The ''Barjansky Stradivarius'' of c.1690 is an

antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

fabricated by the Italian

Cremonese Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinisation of names, Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', a ...

(1644–1737).

Eponym

The ''Barjansky'' is named after Russian cellist Serge Barjansky, who played the instrument during the first half of the 20th century.

Age

The date of its making is unclear. In an interview with ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello, and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and ...

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julia ...

said:

Description

The Sotheby's 1983 catalogue describes the Barjansky Stradivarius as being along the back, with a golden brown varnish.''The Strad''
article on the Barjansky

History

Barjansky was the previous owner when the Cremonese cello came up for auction at Sotheby's in 1983. It sold for a record price to British cellist

whose previous instrument was a

Guadagnini Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (often shortened to G. B. Guadagnini; 23 June 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history. Reprint with new introduction by Stewart Po ...

of the 1700s. The purchase price was undisclosed. The comparable ''Pawle'' Stradivarius cello sold around that time for $650,000 in New York.

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman (; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the First ina ...

bought the 1714 Soil Stradivari from

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

for £600,000 in 1986 (). Since then the ''Barjansky Stradivarius'' has been played by Lloyd Webber, who has made more than 30 award-winning recordings on the instrument, including a renowned version of

Elgar Cello Concerto Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, is a cornerstone of the solo cello repertoire. Elgar composed it in the aftermath of the First World War, when his music had already become out of fashion with the concert-going public. In contra ...

, conducted by

. Chapter Eight of Margaret Campbell's biography of Lloyd Webber, ''Married to Music'', is called "The Barjansky" Strad. The Barjansky Stradivarius has reportedly been offered for sale by the violin expert Florian Leonhard.

Recordings made with the Barjansky

Works with orchestra

* Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Yehudi Menuhin, r.1985, Philips Classics – chosen as the 'finest ever version’ by BBC Music Magazine and winner of ‘Best Classical Recording’ 1997 Brit Awards. * Victor Herbert - Cello Concerto No. 2, London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras, r.1986, EMI Classics * Arthur Sullivan - Cello Concerto, (World Premiere Recording) - London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras, r.1986, EMI Classics * Edward Elgar - Romance, (World Premiere Recording) - London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras, r.1986, EMI Classics * Antonín Dvořák - Cello Concerto, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Vaclav Neumann, r.1988, Philips Classics. This recording is the subject of Tony Palmer's documentary ''Dvorak - in Love?'', released on DVD in 2014. * Arthur Honegger - Cello Concerto, English Chamber Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier, r.1990, Philips Classics * Camille Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto No. 1, English Chamber Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier, r.1990, Philips Classics * Camille Saint-Saëns - Allegro Appassionato, English Chamber Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier, r.1990, Philips Classics * Vincent d’Indy - Lied (World Premiere Recording), English Chamber Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier, r.1990, Philips Classics * Faure - Elegie, English Chamber Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier, r.1990, Philips Classics * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, London Symphony Orchestra/Maxim Shostakovich, r.1991, Philips Classics * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Nocturne, Op 19 no. 4, London Symphony Orchestra/Maxim Shostakovich, r.1991, Philips Classics * Nikolai Myaskovsky - Cello Concerto, London Symphony Orchestra/Maxim Shostakovich, r.1991, Philips Classics * Dmitry Shostakovich - Adagio from ‘The Limpid Stream’ (World Premiere Recording) London Symphony Orchestra/Maxim Shostakovich, r.1991, Philips Classics * Gavin Bryars - Cello Concerto (World Premiere Recording) English Chamber Orchestra/James Judd, r.1994, Philips Classics * Benjamin Britten - Cello Symphony, Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner, r.1995, Philips Classics * William Walton - Cello Concerto, Academy of St Martin in the Fields – Sir Neville Marriner, r.1995, Philips Classics * Michael Nyman - Concerto for Cello, Saxophone and orchestra, (World Premiere Recording) Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Nyman, r.1996, EMI Classics * Max Bruch - Kol Nidrei, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/James Judd, r.1998, Philips Classics * Granville Bantock - Sapphic Poem, (World Premiere Recording) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley, r.1999, Hyperion * Philip Glass - Cello Concerto, (World Premiere Recording) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/ Gerard Schwarz, r.2003, Orange Mountain * Andrew Lloyd Webber - Phantasia for violin, cello and orchestra, (World Premiere Recording), w. Sarah Chang, violin, The London Orchestra/Simon Lee, r.2004, EMI Classics * Eric Whitacre - "The River Cam", (World Premiere Recording) London Symphony Orchestra/Eric Whitacre, r.2012, Decca * Vivaldi Concertos for Two Cellos, w. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (World Premiere Recordings)

