麻豆社

Welcome to Cremona - city of the violin. These Italian streets are brimming with horse hairs, varnish and chiselled wood. The central square is lined with storefronts displaying beautifully handcrafted wooden instruments. Braimah Kanneh-Mason, concert violinist and member of the musically gifted Kanneh-Mason family, travels to where the Stradivarius was born.

Braimah learns about the techniques used to replicate the world鈥檚 most famous stringed instruments in the workshop of world-class violin maker Daniele Tonarelli. It was in Cremona, 500 years ago, that Andrea Amati was credited with inventing the 鈥渕odern鈥� violin. In his footsteps came the likes of Nicola Amati, Guarneri 鈥渄el Ges霉鈥� and, most famously, Antonio Stradivari, who all perfected their craft in this northern Italian city. Daniele is the latest in a long line of Cremonese luthiers. Braimah gets a taste of the age old recipe that created these musical masterpieces hundreds of years ago. It is still used today.

Daniele shows Braimah his newest violin 鈥� just 20 days old. How does this youthful instrument feel in the young violinist鈥檚 hands, and 鈥� more importantly 鈥� how does it sound? Are today鈥檚 Cremonese luthiers living up to the legacy the great violin makers left behind?

Image: Braimah Kanneh-Mason (Credit: 麻豆社)