A musician’s instrument is an extension of themselves,
as valuable as their own limbs. So… what happens when those extensions get severed? Stay tuned
to learn all about these chilling unsolved cases of extremely valuable stolen violins.
Erica Morini, born in 1904, was an Austrian violinist of great renown.
She performed throughout the world, and was known for her immense musical talent.
Speaking with ABC7, violinist Frank Almond even said of Morini:
“She’s one of the greatest.”
A child prodigy, Morini was only 17 when she performed in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall.
This was a celebrated feat for the time, as women rarely performed with orchestras.
“World renowned female virtuoso.” “Arguably the best woman violinist in history.”
In 1924, her father gifted her what would be her most treasured possession:
the Davidoff Stradivarius, a violin crafted in 1727 by Antonio Stradivari. The Colony Theatre
reports that Morini's father purchased the violin for $10,000 in Paris. Well worth the price tag,
as Morini would use the instrument for the rest of her career. According to Britannica,
instruments made by Stradivari have an almost mythical quality to them. Considered to be a,
quote, "master craftsman," Stradivari is credited for revolutionizing the violin.
Those who have used his instruments have trouble comparing them to anything else.
Since Stradivari died in 1737, very few of his instruments remain in circulation.
In October 1995, Morini was on death's door when the violin was stolen from her
New York City apartment. Despite warnings from her friend, she had placed the violin
in a storage closet that had an untrustworthy lock — one that could be opened with a skeleton
key. She wanted the beloved instrument to be close to her in her final hours.
Tragically, the famed violin was taken by an unknown thief right under her nose.
According to The Violin Channel, Erica Morini would die days later at the age of 91,
without ever being told that her cherished violin was stolen. As the instrument was, at that point,
worth over $3 million, the FBI quickly got involved. There were no signs of forced entry
in Morini's Fifth Avenue apartment, and no other physical evidence had been left behind.
Thus, her inner circle became the investigation's focus.
However, nothing would ever come from interviewing the seven people closest to Morini. Despite being
one of the FBI's Top Ten Art Crimes, the Davidoff Stradivarius is still missing as of 2022.
Information about the robbery and the violin's whereabouts are still being pursued.
The Davidoff Stradivarius is not the only Stradivari instrument to have been stolen.
In 2010, a Stradivari violin, crafted in 1696, was taken from violinist Min Kym while she was
at a cafe in London. NPR reports that she had owned the violin for 10 years prior to the theft.
After the incident, Kym plunged into a deep depression and was unable to play for some time.
Per The Independent, the violin was found nearly three years later.
Although she said was, quote, "elated" by the discovery,
the story would not have a happy ending. The insurance had already been paid to Kym,
and thus, she was unable to keep the instrument she referred to as her, quote, "soulmate." She
later wrote a book, titled Gone, detailing her life before and after the violin's disappearance.
In 2015, the BBC reported the good news that a Stradivari violin,
stolen in 1980 from musician Roman Totenberg, had been recovered. It was boldly stolen from his
office while he greeted concertgoers. Totenburg purchased the instrument in Poland in 1943,
and had performed with it for decades. Similar to Morini's case, the FBI got involved to no
avail. The case would go cold. When asked if he believed his violin would ever be recovered,
Totenberg predicted that it would be, after his death. Sadly, he was right.
AP News reports that in 2015, the violin was found in the possession of the former wife
of violinist Philip Johnson. Johnson had died in 2011, and details of the theft are unclear.
However, Totenberg reportedly always believed it was Johnson who had stolen his violin,
as he had seen him around his office prior to the theft. Whatever the case, the violin was
promptly returned to Totenberg's three daughters, months after he died in 2012 at the age of 101.
Known as the Ames-Totenberg-Stradivarius, the instrument was in good condition as Johnson was
unable to play it often. Nonetheless, NPR explains that it had to be restored due to
a lack of maintenance. The violin is now owned by Rare Violins In Consortium, a philanthropic cause
that allows the violin and other instruments to be lent to young established musicians.
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