction block next month and could fetch as much as 20 million.
The rare Stradivarius belonged to Odessa-born Toscha Seidel, widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, famed for his rich tone and emotional intensity.
Estimates are that the violin could bring between 16 million and 20 million at auction, partly because of its excellent condition and partly because of its history. There are about 600 Stradivarius violins in existence worldwide; the highest price paid for a Strad was 15.9 million in 2011, so the Seidel instrument could mark a new world record.
Seidel made his American debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1918 and toured the U.S., Europe and Australia throughout the 1920s. He was a frequent performer on New York-based CBS Radio in the early 1930s but moved to...
The rare Stradivarius belonged to Odessa-born Toscha Seidel, widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, famed for his rich tone and emotional intensity.
Estimates are that the violin could bring between 16 million and 20 million at auction, partly because of its excellent condition and partly because of its history. There are about 600 Stradivarius violins in existence worldwide; the highest price paid for a Strad was 15.9 million in 2011, so the Seidel instrument could mark a new world record.
Seidel made his American debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1918 and toured the U.S., Europe and Australia throughout the 1920s. He was a frequent performer on New York-based CBS Radio in the early 1930s but moved to...
- 5/4/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Virtuoso violinist heard on a string of classic Hollywood movie scores
The American violinist Israel Baker, who has died aged 92, was renowned among his fellow musicians but unknown to most of the millions who heard him play on the soundtracks of such movies as Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 shocker Psycho, where he led Bernard Herrmann's screaming violin effects accompanying the stabbing of Janet Leigh in the shower scene.
Baker belonged to a select group of musicians who could fit into any situation at a moment's notice and read any piece on sight. But while making a lavish living in the Hollywood film and recording studios, he also had a considerable concert career.
He was born in Chicago, the youngest of four children of Russian immigrants. At six he appeared on national radio, and from his late teens he played in orchestras. At 22 he was concertmaster of Leopold Stokowski's All-American...
The American violinist Israel Baker, who has died aged 92, was renowned among his fellow musicians but unknown to most of the millions who heard him play on the soundtracks of such movies as Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 shocker Psycho, where he led Bernard Herrmann's screaming violin effects accompanying the stabbing of Janet Leigh in the shower scene.
Baker belonged to a select group of musicians who could fit into any situation at a moment's notice and read any piece on sight. But while making a lavish living in the Hollywood film and recording studios, he also had a considerable concert career.
He was born in Chicago, the youngest of four children of Russian immigrants. At six he appeared on national radio, and from his late teens he played in orchestras. At 22 he was concertmaster of Leopold Stokowski's All-American...
- 1/11/2012
- by Tully Potter
- The Guardian - Film News
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