THE GUADAGNINI QUARTET PROJECTBy Dylan Henderson

Photo Shane Reid

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Dähler left them to ponder, but not before he’d given his most valuable contribution. Obtaining a quartet of instruments from the golden age would be difficult, he told them, but not insurmountable: a matched set of violins, a viola and a cello by the Italian luthier Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1711-1786) may yet still be possible. Out of that serendipitous encounter spawned a vision that would grow to become one of the nation’s most culturally significant philanthropic projects.

G.B. Guadagnini is often referred to as the last of the great master luthiers, occupying a unique place within the intriguing annals of the ‘golden age’ of string instruments. His reputation perhaps only eclipsed by his predecessors Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744), archival research has revealed Guadagnini’s art was shaped by much humbler origins. Unlike Stradivari and del Gesù, Guadagnini’s birth certificate confirms he was born not in Cremona, but in the tiny village of Bilegno in Val Tidone, near Piacenza, on June 23, 1711. Upon moving to Turin in 1771, a myth circulated that, by virtue of his father, Lorenzo, Guadagnini was an heir to the great Cremonese tradition – a fictitious descendancy that he himself disseminated for promotional gain. However, the instruments he produced were a far cry from cheap imitations, and many scholars have noted the almost inexplicable alacrity with which he was able to procure the necessary varnishes and tonewoods in cities where few other luthiers worked.

T hree hours west of Melbourne, at the southern tip of the Grampian Mountain range, lies the regional town

of Dunkeld. In April each year, a loyal following of some of Australia’s most ardent music lovers coalesce in this unique landscape for the Australian String Quartet’s annual Dunkeld Festival of Music. It was here, in the autumn of 2009, that Ulrike Klein, the co-founder of Jurlique, had an epiphany. Hearing the exquisite colours of a rare 1893 Fiorini viola performed by international guest musician Jürg Dähler in the modest intimacy of a woolshed left an indelible impression. It wasn’t simply the reawakening of archaic desires deeply rooted in childhood, but the sobering realisation that the nation’s only full-time string quartet could not compete internationally without instruments of this calibre. The ASQ and, by extension, Australia, was culturally disadvantaged.

‘For me it was so obvious that these

amazing musicians did not have

the instruments to match their

talents, especially when I heard the

comparison,’

Klein told The Australian Financial Review in 2012. Seeking advice on how to rectify the problem, Klein and Alison Beare, then Executive Officer of ASQ, spoke with the owner of the Fiorini, who suggested they try to assemble a quartet of rare 18th-century Italian string instruments. The name Antonio Stradivari instantly sprung to mind, but the scarcity of violas and cellos (along with their stratospheric prices) mortally wounded the fantasy before it could take flight.

As Davide Gasparotto and Andrea Zanrè point out,

‘He was able to imitate the models and

the construction techniques perfected

by the masters of Cremona, and if we

compare the fruits of his work with the

production of other self-taught luthiers

of the time (or of today for that matter),

it is difficult not to be astonished by

the results he achieved’.

Unlike the instruments of Stradivari and Amati however, Guadagnini’s work is defined by an inherent roughness: the spontaneity of their construction and craftsmanship is often left undisguised. His instruments characterised

by distinctive features pertaining to the town in which he worked, his oeuvre can be divided into four distinctive epochs: Piacenza (circa 1740-1749), Milan (1749-1758), Parma (1758-1771), and Turin (1771-1786). Over the course of his 75-year life, he produced a total of 466 string instruments, including 403 violins, 21 violas, 39 cellos, and three double basses. Notable luminaries performing on his instruments today include Sol Gabetta (1759 Guadagnini cello), Pieter Wispelwey (1760 Guadagnini cello), Natalie Clein (1777 ‘Simpson’ Guadagnini cello), and Jack Liebeck (1785 Guadagnini violin). Today his instruments are among the most sought-after in the world. Priced accordingly, they sell for no less than a million dollars each.

