Franz Krämling Violin, 1937

This masterpiece from the hands of the little-known Jena violin maker Franz Krämling dating to 1937 is a solo instrument par excellence. Starting with appearance, the flaming orange in the violin’s light brown varnish clearly stands out in the opulent mirrors of the maple. The flaming of the neck, which features a few bird’s eyes, continues the mirrors of the back to the pegbox and scroll in an aesthetically well executed way. Not only the latter is masterfully and highly precisely crafted. In principle, the masterly hand is evident in the entire instrument: be it, as already described, aesthetic aspects or highly precisely executed work steps, the selection of wood of the highest quality, the ff-holes or the – by now crackling – rich oil varnish.

The violin’s sound is extremely powerful and multifaceted, meeting the needs of soloists in particular. Just like the range of the instrument as well as the bandwidth of dynamics and expression. In the treble this instrument always knows how to tower above everything and yet sounds sweet and clear at any volume. In the expressive playing it shows a rather wild disposition, which fits very well into the overall impression – tonally as well as visually. In the lower registers it shows a warm clarity of tone that carries the sound very voluminously. Here, too, it maintains its disposition accordingly.

The balance in sound and ease of playing are further aspects in which Franz Krämling’s skill and knowledge are evident. It is an outstanding violin all around.