A violin or cello by Antonio Stradivari, Matteo Goffriller, Carlo Bergonzi, or Guarneri del Gesù can cost several million euros. How do famous musicians and young talents get their hands on these costly, antique instruments? Talent and discipline are not enough if you want to make it big as a classical musician. An excellent instrument also helps to make it among the world's best. But how do musicians obtain one of these top historical instruments? And who finances them?

Promising talents are often supported by patrons. This is also the case with the British violinist Daniel Hope and the British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Florian Leonhard, an expert in string instruments from Germany, brokers valuable, centuries-old instruments to talented musicians worldwide. Investing in such classic, historic instruments is well worth it – but you have to raise a huge sum of money first.

At a glance:
00:00 Sheku Kanneh-Mason with his Goffriller cello
01:03 Sheku Kanneh-Mason visits violin expert and dealer Florian Leonhard
02:34 Florian Leonhard presents various violins in his workshop by Stradivari and Guarneri
04:15 Daniel Hope plays George Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So," Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin 2020
04:38 Daniel Hope on his violin, the "Ex- Lipiński" by Guarneri del Gesú from 1742
05:16 Daniel Hope plays at the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin 2020
06:06 Florian Leonhard on instruments as an investment
06:46 Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays the Goffriller Cello in Florian Leonhard's headquarter
07:01 Violin expert and dealer Florian Leonhard on the agreements with the musicians
07:22 Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his Goffriller cello on the streets of London
07:40 Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano) at the Rheingau Music Festival 2021

Born in South Africa in 1973, violinist Daniel Hope grew up in England and at a young age was encouraged by Yehudi Menuhin. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and at the Musikhochschule Lübeck. In June 2002, he became the youngest member of the "Beaux Arts Trio". He has won the ECHO Klassik award several times. The busy musician conducts the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco. Since 2011, he has been playing the "Ex-Lipiński" violin made in 1742 at the Guarneri del Gesù workshop. Violin expert Florian Leonhard facilitated the loan of the instrument to Hope.

Born in 1999, Sheku-Kanneh Mason is a British cellist who performs in major concert halls around the world. He comes from a very musical family – all of his six siblings play an instrument at a professional level. In 2016, he won the "BBC Young Musician Competition." In 2018, he played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor Castle, introducing him suddenly to a large, international audience. He continues to study at the Royals Academy of Music in London, is constantly on tour, and plays a cello by Matteo Goffriller from the 1700s.

German-born Florian Leonhard is a world-renowned expert, restorer and dealer of historic stringed instruments who lives and works in London. Branches of his company can be found in Hong Kong, Seoul, and San Francisco. Florian Leonhard studied violin making in Mittenwald, Bavaria and was head restorer at W.E. Hill & Sons in London before starting his own business in 1995. He researches the history of Italian instrument making and has published two books on the subject.

© DEUTSCHE WELLE 2022

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