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Photo Jacqui Way

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E xorbitant prices aside, how would one go about obtaining two violins, a viola and a cello, when there was

only 21 violas and 39 cellos in the world? Fortunately, Jürg Dähler had some contacts in London - notably the expert, consultant and dealer Dmitry Gindin, who in turn had contacts at John & Arthur Beare, a venerable London dealer with a prestigious reputation dating back to 1892. Preliminary enquiries were made, favours were called, and strings were pulled.

A selection of Guadagnini instruments from all over the world was assembled, fortuitously coinciding with the ASQ’s tour to Europe and London in July 2009. The four players at the time - Sophie Rowell, Anne Horton, Sally Boud and Rachel Johnston – would have the opportunity to test out the instruments.

‘It was like watching kids in a candy shop,’ Alison Beare recalled in The Australian Financial Review. ‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.’ Of the instruments on display, at least four stood out. In particular, there were two violins in exceptional condition: one made in Piacenza in 1748-49, and the other in Turin in 1784. Dmitry Gindin offered a persuasive assessment of the Turin violin:

‘The violin made in Turin in 1784 is an exceptional specimen from all points of view. Tonally, it is a true concert instrument with all the soprano qualities and power necessary to deliver each note to the end of any concert hall, while still possessing all the colours and complexities one would normally expect from instruments of Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. It is definitely one of the purest Guadagninis in existence and

frankly, no Guadagnini violin I have seen thus far possesses the rare combination of acoustic superiority and such fine condition; the varnish has not even been so much as polished since it left Guadagnini’s hands! …I would thus find it extremely difficult to replace it at its current price’

It was an opportunity too rare to pass up. The auctioneer Claude Lebet only made the case more compelling, calling it ‘one of the most sought-after musical instruments in existence’ and ‘a gem of museum quality’ and unquestionable authenticity’. Lebet continued:

‘In the last couple of decades

exceptional instruments that could be

compared in quality to the violin in

question have come up only on very

few occasions and to my knowledge a

Turin Guadagnini violin in near perfect

condition has never come up at any

auction in recent history.’

Everything about the instrument seemed to suggest it was the perfect first violin for the ASQ. But what about the other violin from Piacenza, made in 1748-49? Again, Dmitry Gindin offered his assessment:

‘Tonally, it is deeper and darker than the 1784, as we have all noted during the trials, this is very desirable in the context of the quartet as its femininity will certainly attenuate the brightness and sheer masculine power of the first violin…’

It was undeniable: the rich, darker tone of the older 1748-49 violin from Piacenza, when played together with the younger 1784 Turin violin, produced an exquisite tonal blend. Indeed, if Ulrike Klein were serious about the project, she’d have to be prepared to buy both instruments in order to kick-start the initiative. But such an investment was too big for one person alone.

‘Therefore I approached Maria Myers and suggested that if she would be prepared to purchase one of the violins, then I would purchase the other,’ Klein said. Myers agreed, and the first momentous step in the project was thus complete and both violins were purchased in 2010.

Photo Randy Larcombe

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A mong the other instruments under consideration was a cello from Parma and - rarest of all - an exquisite

1784 Turin viola. Gindin claimed it was the best specimen he had ever seen, and that ‘to replace it would be next to impossible at any price’. But the 1,300,000 euro price tag raised eyebrows, even for Klein. In any case, it didn’t seem likely that there could be too many other buyers who could afford such an instrument, so Klein attempted to negotiate the price. The instrument was quickly sold to another foundation in Norway. It was a sobering lesson, but one that would provide the impetus to complete the quartet before the last remaining instruments became lost to Australia.

The purchase of the two violins had inadvertently created another problem: there was now an obvious imbalance in the quartet, overpowering the existing viola and cello.

‘It was like having two Lamborghinis and a Commodore,’ Alison Beare recalled. Fortunately, another exquisite Turin viola from 1783 appeared, and the dealer agreed to loan it to the ASQ for a period of three months, to see how it complemented the newly acquired Guadagnini violins.

