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<\/p>\nIt took five years for Stefanie Farrands to find exactly what she had been looking for.<\/p>\n
The search took her across the world, into multiple concert halls, and trialling countless instruments \u2014 before finally striking a chord.<\/p>\n
She had discovered an incredibly rare, 416-year-old viola.<\/p>\n
“I laid it on my collarbone, and the way that it resonated, I just burst into tears. I couldn’t believe this instrument would form such a strong bond with me,” she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Farrands, appointed principal viola of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2020, was entering the next phase of her musical journey when she made the discovery in New York.<\/p>\n
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The viola has a “mysterious and dark” sound, Ms Farrands says. (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n
The instrument is believed to be one of the finest tenor violas in existence and the only surviving example of its kind.<\/p>\n
It was made in 1610 by the famed Italian luthier Giovanni Paolo Maggini, and his work is highly sought after for its exceptional quality.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know what I was missing before it reached my hands \u2026 and this to me felt like I was holding hands with something incredibly special,” Ms Farrands said.<\/p>\n
“The sound is mysterious and dark, these instruments are much like humans in terms of complexity, how it looks is almost how it sounds \u2014 I would say dark chocolate, caramel, red wine.”<\/p>\n
The viola was acquired under the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s unique instrument fund.<\/p>\n
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The viola was made in 1610 by a famed Italian luthier.\u00a0 (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n
The fund \u2014 in its 15th year \u2014 invests in rare, historic musical instruments from the ‘Golden Age’, crafted between the 16th and 18th centuries.<\/p>\n
The orchestra owns some of the instruments, others are loaned by philanthropists.<\/p>\n
It is the first viola to be purchased by the instrument fund at a cost of over $3 million.<\/p>\n
“We actually sold another instrument to be able to buy this instrument,” Fiona McLeod, the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s chief financial officer, said.<\/p>\n
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Fiona McLeod says a lot of work went into verifying the instrument.\u00a0 (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n
Once purchased, the instrument underwent an extensive due diligence process \u2014 including a CT scan \u2014 to confirm its authenticity, and to ensure it was ready to play on stage with the orchestra.<\/p>\n
“Not only do the orchestra test it, and blind test it, in so many circumstances and fall in love,” Ms McLeod said.<\/p>\n
“We also do a lot of work behind the scenes to test the history, to verify the age of the instrument because it’s gone through many owners in its 400 years.”<\/p>\n
It boasts an intriguing provenance starting with distinguished British violinist and composer Henry Holmes before being sold by British firm W.E Hill & Sons to an amateur musician.<\/p>\n
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The viola is the first to be purchased by the orchestra’s instrument fund. (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n
It resurfaced in the late 1920s through the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, finally resting with a US collector.<\/p>\n
The viola joins a collection of other Golden Age instruments at the Australian Chamber Orchestra, including two Stradivarius violins, a 450-year-old double bass and Richard Tognetti’s 1744 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu violin.<\/p>\n