Frank Almond

Frank Almond’s “A Violin’s Life,” Volume 2

by

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond released the second volume of A Violin’s Life last week. An exciting companion to his 2013 disk, the recording celebrates the 300 year history of the 1715 “Lipinski” Stradivarius, a violin once owned by Giuseppe Tartini. The two volumes are the first modern recordings to feature the instrument, which resurfaced in 2008 after spending years in a bank vault. In January, 2014 the “Lipinski” briefly fell into the hands …

Read more

The "Lipinski" Strad Has Been Recovered

by

This morning some great news came out of Milwaukee. The “Lipinski” Stradivarius, which was stolen from violinist Frank Almond following a concert on January 27, has been recovered and is in good condition. The three alleged thieves are in custody. Learn more details here. It’s important that great violins are played, not just displayed behind glass. In fact, a violin needs to be played regularly to sound its best. Let’s hope audiences …

Read more

The Violin: A Cross Between Art and Technology

by

Last week the music world was shocked by news of a well coordinated theft of the priceless 1715 “Lipinski” Stradivarius. The violin was on loan to Frank Almond, concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Following a concert, the thieves used a stun gun to incapacitate Almond, who was not seriously injured. A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the safe return of the instrument. You can read a statement from the violin’s owner …

Read more

“A Violin’s Life” by Frank Almond

by

Violinist Frank Almond has come out with an exciting new recording which I highly recommend. A Violin’s Life: Music for the ‘Lipinski’ Stradivari was released on April 19, debuting on Billboard’s Top Ten Classical list. Almond is the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at Northwestern University. He is accompanied by pianist William Wolfram. Here is the interesting story of how the “Lipinski” Stradivari, one of the world’s finest violins, came …

Read more