‘The blend was outstanding and I was faced with a decision, do I hand it back or purchase the instrument?’ Klein recalls. The loss of the 1784 viola to the foundation in Norway hung heavily in her mind, as did the realisation that this was one of only 21 Guadagnini violas in the world. She took a deep breath and signed the contract. ‘It’s a big commitment…but beyond that is a bigger idea: there are a limited number of instruments like this in the world,’ Klein told The Australian Financial Review. ‘A lot are purchased into foundations in Asia and Europe, particularly Russia, that make instruments available to that country’s

musicians. I felt if we did not act in Australia we would miss out.’ And thus one instrument remained to complete the quartet: a cello. But the Parma cello originally presented by Gindin did not match the quality and condition of the other instruments. In its place, London-based Australian conductor Geoffrey Simon kindly offered to loan the ASQ his Grancino cello while they continued the search for a finer Guadagnini instrument.

‘After the experience in the UK it became clear that it was a very big undertaking and too important to be my own personal project. I realised it was an Australian story and that I needed to find a group of music lovers who would share in my passion and help create this legacy,’ Klein said. In order to achieve this she would need to set up a foundation with the correct legal structure, a process which would take over 18 months to complete.

‘I created the Ngeringa Farm Arts

Foundation, now known as UKARIA

and in October 2010 it was granted

DGR 1 status as a public cultural

organisation. The legal structure was

now in place to enable donors to make

tax-deductible donations. My plan was

to raise enough money so that UKARIA

could purchase each instrument.

Once in the Foundation the future of

the instruments would be secured in

perpetuity.’

In December 2011, Simon Morris from Beares contacted Klein about a Piacenza cello from c. 1743. After having waited a year for any Guadagnini cello to come up on the market, it was clear this was another opportunity that may not ever come round again. The price tag seemed irrelevant, and thus on 13 December, Klein purchased the last instrument required to fulfil the complete set for A$1,831,225.

‘When I played it there were light years of difference, even to the Grancino,’ Rachel Johnston, the cellist with the ASQ at the time, told The Advertiser. ‘They’re just such incredible instruments. It’s something I wouldn’t have believed possible – how much better they are. Whoever plays them throughout the years is going to be divinely happy.’

The line up of the ASQ has changed several times since the inception of the project, but the feedback from the musicians who have been fortunate to play them has always been overwhelmingly positive. In January 2017, we caught up with all four of the current members of the ASQ to document their experiences with the instruments so far.

Photo Jacqui Way

Dale Barltrop (1784 Guadagnini Violin, Turin)

‘When I found out that I was going to be joining the ASQ, I was given the Turin Guadagnini to start playing on and it was a really defining moment for me in my career. As a violinist, I sometimes mark the chapters of my professional development by the different instruments that I’ve played on and this was a pretty significant step. But when the Guadagnini was put in my hands I was faced with an emotional dilemma because I had developed a very special relationship with my own violin, a 1756 Giovanni Gabrielli from Florence. So while I felt deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to play a Guadagnini, one of the finest instruments in the world, a part of me also felt like I was betraying my own violin. It was a challenging transition for me. This Guadagnini is not the kind of instrument one can just pick up and master right away.

It has taken time to develop a relationship and while that relationship continues to evolve, we have come a long way together and I am now enamoured with my new companion. Finding my way with this violin has taught me a lot about my own playing. It was humbling at first - I felt very self-conscious about the sounds coming out of the violin. But I’ve gradually learned to cultivate aspects of my playing and technique to create colours that are entirely new to me. I’ve been playing it now for around 18 months.

The quality that I love most in this

violin is its capacity to sing. Playing

melodic lines in the upper register is

heavenly. As a First Violinist’s violin,

it’s the perfect Prima Donna. It just

soars. I think it’s like a male peacock

in personality - spectacularly colourful,

loud and proud, asserting itself with

presence and command.

What I found more challenging on this instrument was creating intimate colours - the warmer, more hushed tones, the kind of nuance one needs particularly in a quartet. At first, it wouldn’t necessarily respond in the way that I was used to on my own violin. I had to re-examine my approach in order to exploit the softer side of this violin, but over time, I learned what I needed to do in order to coax the most intimate whispers out of this beast! I can now say that I do feel a wonderful kinship with this violin and it is my voice. Like any close relationship, we have our ups and downs, our good days and bad days. That’s the thing about these instruments – they’re living, breathing, sensitive creatures, just like us.’

