A spirit of passage and benevolence will suffuse this weekend’s concerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Anne-Sophie Mutter, originally engaged with the orchestra for four performances of Brahms’ passionate Violin Concerto, has ceded the fourth evening to her protégé, Ye-Eun Choi, recipient of the 2013 European Culture Award for Young Artists.
On the Davies stage Monday, the 27-year-old Choi will be deploying a four-century-old Guarneri del Gesù violin, loaned to her just a few weeks ago by a generous benefactor who identifies himself anonymously as “a San Francisco-based private collector” of stringed instruments, and an amateur violinist.
“This is my first actual time doing an extended loan to an artist,” the benefactor told SFCV. “Ye-Eun was referred to me by my New York-based luthier, Markus Laine, who’d worked on the instrument. I met with her, and within a day realized that she was really the right fit for this instrument.” The benefactor also listened to Choi’s 2013 Deutsche Grammophon recording, and he watched a YouTube clip of a performance of Mendelssohn. “I said, ‘that’s the sound that I had in my head when I think about great violin playing,’” he recalled. “I met with her, and within a day realized that she was really the right fit for this instrument.”
He notes that Choi transcended stereotypes about Asian players, as well as what he perceives as the approach of “the whole younger generation, where they’re great technically, but seem to lack the element that comes from having a really unique mind for music and a concept of sound.
“But her background is that, instead of coming to the States, as a lot of Asian players do, she ended up going to Germany. So there’s something different about her playing, and it’s a real ear-opener to hear this colorful, very expressive playing that is not typical of U.S. conservatories. She reminds me of Kyung-wha Chung, who was the leading Asian violinist of her generation, not to mention that they look eerily similar. Ye-Eun is gorgeous, she could be a model,” he chuckles, quickly adding, “and the instrument’s gorgeous.”
The benefactor had to divest his collection of several Stradivariuses in order to acquire the Guarneri, one of maybe a hundred del Gesù survivors “which, in good condition, are each north of $10 million. I think a Guarneri has all the glow of a Stradivarius,” he points out, “but with additional power and ruggedness that allows you to explore the full spectrum of emotions. A disproportionate number of the greatest players in history, starting with Niccolò Paganini, have favored del Gesùs.”
“This Guarneri has an attraction like a man with power, yet gentle and charming,” adds Choi in emailed remarks. “I think this instrument is wellsuited to me, because it’s a bit smaller, but with a big sound. And I think the warmth and strength are particularly suited to Brahms.”
How long will Choi get to hold on to this treasure, following her Davies debut? “There isn’t a time limit, as long as she continues to be deserving of the instrument. Loaning, you have to feel that this is an artist who has everything but the instrument, meaning that with the instrument, she can really go places, and make a great career for herself.”
“I appreciate him for his kind loaning, and for his passion for music,” says Choi about her benefactor. “And I wish to be a player of this instrument for as long as possible.”