Beare's brings together rare set of Stradivari instruments for one-off concert in 130th anniversary year

Janine Jansen leads all-star ensemble in unique all-Stradivari performance

Monday 19 December, 7:30pm, Cadogan Hall, London

This Christmas, Beare’s will bring its 130^th anniversary year to a close with a one-off public concert at Cadogan Hall, London on 19 December 2022. The performance brings together 11 renowned artists with close relationships to Beare’s, performing Mendelssohn and Chausson entirely on Stradivari instruments.

Dutch violin virtuoso Janine Jansen leads the ensemble as artistic director. Celebrated for her “seemingly effortless and flawless technique” (BBC Music Magazine), Jansen’s acclaimed performances have earned her a devoted worldwide following. This concert further deepens her flourishing relationship with Beare’s following our unique joint 2021 project, 12 Stradivari. Bringing together 12 exquisite Stradivari violins to record for an album across just two weeks, the result was a “captivating” (The Strad) release for Decca, and a feature-length documentary from BAFTA Award-winning director Gerald Fox, Falling for Stradivari.

For this concert, Beare’s utilised its unique position between artists and patrons to source a rare, beautifully-preserved set of Antonio Stradivari’s legendary instruments on a single stage. Many of the luthier’s finest instruments have passed through J & A Beare’s doors and workshops across the company’s 130-year history, giving Beare’s the globally acknowledged position of expertise and trust required to successfully bring together instruments on this scale.

Steven Smith, owner and Managing Director of J & A Beare, said,

“This glorious evening is a dream come true, and a magnificent way to celebrate our 130^th anniversary: a chance to hear musical works performed on Antonio Stradivari’s legendary instruments by some of the world’s greatest living musicians. Staging this concert is a true privilege, and we are grateful to the owners who have generously made their instruments available for the performance.

For us at Beare’s it’s wonderful to bring so many of our closest artistic friends onto one stage, and a particular joy to have met so many of them through the work of our philanthropic Beare’s International Violin Society, securing the long-term loan of instruments from generous patrons. For me the concert is also a real testament to all that the Society has achieved since it was founded in 2011.”

Most of the performers are beneficiaries of J & A Beare’s philanthropic arm, the Beare’s International Violin Society. They enjoy long-term loans of fine string instruments from patrons across the world, facilitated by the team at Beare’s. Pierre Colombet, Gabriel Le Magadure and Raphaël Merlin of the Quatuor Ébène, as well as Alexander Sitkovetsky, Timothy Ridout and Kian Soltani all currently play instruments on loan through the Society, while Janine Jansen is an alumna of the scheme. Joined on stage by pianist Denis Kozhukhin, the ensemble will perform Chausson’s rarely-heard masterpiece, the Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet, followed by Mendelssohn’s well-loved Octet.

In a twist finale, musical comedy duo Igudesman & Joo – “exuberantly silly”, (New York Times) – appear as special guests, bringing their irreverent blend of classical music and humour to the Cadogan Hall stage. Their surprise ending enlists the full concert ensemble to bring the performance to a raucous close.

Concert details

Monday 19 December, 7.30pm

Cadogan Hall, London

Janine Jansen violin/artistic director

Quatuor Ébène

Alexander Sitkovetsky violin

Timothy Ridout viola

Kian Soltani cello

Denis Kozhukhin piano

With special guests Igudesman & Joo

CHAUSSON Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet

–– Interval ––

MENDELSSOHN Octet

IGUDESMAN & JOO Surprise finale