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Photo Jacqui Way

Francesca Hiew (1748-49 Guadagnini Violin, Piacenza)

‘I’d always dreamt of having a violin like this. Previously I’d played the same full sized violin from the age of 12 to 28, so it was quite a big jump, in terms of the quality of the instrument. I always thought with a violin like this, you’d just pick it up and it would just sound beautiful as soon as you put the bow to the string. But it was a learning curve, and still is, every day – every violin is.

It was only in our first national season concert that I felt comfortable playing the violin and afterwards a lot of people came up to me to tell me it was sounding great. It was such a relief! There were times in the lead up to that concert when I would think “what if I just can’t play this instrument?” When I first picked up the violin it was such a foreign sound, the timbre was so different under the ear that I could barely hear myself. It now feels like my voice, my sound. I’m capable of so many more colours than I was able to produce previously and I can put so much more weight into this violin. It seems to like it.

It’s a mellow instrument, very warm and round. It’s kind of like the polar opposite to Dale’s. His is striking and bright. Mine is broad and earthy. My old violin teacher came to our first concert in Brisbane and was amazed by the differences between the violins. He said “It’s like a violin-viola hybrid. You have the 1st violin, you have the viola and then you have Franny!”

There’s definitely this richness that I’ve

felt in the group with these instruments

that I haven’t felt before. You don’t ever

have a feeling that someone has to be

very gentle or play delicately, because

we’re all on the same plain. When we’re

all playing the same thing – a harmony

or a chorale section or something – it

can be so rich. The sound as you’re

standing in the quartet…it’s like

caramel. It just fills.’

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Photo Jacqui Way

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Stephen King (1783 Guadagnini Viola, Turin)

‘I joined the ASQ about five years ago, and I remember receiving the viola from Alison [Beare] when I was still living in Sydney. We were having an enormous farewell party at our home, and Alison came along, and dropped this viola right into the middle of that party. But it was almost like it was a sleeping beast at that point. It hadn’t been played for a while, and so you could tell there was all this ‘stuff’ inside it. It took a little while to get that stuff out, to make it come alive again. But from the start, it just had colours, and so many more layers, so many more depths to plumb. Discovering them and bringing them out to the foreground has been one of the most enjoyable things about having such an incredible instrument.

When there’s so few in the world, you

don’t expect that you’ll be one of those

musicians lucky enough to play one. I

never want to win the lottery - I don’t

need to! But it is a responsibility, and

you want it to be at its best, and the

instrument lets you know how to bring

out its best.

There’s only one way to do it. When I first approached the instrument, I’d been playing a modern viola, and you could just put bow on string and just pull, and there was your sound. But with this, one of the immediate changes was the bow speed that I could use on it to make it speak.

Being a smaller viola, it’s got a really strong higher register, and so bringing out the bass has always been its challenge. But its got it – it was just figuring out how to access it.

There was a very steep learning curve at the beginning, for maybe three months. It was an interesting time for me because I was also coming out of the ACO, the chamber orchestra setting, and so it was a very different way of playing. It was an enormous upheaval, moving from Sydney to Adelaide, and restarting everything. It was a little Renaissance in my life and it took a while for everything to catch up, so it’s maybe not a true representation of how long it might have taken. But I’d say within six months, I was going for it. Within a year, I was happy.

I love the depth of sound that this viola can access. She can growl but she can also wail like a gospel choir. That might sound a little weird, but that’s the sound world it’s in for me. The main thing I notice now when I go back to a contemporary instrument is that I just have to work and work and work to create any colours. I’m starting to take for granted the colours that this can give you. People talk about the similarities of a really good wine and it’s all there. If you want to be refined, and you want to really experience something and go to a different level, then there’s no other route to doing it. You need a Guadagnini!

