On the PRSO’s new violins
On 16 January the manager of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ondřej Kotrč, took possession of three violins from Jan Špidlen, a producer of first-rate string instruments and the successor to a world-renowned family of violin makers with a tradition stretching back many years. The tutti players are set to receive instruments by Julius Hubička (1912) and Heinrich Theodor Heberlein (1912), while the most notable of the violins, built by Mr. Špidlen himself, will be played by PRSO concertmaster Vlastimil Kobrle.
We asked Jan Špidlen to introduce his creation.
I built this violin from 2008 according to a model by Antonio Stradivarius. This model is based on a violin from 1718 that I had the chance to trace one time. I adapted the model slightly, according to my own taste. On the back board, which is all one piece, I used a beautiful piece of maple, around 90 years old. The ribs are also made from one piece, so the whole is perfectly matching. The top board is from very old spruce with smooth, regular rings. They’re varnished with varnish that I prepared myself from natural resins, oils and pigments. The violin sounded really good from the beginning, but still in 2010 I opened it and carried out a slight correction of the strength of the top board on the basis of then new knowledge regarding the tuning of boards. That modification improved the timbre of the G string. Since then the violin has been one of the best-sounding that I’ve built.
Is there anything particularly specific about them that would predestine them for use in an orchestra?
I don’t know if there is such a thing as the ideal sound of an orchestral violin. I think the opposite – that all violinists, including those from orchestras, long for the best solo instruments. They stand out not only in terms of penetration but also colour of sound, and the fact that the player can do whatever he wants with them and express even the finest nuance of the music. Above that, violins are very individual, like people, and it’s a question of the right violinist encountering the right violins – that they play well for him, that he likes them. I hope that comes to pass in this case.
Do you follow the concerts or recordings of the PRSO? Have you got any professional connections to the ensemble? Or perhaps personal friendships with individual musicians?
I’ve been following the PRSO since I started making violins at my father Přemysl’s side. In those days Mr. Jan Köhler, a violinist with the orchestra, often visited us. He was a long-term supporter of ours and later played a viola that I’d built in 1993 for the international violin competition here in Prague, winning first prize with it. Unfortunately, Mr. Köhler is no longer among us, but his son of the same name, also a violinist, is still active in the ranks of your orchestra. I’ve been aware that the PRSO ranks the best of our orchestras since way back.
What is currently coming to life in your workshop? What are you putting most effort into at the moment?
To tell the truth, since November I’ve been most focused on moving and arranging our new workshop and shop, which is run by my wife Marta. We just moved from the ground floor to the first floor, but still we’ve been up to our eyeballs. Otherwise, I’m finishing two violins – one for the Royal Academy of Music in London and the second for Japan. The next violins should be for Germany – it’s time I started working on them… I also dedicate my expertise to the instrument shop, administration, communication with colleagues and customers. I never have time to spare, unfortunately.
