Janine Jansen: Falling for Stradivari

Directed by PRIX ITALIA winning documentary maker Gerry Fox, and accompanied in her quest by legendary Sir Antonio Pappano, the documentary will follow Janine fl y- on-the wall from her home town of Stockholm to research in Stradivarius' home town of Cremona, where she will meet world leading luthiers, to a hectic ten day period in London. She will become acquainted with each of the violins, select works that fi t them best, learn about their histories and particular foibles and rehearse and record this astonishing album. It will be nerve-wracking, intense, and hugely exciting. Finally, at Christmas, we will follow Janine home to the chamber music festival she has established in Utrecht, where accompanied by Pappano, she will play the pieces for a public audience. This is the fi rst time ever that so many of the greatest Strads have been gathered together in one place, and the camera will accompany Janine at every step. As a violinist with phenomenal bowing technique, she is uniquely qualifi ed to bring out the character of each violin, rather than impose her character on the instruments. In a series of up close and personal interviews with both Janine and others, we will capture the diffi culties and joys of playing these phenomenally diffi cult but rewarding instruments. Interweaving though Janine's story, we will also for the fi rst time, trace the stunning history of the Stradivarius as an emblem of affl uence, ambition and power. These violins have essentially been witnesses to history, containing within them the rise and decline of empires, as well as the evolution of classical and western music into a major part of global culture. This fi lm will continue to explore the Strad's ever-growing mastery through archive footage of some of the fi nest luminaries ever: Fritz Kreisler, Marius Casadesus, Bronislaw Huberman, Efrem Zimbalist, Zino Francescatti, Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux and Cho- Liang Lin, all played regularly on one of these Strads.