Stradivarius violin worth $16M to be played at Rosza Centre tonight

A 300-year-old piece of musical history worth an estimated $16 million willmake an appearance in Calgary tonight at the masterful hands of "the man of the Stradivari."

Maestro Matteo Fedeli will playthe"ex Bazzini-De Vito" Stradivarius violin at theRozsa Centretonight as part of his "Stradivarius for the People" project,which aims to bring themusic of the Stradivariusto people of all backgrounds.

"When I play, I enter into another worldbecause of the real magic around this violin," said Fedeli, who earned his nicknameby being the only person in the world to have performed on 25 of the 60 remaining playable Stradivari violins.

"The mysteries of Stradivari, the people that played this wonderful violin, the trips of this instrument in the worldit's a special, special instrument."

The origin behind the name

The violin is so-named for itsit two Italian owners, both of whom were violinists:Antonio Bazzini, composer and director of Milan Conservatory, and Gioconda De Vito.

In 1961, 54-year-old De Vito retired from the professional stage, andthe violin was stored away, not to appearagain before the public for the next 50 years, Fedeli said.

Now, Fedeli is on tour with the famed instrument to re-introduce itsrich sound to the masses.

"I play not only in the old theatre for the people who understand music, but I play in hospitals, in churches, in schools, for every people, because I believe that this voice can [speak]to all the people," he said.

"People listen to this violin not only by the ears, but the heart."

His program tonight will include a variety of piano and violin works by composers including Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Grieg and Paganini and will explore the history of this mysterious instrument.