European Union Chamber Orchestra The European Union Chamber Orchestra (EUCO) is a chamber orchestra with funding from the European Commission, founded in 1981 and initially known as the European Community Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra has toured worldwide and broadcast on BBC R ...

, r.2014, Naxos * Piazzolla - Milonga, w. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (World Premiere Recordings) European Union Chamber Orchestra, r.2014, Naxos * Howard Goodall - “And the Bridge is Love” (World Premiere Recording) English Chamber Orchestra, r.2015, Naxos

Works with piano

* Malcolm Arnold - Fantasy for Cello, (World Premiere Recording) r.1986, ASV * Alan Rawsthorne - Cello Sonata, John McCabe (piano), r.1986, ASV * Benjamin Britten - Cello Sonata, John McCabe (piano), r.1988, Philips Classics * Sergei Prokofiev - Ballade, (World Premiere Recording) John McCabe (piano), r.1988, Philips Classics * Dmitri Shostakovich - Cello Sonata, John McCabe (piano), r.1988, Philips Classics * Frank Bridge - Scherzetto, (World Premiere Recording), John McCabe (piano), r.1991, ASV * Charles Villiers Stanford - Cello Sonata No. 2, (World Premiere Recording) John McCabe, r.1991, ASV * Edvard Grieg - Cello Sonata, Bengt Forsberg (piano), r.1995, Philips Classics * Edvard Grieg - Intermezzo (World Premiere Recording), Philips Classics * Frederick Delius - Cello Sonata, Bengt Forsberg (piano), r.1995, Philips Classics * Frederick Delius - Caprice and Elegy, Bengt Forsberg (piano), r.1993, Philips Classics * Frederick Delius - Serenade from ‘Hassan’, Bengt Forsberg (piano), r.1993, Philips Classics

Semi-classical

* Oasis, (World Premiere Recording) with Peter Skellern and Mary Hopkin, r.1984 Warner * Two Worlds, with Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin, r.2000, Decca

Collections

* Travels with my Cello, English Chamber Orchestra/Nicholas Cleobury, r.1984, Philips Classics * Encore! – Travels with my Cello Vol.2, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Nicholas Cleobury, r.1986, Philips Classics * Cello Song, John Lenehan (piano), r.1993, Philips Classics *

English Idyll Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julian ...

, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, r.1994, Philips Classics * Cradle Song, John Lenehan (piano), Richard Rodney Bennett (piano), Pam Chowhan (piano), r.1995, Philips Classics *

Cello Moods ''Cello Moods'' is an album recorded by the British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and, principally, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under James Judd in 1998 for Philips. It is a collection of classical pieces either originally written for or ad ...

, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/James Judd, r.1998, Philips Classics *

Elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

, r.1999, Philips Classics *

Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber ''Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber'' is a 1989 album by British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber interpreting songs written by his older brother, the popular musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. The album was recorded with the Royal Philharmoni ...

