This Week in Classical Music-October 26, 2008

by: Randy Kinkel

October 26, 2008

Eanet
Eanet

( Phoenix )
•Eanet Joins Juilliard Quartet
•CSO to expand Education program
• Virtuoso guards Strad with Magnum

This Week in Classical Music 10/26/08

It’s This Week in Classical Music, an update on what’s happening in the classical music world, I’m Randy Kinkel.

The Juilliard Quartet has named a new first violinist to its line-up. The Chamber group, long known for its focus on 20th century music, chose Met Opera Orchestra Concertmaster Nicolas Eanet as its new first fiddler. He will join the quartet at the end of this season. Eanet replaces Joel Smirnoff, who joined the quartet as second violinist in 1986, then moved up to first when Robert Mann left in 1997. Mann was one of Eanet’s former teachers and mentors at the Juilliard School.

Italian Violinist Matteo Fedeli isn’t just packing a priceless Stradivari violin on tour with him—he’s also packing heat, Dirty-Harry style. The 36-year-old virtuoso travels all around Italy with his prize instrument and got police permission to carry a Smith and Wesson 357 Magnum to protect it. As if that weren’t enough, he also has a team of bodyguards that surround him, plan his route meticulously and watch to see that he is not followed. “Thankfully I’ve never had to use my gun - but a 357 Magnum is certainly a useful deterrent,” he said. Anyone would tried to steal a rare instrument would be a bit silly though because they have satellite alarms built in and it’s not as if they could just go and sell it at an auction without being noticed anyway.”

For more on these and other items and events, go to the website, kbaq.org, be listening each week at this time for another update, and join me every weekday at noon for The Mozart Buffet, an hour of music by Mozart and his contemporaries; I’m Randy Kinkel, for “This Week in Classical Music” on 89-five KBAQ Phoenix, a service of Rio Salado College and Arizona State University.

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