Davidov Stradivarius

The Davidov Strad (also: Davidoff or Davydov), or Stradivarius, is a cello built by Antonio Stradivari in 1712. It is very similar in construction and form to the equally famous Duport Stradivarius built a year earlier and now played by Mstislav Rostropovich. The varnish is of a rich orange-red hue, produced with oil color glazes. Its owners have included Jacqueline du Pré and Yo-Yo Ma.

Jacqueline du Pré with the "Davidov"

In 1870, it was given to Karl Davidov (1838-1889) by a wealthy patron, and it is his name that it bears today. Davidov was a Russian cellist of great renown at the time, described as the "czar of cellists" by Tchaikovsky, though a far less successful composer. The cello body has a few marks and scratches due to mishandling from this period.

After Davidov's death in 1889, the cello was sold in Paris, then in 1928 it was sold again to Herbert N. Straus, an American business executive. When he died, his widow asked New York City musical instrument dealer Rembert Wurlitzer to sell the instrument for her. In 1964 the "Davidov" Cello was purchased for $90,000 by Ismena Holland who then gave the cello to her goddaughter, the English cellist Jacqueline du Pré. Upon receiving the Davidov, Du Pre's teacher at the time, William Pleeth, declared it as "one of the really great instruments of the world." Just about all of du Pré's recordings from 1964 to 1970 were made on this instrument. By 1970 though, du Pré had begun to tire of the instrument's somewhat fickle nature, and switched to a Peresson cello bought for her by her husband Daniel Barenboim, which she mainly played on for the remainder of her career. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma later commented of it: "Jackie's unbridled dark qualities went against the 'Davidov'. You have to coax the instrument. The more you attack it, the less it returns."

Upon her death in 1987, du Pré left the Davidov to Ma, who has performed with it mainly in Baroque music. It had been modified specifically for the task to create a more authentic sound for the era. Using this cello, Ma produced his widely-acclaimed albums Simply Baroque and Simply Baroque II. Now it is currently set up as modern cello again.