Janine Jansen: Falling for Stradivari

Soloists:

Janine Jansen (violin), Sir Antonio Pappano (piano)

Director:

Gerald Fox

Directed by PRIX ITALIA award-winning documentary filmmaker Gerry Fox and assisted by the legendary Sir Antonio Pappano, this documentary follows Janine from her hometown of Stockholm to Stradivarius's hometown of Cremona, where she meets the world's leading violin makers, and then on to a busy ten-day period in London. He gets to know each violin, chooses the most suitable pieces for them, learns about their history and special characteristics, and rehearses and records this amazing album. It is nerve-wracking, intense and extremely exciting. Finally, at Christmas, we follow Janine to her home in Utrecht for a chamber music festival she has organized, where she plays the pieces to the audience, accompanied by Pappano. This is the first time that so many of Stradivarius's greatest violins have been brought together in one place, and the camera follows Janine every step of the way. As a violinist with phenomenal bowing technique, he has a unique ability to bring out the character of each violin rather than imposing his own character on the instruments. In a series of intimate and personal interviews with Janine and others, we explore the difficulties and joys of playing these phenomenally difficult but rewarding instruments. Woven into Janine's story, we also follow for the first time the magnificent history of Stradivarius as a symbol of wealth, ambition, and power. 

These violins have been true witnesses to history, embodying the rise and fall of empires and the development of classical and Western music as part of world culture. The film continues to explore Strad's ever-growing mastery with archival footage featuring some of the greatest stars of all time: Fritz Kreisler, Marius Casadesus, Bronislaw Huberman, Efrem Zimbalist, Zino Francescatti, Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux, and Cho-Liang Lin, all of whom regularly played one of these Stradivarius violins.

Featuring a recital by Janine Jansen and 12 Stradivarius violins.

Recorded at Cadogan Hall, London.

Janine Jansen (violin), Sir Antonio Pappano (piano)

Works by Manuel de Falla, Tchaikovsky, Kreisler, Schumann, Brahms, Elgar, Vieuxtemps, Rachmaninoff, Szymanowski, Ravel, Suk, and Heuberger.