For thirty years now my cave, as I like to call it, has been located in Parma in one of the oldest buildings of the “Oltretorrente” area the historic popular district remembered for the episode of the Barricades which in 1922 prevented the entry of the fascists into the city.
Oltretorrente is still today a generous and independent neighbourhood, where elder Parmesans, university students, artists and citizens of different ethnic groups live together.
My workshop is somewhat hidden from public view and located at the end of a courtyard with typical cloister architecture.
Walking through the courtyard, or when painting an instrument near the window overlooking the church of Santa Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, I manage to find the tranquillity and inspiration that the craft requires.
While working, I feel the pulse of life in the neighbourhood and in the city all around me.
Parma is the heart of the Italian Food Valley, its typical products are worth a visit to the dairies, food museums and historic shops. But Parma is famous all over the world for its music, from Giuseppe Verdi to Arturo Toscanini. The workshop is a five-minute walk from the Teatro Regio and Toscanini’s birthplace. Come and visit me where I work and take the opportunity for having a short vacation or a musical-gastronomic weekend.
My workshop is a bit hidden from view at the end of a courtyard in the heart of old Parma, a beautiful place to breath and work absorbed in an atmosphere of interiority,: like any artistic creation, violin making requires concentration and solitude.
My showcase are the fairs, where I present the latest production and I can – finally – talk to people.
The reaction of those who pass by the fair and stop in front of one of my violins is very important: I think that an instrument must first of all provoke feelings, emotions.
The eye is attracted, the hand caresses the wood, the ear is conquered … and the dialogue begins.
At the fair I meet musicians of all levels: I like to talk to everyone because those who are in love with their instrument have so much to say to those who conceive the instruments and see them born. Talking with others I find myself and the sense of the profession I do.
Although my production is dedicated to musicians looking for a concert instrument, with an inclination towards an important investment, I am always willing to take the requests and the possibilities of students and enthusiasts into consideration.
My instruments can also be found in London, in Ariel Lang and Pedro Silva’s showroom in Clarkenwell Road.
Ariel and Pedro are two young musicians who created the MyLuthier import company to offer the Anglo-Saxon market “the finest examples from today’s best violin makers”.
Ariel and Pedro are refined artists and extremely selective entrepreneurs: to be part of the small number of luthiers they have chosen to bring to London is an honor for me.
Taiwan has a musical tradition inherited from the West since the Baroque era, when the Dutch arrived on the island. The violin is the most studied and played instrument at every level, from elementary schools to concert players. Taiwan has a great demand for high quality Italian bowed instruments. The production of a maker who works alone, without workshop helpers, will never be able to keep up with the demand! This is a guarantee of quality and the Taiwanese musician knows it. With typically oriental patience, he can wait for his violin for years. The exclusive Taiwanese importer of my instruments is Shih Ping Hung. Working with them is a pleasure because we never talk about costs and delivery times; let’s talk about music, sensations, varnish…
In Copenhagen, Ulf Eriksson’s shop is the reference point for Northern European musicians:
Ulf was among the first violins of the Copenhagen Philharmonic for thirty years, and over time has honed the talent to always find the right instrument for fellow musicians and friends, turning it into a profession. My violins, violas and cellos are exhibited by Ulf in the Esplanaden, near the Little Mermaid and the Winter Palace of the royal family. Ulf will be happy to let you try and try again for as long as necessary to let you … win.
