―The title of our booklet is ‘Me and My Instrument’, so could you please start by telling us about your instruments?

Jamie Laredo (‘J’)：My instrument is a Stradivarius, a violin he made in 1717.

ーHow long have you been playing with that instrument?

J：Since 1969. It was obtained from Mr Jacques Français in New York.

ーAnd yours? (to Sharon Robinson)

Sharon Robinson (’S')：My instrument is a copy of a Stradivarius cello made by John Lott, and it has the title of 'Duke of Marlborough'. I got it in 1972 and have been using it ever since.

J : To briefly describe my instrument, there was a banker and collector in Los Angeles and this was one of a Stradivarius quartet he owned. He had a quartet of Stradivari instruments, consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello.
It was stored in a gallery in Sacramento, but after the death of the owner, it was put up for sale and the quartet were separated from the other. When I bought it, the tone was wonderful and I liked it immediately, but the sound was closed. Well, the instrument hadn't been played for about 50 years, so I spent the first two years or so opening up the sound. Day in, day out!
I like this Strad because it has a very beautiful tone, but it's also very powerful. It helps as I perform in big halls.

ー It’s amazing to hear such history. Do you (‘S’) have any interesting stories to share with us?

S：Yes, my instrument was passed down to me from my teacher. I think it was used by someone who was in Los Angeles before that. And the interesting story is that the tailpiece of the cello has the initials painted on it, which are "S.L.", just like mine. Of course my initial was different then and I only became “S.L.” after our marriage, so it was an interesting coincidence. I felt there was something special about the coincidence that the previous owner had the same initials as I do now.

J：As mentioned before, her instrument is a copy of the Stradivarius cello known as the Duke of Marlborough. But incredibly, the instrument is so well-made that everyone seems to think it is a real Stradivarius when they see it or hear it played. So some people think she actually has a Strad.

ー So you are very fond of it?

S：Yes, very much so. But I’d still love to acquire a Strad in the future.

J: I wonder if someone could buy her one. I don’t think I can afford it by myself.

ーNext, could you tell us a bit about the two of you? Firstly, how did you get involved with musical instruments?

J：I was born in Bolivia, South America and when I was five years old, my father took me to a string quartet concert. The sound of the violin then was very beautiful and I liked it. So I asked my father if I could take lessons and play the violin. My father bought me a violin as a Christmas present and I was very happy.

ーSo it was then you started playing an instrument?

J：Yes, at that time Bolivia had been going through the First World War and many Europeans were fleeing the war. My teacher was one of them and was an Italian who taught in Vienna. He was the first teacher I had, and he was not an ordinary teacher but a high caliber one. Looking back, I think I was fortunate.

ーUntil what age did you stay with that teacher?

J：Unfortunately, I was only with that teacher for about a year. My family moved to the USA, so it was short. I continued with another teacher in San Francisco and then studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

ーWhat instruments did you use at that time?

J：I started with a 1/2 violin, skipped the 3/4 and switched to a 4/4 when I was seven. Of course, the 1/2 instrument wasn't that well made. I still have it at home though. I don't really remember what I had when I changed to 4/4. I used to play a Lorenzo Storioni, and I got my first Stradivarius in 1960. That instrument was also made in 1717, like the one I have now. So the one I have now is my second Strad. After I parted with it, Salvatore Accardo used it, and then I heard that a German doctor bought it about 12 years ago.

ーThere must have been a big difference between Storioni and Stradivarius.

J：Yes, it made a huge difference and I can't even describe it. However when I switched from the first to the second Stradivarius, there wasn't such a big difference in sound. But the quality of the tone was different, and my current instrument has a very beautiful high register.

―When did you (‘S’) start playing music?

S：In my case, my parents were musicians, so from a very young age I was always listening to music and going to cello and orchestra concerts. That's how I came to love music so much, and that's when my musical foundations were laid. I started playing the cello when I was five, and it was a size 1/8. The instrument was old and a very beautiful instrument. From the age of 16, I learnt under Irving Klein at the North Carolina School of the Arts, with Gabor Rejto at the University of Southern California,, and with Casals at the Marlboro School.

― I recently had the opportunity to interview cellist Lynn Harrell, who told me that in his opinion, "I started playing the cello at the age of nine, which is a good age physically, rather than starting at an earlier age, which might not be ideal.”
What is your take on it?

S：I would rather start at a young age, to train your fingers as far as flexibility is concerned. And also to play softly!

J : Casals has an incredibly powerful sound on any instrument, but he started when he was very young!

- Can you tell us about the bows you are currently using?

J：I have several bows, but now I mostly use Simon bows. I also have some Old Hill violin bows. And for modern ones, I have Johannes Finkel bows. I like the Finkel bows very much and I have two violin bows and three cello ones.

S：In my case, the one I’m using this time is made by a guy from South America called Francisco Torres, who used to make them in New York, though now he's back in Brazil. I have two bows made by him.

ー Mr Laredo, you are currently using Simon, but have you ever used Peccatte or Tourte?

J : I used to use them a lot. I've also used a few Tourte and they were great.

ーIs Simon the right match for your Strad?

J: I think it suits my Strad. It's a strong and light bow, though I’m not certain what the exact weight is.