Frank Peter Zimmermann forced to hand back ‘Lady Inchiquin’ Stradivarius

Frank Peter Zimmermann has been forced to give up the 1711 ‘Lady Inchiquin’ Stradivarius – his principal performing violin for the past 13 years. The instrument was on loan to the German violinist from now-defunct Düsseldorf-based bank WestLB AG. However, the company’s legal successor, Portigon Financial Services AG, has made the decision to auction off its collection of some 400 artworks, valued at €100–150m.

Zimmermann’s loan contract, which expired on Sunday, does include a preferred-buyer option and the musician has made an offer to purchase the instrument based on independent appraisals. But it is understood that Portigon are seeking a larger offer – possibly by as much as €1m. The violinist will perform with the New York Philharmonic later this week on a different instrument.

Zimmermann acquired the ‘Lady Inchiquin’ in 2001, after the retirement of its previous player, a member of the Berlin Philharmonic. ‘The violin feels like part of my body,’ he told The Strad in March 2012. ‘It has altered my musical ideas and how I play – I’ve had to buy new scores for most of my repertoire. In the past, when playing classics such as the Brahms or Beethoven concertos, I had to make lots of bow changes, but with the “Lady Inchiquin† I can use the original bowings. It also has a really rich sound that projects well, and I don’t need to use so much vibrato. It’s like great Italian cooking: if you have the best ingredients you don’t need to add anything.’

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