Andreas Rieger Cello, 1877

Andreas Rieger, born in Mittenwald in 1836, lived and worked in Munich from 1870, where he made a name for himself through repairs and restorations. At this time, armed with extensive experience in violin making, he crafted several violins and cellos. This example is likely from Rieger’s early creative period, but it already shows very well his wealth of experience and good taste.

The wide, rather open center bouts are reminiscent of the Amati models, and overall the cello cuts a slender figure with well-balanced proportions. The same applies to the tone: it can be described as full and balanced. In every register and playing technique, the tone is bright and clear, with excellent response. It seems as if the instrument had shed its horns in the last century and a half and now sonically shows its inner core, which develops all the way to a singing quality and reveals the full potential of its beauty. At this moment, the soloist playing reaches its climax and draws the full attention of the audience even from the last corner of the concert hall.