In terms of the quartet’s overall sound, I like to think of it like a family. If you had four siblings, from the same makers, they’re going to be completely different. And yet they all have this common thread. They’ve been through the same upbringing, and they have a DNA that is very similar, but they all have different colours. So, if you were painting a picture, matched instruments doesn’t give you only instruments that are blue, and you can only paint with blue. It’s like you’re using the one brush, and so your brush strokes are the same, but you’re using these different colours. There is this unifying factor to having four. Within that, one voice can still become different and define itself outside of its family. But it’s incredibly special when they resonate and vibrate together. That’s when they’re truly working magically.’

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Photo Jacqui Way

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Sharon Grigoryan (c.1743 Guadagnini Cello, Piacenza ‘Ngeringa’)

‘I remember specifically when I picked the cello up from the airport – Angelina [Zucco] dropped it off at the Melbourne airport whilst the Quartet was on a tour – and during that drive home on the freeway with this instrument on the back seat, I was suddenly very aware that I was much more valuable than I had been about two hours ago. What if I had a crash on the freeway? What if someone rear-ends me? When I was falling asleep that night with the cello sitting in my bedroom, I was intensely aware of the enormity of my responsibility towards this instrument. It was a big lifestyle change. I think every player who plays these sorts of instruments says the same thing – that I never imagined that I would be playing an instrument of that calibre. But it’s true – you don’t ever imagine that. And I’m still discovering new sounds on it, even today, after three and a half years.

The Guadagnini has really affected my artistic output as a cellist. It’s like the difference between having a handful of colours to paint with versus an infinite palate to choose from. However, it took some work and time to learn how to make a decent sound on this cello! I made a lot of ugly noises when I first started. But when you finally do learn how to play the instrument, there’s just an infinite number of choices. There’s no limit really, whereas on my own cello – which is a very good instrument – I knew I’d reached the limit of what it could do and I had to play within that. So my imagination has grown with this instrument because I have the opportunity to keep on exploring new colours and thoughts.

These instruments have so much history and personality of their own. The sound of this cello has such a warmth to it, it feels and sounds so welcoming when you play it. I’ve had other players play it and I’ve listened to it. It’s just so sweet and warm, but at the same time, it has real guts and punch. In the lower register you can really hit people in the face with it, without any harshness to the sound. It’s such a generous instrument.

Even though they’re all from the same maker, they’re four incredibly different sounding instruments. On top of that, we’re four incredibly different players, and I think that’s wonderful. It would be a very boring chamber ensemble if everyone had the same style. But when you get these four Guadagninis together, and you have four players who are used to playing with each other, you can really hear the air buzzing with this incredible resonance and balance. If one or two members of the quartet were to play a different instrument, the balance and resonance of the group sound would probably not be as harmonious. It wouldn’t have that same holistic ring to it.

I think the difference between a Guadagnini and a great modern instrument is that it’s like wearing for the first time a really amazingly tailored pair of leather shoes. It might hurt for the first couple of days, but once you wear them in, they become like gloves for your feet and you can wear them for years because they’ll just last.’

Almost ten years have passed since that fateful day in 2009 when the dream of owning a quartet of rare string instruments first began. The instruments have been acquired, and the lengthy process of raising the funds to transfer the instruments into UKARIA is nearly complete. Together with her family, Klein pledged 50 per cent of the purchase price for each instrument. After extensive fundraising campaigns since the inception of the project, the remaining 50 per cent of the funds for the 1784 Turin violin, the 1783 Turin viola and the c.1743 ‘Ngeringa’ cello have been raised. To date, a total of A$1,020,250 has been raised for the 1748-49 Piacenza violin, the last remaining instrument of the quartet. All that remains is A$115,338 to complete the project.

A matched set of Guadagnini instruments is not only unique to Australia: the acquisition is currently unprecedented anywhere in the world. That the Australian String Quartet should be lucky enough to be the custodians of these instruments not only profoundly enriches our cultural life at home, but elevates our reputation for artistic excellence abroad to a level where we, as an entire nation, can and should feel inestimably proud. Through her gift to the project, Ulrike Klein has embodied, more than words could ever express, UKARIA’s singular commitment to ‘inspire artists and audiences’. We invite you to help us complete that legacy.

Dylan Henderson Communications Manager UKARIA | May 2017

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Photo Jacqui Way