Russian violin masters struggle to fill the niche after ban on Western instruments

(14 Jan 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PLEASE NOTE: AP IS OPERATING IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON ALL REPORTING RELATED TO THE ONGOING MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE   ASSOCIATED PRESS Moscow - 11 January 2024 1. Various of Russian violinist David Ardukhanyan playing at contest of violin makers 2. Close of violins 3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) David Ardukhanyan, Russian violinist: “Of course, now is a time when any crisis always brings new opportunities. And for our masters and everyone else, this is a huge stepping stone for playing our (Russian) violins. Moreover, now there is such a trend that many soloists and musicians are switching to modern instruments. If earlier, perhaps, it was fashionable and prestigious to play on Italian (violins) of the 17th and 18th centuries, now I often meet soloists who play instruments of Russian masters, which are distinguished by their excellent sound and ease of use, in many ways they are not even inferior to great old instruments.“ ASSOCIATED PRESS Moscow - 12 January 2024 4. Pan of instruments 5. Various of Russian violin maker Nikolai Stasov disassembling violin 6. Violins on wall 7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nikolai Stasov, Russian violin maker: “(Musical) Tools are needed, but there are no tools. There are no good tools.“ (Russian violin maker Andronik Yagubyants speaking off-camera (Russian) “And those who could do it can be counted on one hand.“) “So what to do? And what structures to make? There is an issue of training and internships. Previously, we thought that we would send the guys, and they would study there (abroad) and return. This option is now off the table. It means we need to return to what we have. And what we have is several dozen, well, at best 20-30 masters all over the country. It’s nothing.“ 7. Violinist preparing to play UPSOUND (Russian): “The instrument number 34 is playing now.“ 8. Pan of violins 9. Violinist playing 10. Stasov and other people listening 11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Ivan Semkin, Violin Makers Association President: “Our event is trying to draw attention to the community of violin makers, to show that such a community exists, that we make wonderful instruments. This is one of the most important tasks. Because it also serves to make this profession more prestigious and, in general, to simply make this profession exist.“ 12. Violin maker showing violin to violinist 13. Close of violin 14. Violinist playing STORYLINE: When Western sanctions banned the import of expensive musical instruments to Russia almost two years ago, a niche opened for local manufacturers, but it came with challenges. Shortly after Russian began military operations in Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S., Japan, and the European Union banned the export of musical instruments to Russia if their value exceeded 1,500 euros. It meant Russian professional musicians could no longer legally buy fine instruments, like the famous violins built by members of the Italian family Stradivari during the 17th and 18th centuries. Russian violinists can still rely on the instruments they already have in possession, including the ones produced abroad. But more and more musicians switch to locally made instruments, says an award-winning Russian violinist David Ardukhanyan. “I often meet soloists who play instruments of Russian masters, which are distinguished by their excellent sound and ease of use, in many ways they are not even inferior to great old instruments,“ he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Nikolai Stasov, 65, is one of the very few masters who are now creating violins. Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: