The Brian Irvine Band
We were playing in The Library of Congress in Washington DC. After our rehearsal, the curator of the Library’s Musical Division invited John Fitzpatrick, the violinist in the band and myself to see some of the priceless instruments that belong to the Library.
We went into the depths of the museum and were led along kind curved corridors until we stopped at a small room. The curator opened two doors and it was like walking untocAkadins Cave. Strewn all over the room were instruments of every description, including Dizzy Gillieslie’s iconic bent trumpet! My friend John Fitzpatrick has the opportunity to play Fritz Kreisler’s Stradivarius violin and I had the honour of playing a Stradivarius cello, which was called the ‘Castelbarco’.
I played several of my favourite pieces on it, such as the 1st movement of the Elgar cello concerto & The Swan and solo Bach. We only had maybe 10 minutes, but I will never forget the impression it made upon. It was so beautiful I was nearly reduced to tears. It was an awesome experience, and a wonderful surprise on our tour.
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As for the ‘Castelbarco’ ‘cello, any artist who has once drawn his bow across its strings will be haunted forever by its unforgettable tone. When all the strings are playing together the ensemble is like a heavenly choir, for they all speak the same language.”
“A unique and adventurous talent, who will tackle any musical context: classical,jazz or pop with an inspired, individual and intelligent approach to his instrument. He has belly full of beauty which comes out through his fingers and shines like a big bright light when he plays.”
