Einstein's violin restored and played again after 100 years

Albert Einstein's violin, which he played during his summers in Pavia and Oltrepò between 1894 and 1899, has been restored and played again after over a century of silence. The instrument, labeled Santino Lavazza but actually an 18th-century Venetian school violin similar to those of Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa, was restored by Cremonese luthiers Claudio Amighetti and Gaspar Borchardt at the Museo del Violino in Cremona. The restoration involved reshaping the arching, sealing cracks, and repairing damage from use and age. The violin was donated to young virtuoso Giovanni Viola of Voghera, who received it from Mariano, a music enthusiast and nephew of violinist Giovanni Bianchi of Pavia. Bianchi had purchased the instrument in 1964 from notary Davide Giulietti of Casteggio, who had lent it to Einstein during musical afternoons at the Marangoni family villa. Einstein's connection to Pavia stems from his family's failed business in Munich and subsequent move to Milan and Pavia, where his father Hermann and uncle Jacob founded the Officine Elettromeccaniche Nazionali in Pavia. Einstein spent summers there from 1894 to 1899, frequenting the Marangoni household and playing the violin accompanied by Giulietti on piano. The delivery of the restored violin took place at the auditorium of the Museo del Violino, one of the world's best acoustics venues.