Paolo's News - DANIEL, PERSOIT AND ILYA

DANIEL, PERSOIT AND ILYA

Even before having ever seen this marvellous bow head for real, I had always tried to convince my colleague to challenge himself with this craftsman, but I had never succeeded in doing so. Then M° Ilya Grubert asked, and....

Ladies and Gentlemen, the interpretation of Persoit by M°Navea Vera.

Violin bow head by Navea Vera inspiration Persoit

I believe it is common knowledge amongst my readers by now that between all bow makers who passed the French bow school there is one that attracts me more than anyone else. Obviously I referring to Jean Pierre Marie, of whom I have speaking a lot lately.

Persoit was probably the craftsman with the greatest manual capacity of all, not even Francois Xavier Tourte reached his average level of perfection. Persoit had a surprising creativity, he had a lightness frame of mind and he loved the work he did. The proof is to be seen in all his work.

Indeed this lightness and absence of arrogance - not lack in character – makes me prefer him over his colleague and probably his teacher. F.X.Tourte was not as aggressive and arrogant as Dominique Peccatte, but surely not as peaceful and good as Persoit.

Persoit didn't aim for grandeur or richness. He was satisfied by what he did the best; makings bows. He made bows just for the sake of observing the result and being amused that it turned out so nice.

As you know, I have the fortune and honour to work with a craftsman which as well as having an exceptional manual talent, also holds some sides of the personality and a way of interpreting the concept of bow making that recalls Persoit a lot.

Daniel doesn't make bows to owe money, obviously owning money isn't indifferent to him, but what drives him is a physical and mental need. More than ones he has told me that when he work he doesn't think of anything; the hands works on their own.

More than a work, making bows is a meditation. When you reach this level, your higher self transforms in the subject you are working on, whatever material it may be, wood, sound, marble, revealing who you are deep in.

Spotting several similarities between my colleague and Persoit, I had tried courting him in every way, but I had never succeed to convince him to replicate the beautiful bow head by Persoit, which I showed you in the post two weeks ago. Then something happened...

For some time our client M°Ilya Grybert, had expressed the desire to have a bow by my colleague made in flamed pernambuco, just like the one you see on the photo. Then one day when I was preparing and choosing sticks for violin bows, this beauty caught my eye. I called the Master and as soon as he came to Italy for concerts, I brought the stick to show it to him.

On this rough stick you were able to glimpse the beautiful changing colours, which the photo unfortunately doesn't justice, and M°Grybert made me an offer that made me begin to hope. - “Paolo, I like this stick and I am very interested in the bow it will become, on one condition though. I want a copy of my Persoit.” -

I never told you, but M°Grybert is the holder of the famous bow by Persoit - the original that is.-"Ilya, I can't guarantee anything, but I will di my best."-

When I returned to Cremona, I referred: - “Did you know that Ilya really liked the stick, but he won’t buy unless you make him a copy of His Persoit.”-

I know my colleague well, and for this reason I knew I'd done it. Several times I have mentioned that the average level of construction of Daniel is really quite high, and that is because he, as Persoit, is not able to work in a bad way. When he fulfil a work to a person of which he cares in a particular way, he brings out astonishing results. Who is fortunate to hold one or more of these work of arts know something about it. Isn't that true Jakob?

As our friend and client Jakob Ludwig - second violoncello at the Teatro alla Scala, and holder of even two of Daniels bows and former holder of Persoit – had gifted Daniel, so had Ilya.

In the past M°Ilya Grybert had gifted us with a concert of a rare beauty at the Mondomusica. We have had the honour and pleasure to listen to him playing with a bow made by my colleague. A perfect preparation, just as if the concert was to be held in Madison Square Garden. The concert had a cultured and refined taste which is rare these days, somewhat like the concept of Daniel, when working.

In other words my colleague felt in debt towards Ilya, and finely I had the possibility to see the beautiful interpretation of Persoit by Daniel.

Daniel made the bow. All there was missing was to show it to Ilya. Fortunately he arrived in Italy the exact same day as the bow was finished. He was speechless for a little while, then: - “Oh, but it's amazing.” - - “Thanks Ilya.”-

Then he tried the bow. Mechanically perfect with a sound that didn't disfigured at all next to its original; defined and concrete and at the same time wide and soft. After five minutes he stopped playing, he looked at me and uttered: -”Ok, it's wonderful, I'll buy it.”-

Thank you Daniel, on mine and Ilyas behalf.