, r.2001, Philips Classics * '' Made in England / Gentle Dreams'', r.2003, Decca *

Unexpected Songs ''Unexpected Songs'' is a 2006 album by Julian Lloyd Webber. Track listing # "Star of the County Down"/"Lady D'Arbanville" by Cat Stevens/Trad. arr. Chowhan # "Oblivion" by Ástor Piazzolla arr. Lenehan # "Marble Halls" by Michael Balfe # "Prelud ...

, John Lenehan (piano), Pam Chowhan (piano),

Catrin Finch Catrin Ana Finch is a Welsh people, Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music ...

(harp), Michael Ball, r.2006, EMI Classics *

Fair Albion ''Fair Albion - Visions of England'', is a 2009 album on the Signum Classics label featuring compositions by Patrick Hawes. The music ‘celebrates the heart and soul of the British Landscape’. The CD includes performances by Elin Manahan Th ...

- Music by Patrick Hawes, (World Premiere Recordings) r.2009, Signum Classics *

The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber ''The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber'' is a 2011 album by Julian Lloyd Webber. Track listing Disc 1 # "Cello Concerto 1st Movement" by Edward Elgar # "The Swan" by Saint-Saëns # "Salut d'amour" by Edward Elgar # "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy # ...

, r.2011, Decca * Evening Songs – Music by Frederick Delius and John Ireland, w. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello), John Lenehan (piano), r.2012, Naxos * A Tale of Two Cellos, w. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello), John Lenehan (piano), Catrin Finch (harp), r.2013, Naxos

First performances using the Barjansky

* Frederick Delius, Cello Concerto, Frankfurt, Germany, January 1923 * Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on Sussex Folk Tunes for Cello and Orchestra, Three Choirs Festival, Gloucester, August 1983 * Edward Elgar, Romance for Cello and Piano, Wigmore Hall, London, April 1985 * Arthur Sullivan, Cello Concerto, London Symphony Orchestra/Mackerras, Barbican Centre, London, April 1986 * Malcolm Arnold, Fantasy for Cello, Wigmore Hall, London, December 1987 * Malcolm Arnold, Cello Concerto, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Handley, Royal Festival Hall, London, March 1989 * Richard Rodney Bennett, Dream Sequence for Cello and Piano, John Lenehan (piano), Wigmore Hall, London, December 1994 * Vladimir Godar, Barcarolle for Cello, Strings, Harp and Harpsichord, Hellenic Centre, London, April 1994 * Gavin Bryars, Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy), English Chamber Orchestra/James Judd, Barbican Centre, London, November 1995 * William Lloyd Webber, Nocturne for Cello and Piano, John Lill (piano), Purcell Room, London, February 1995 * Christopher Headington, Serenade for Cello and Strings, English Chamber Orchestra, Banqueting House, London, January 1995 * Michael Nyman, Concerto for Cello and Saxophone, Philharmonia/James Judd, Royal Festival Hall, London, March 1997 * William Walton, Theme for a Prince for Solo Cello, Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, October 1998 * Karl Jenkins, Benedictus for Cello, Choir and Orchestra from 'The Armed Man', National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the National * Musicians Symphony Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, London, April 2000 * Philip Glass, Cello Concerto, China Philharmonic Orchestra/Long Yu, Beijing Festival, China, September 2001 * James MacMillan, Cello Sonata No.2, John Lenehan (piano), Queens Hall, Edinburgh, April 2001 * Howard Goodall, And the Bridge is Love for Cello and Strings Festival Orchestra/Thomas Hull, Chipping Campden Festival, May 2008 * Patrick Hawes, Gloriette for Cello and Piano, Leeds Castle, Kent, August 2008 * Andrew Lloyd Webber, Phantasia (Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra), Izmir Festival, Turkey, July 2008 * Eric Whitacre, The River Cam for cello and strings, Philharmonia Orchestra/Whitacre, Royal Festival Hall, London, April 2011 All first performances were by Julian Lloyd Webber, except the January 1923 concerto by Alexandre Barjansky.

References

{{reflist

1690 works Stradivari cellos