If you’ve ever heard Ralph Kirschbaum perform live, you’ll have experienced the rare depth and beautiful tone colours of a Montagnana cello which has not been reduced from its original size, as well as the amazing musical sound world of this great maestro and his long partnership with the instrument.

In the early days of cello making, most cellos were much larger than their modern descendants, as they were created to play a simple, un-virtuosic bass line and used plain gut strings. As repertoire evolved and players required instruments which were easier to play and had better treble response, so Cremonese makers like Stradivari, Guarneri and Rugeri developed smaller models which used metal wound lower strings. Meanwhile, in Venice, Montagnana and others were making cellos in a variety of sizes which were typically broader and more flamboyant in outline than the Cremonese models.

Most of the larger cellos built in the 17^th & 18^th centuries were reduced in size by later luthiers, the majority during the 19th century, as players and luthiers sought to bring otherwise unusable instruments back into circulation, leaving a handful of instruments in their original dimensions, some of which are preserved in museums and just a few special cases still in artistic use. Were these instruments simply lucky to have evaded surgery, or is there something special about the way they were made which meant that their owners never wanted to ‘standardise’ their dimensions?

We were lucky enough to hear Ralph Kirschbaum play his mighty Montagnana at a rehearsal for the London Cello Society’s ‘Glories of Venice’ event in November 2018.  It was a movingly beautiful and formative experience for Robin. Ever since hearing Ralph play, Robin hoped to make this remarkable palate of colours available to other cellists by developing a workable, large Montagnana cello model.

When Robin was asked to consider leading the 2023 VSA Oberlin cello project, he was excited to learn from a colleague about the existence of a Montagnana cello in Cincinnati which might serve as a model for the program. Most significantly, it had escaped the knives and saws of earlier generations and retains its original dimensions.

The ‘Farina’ Montagnana was once owned and played by the British cellist May Mukle and is now played by Ilya Finkelshteyn, principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO). When Robin visited Ilya during the Oberlin program, he was struck by the Farina’s bold  asymmetry  and  its  colourful,   textured

varnish. When he heard it played by Ilya, he realised what an ideal subject it would be for the project.

Tonally, it’s an exceptional instrument. Ilya describes it as having both the depth and resonance of a Montagnana and the ‘sizzle’ of a Strad. Ilya believes that the cello’s rich tonal presence has transformed the bass sound of the CSO. The joy of the Farina cello is its capacity to produce beautiful dark colours and resonance throughout all registers and yet be drawn into projecting brilliance, whenever  the  player  wishes.

Ilya and the CSO kindly agreed for Robin to measure and scan the cello in preparation for the Oberlin project. Robin flew out to Cincinnati in February 2023 for two days of detailed measuring during a period when Ilya could spare the cello and Benjamin Ruth, project co-principal, could join him. Thanks to the support of radiologist Steve Sirr, a Cincinnati hospital agreed to carry out a full CT scan on the cello.  Robin and Ilya took the cello into the scanning suite, carefully removed the set up and endpin and watched the cello disappear into the giant ‘polo mint’ of the scanner. Just minutes later, the cello reappeared on its sliding bench and Robin replaced the set up – and Ilya played the cello immediately, to make sure he was still happy with the adjustment.

The CT scan provided some interesting clues to understanding how it is that the Farina is such a well-

functioning modern instrument. The answer is the low density of the wood selected for the cello, combined with its unusually thick ribs (see Robin’s detailed scan report below).

On his return from Cincinnati, Robin went through his wood stock.  He found that he already had some wood well suited to the Farina model. So he could relax in the knowledge that he has the ideal wood for copies of the Farina for years to come. That spring, he embarked on his first copy of the cello in preparation for the Oberlin workshop, when he would co-ordinate a large group of cello makers building a copy ‘in the white’ in just two weeks.

Robin took his first Farina copy to Oberlin in June 2023. Ilya and his wife kindly visited early in the program, and Ilya performed both on Robin’s copy, and the original, so that everyone could hear the quality of sound they would be working towards.

After the 2023 Oberlin project, Robin had a series of commissions to complete, but last summer he had time to finish the antiquing and evolve the set-up of his own Farina copy. This cello has proved a great success, both visually and tonally. We will bring it to King’s Place on 8 February along with a selection of other Montagnana, Stradivari and Guadagnini copies.

If you’d like to try the Farina copy in Ely, just drop us a line and we will find a convenient time for you to visit.

The CT scan density estimates revealed that the front is light at 0.36gms/cm3, while at 0.53gms/cm3 the wood of the maple back and ribs is exceptionally light.  In terms of design, although the Farina is at the larger end of the spectrum of surviving un-cut down Montagnana cellos, the width across the C bouts is fairly moderate and the transition at the upper corners adds significant structural stiffness.  But the biggest surprise of the measuring process was discovering that the Farina cello has very thick ribs: 2.0-2.5mm!  According to all received wisdom, thick cello ribs are bad for sound.  However, in this case, combined with the light wood and other vibrational freedoms inherent to the model, we believe that these thick ribs contribute to the stiffness of the cello body in an entirely positive way.

Farina Montagnana video:

Ilya performs from the first Bach unaccompanied Suite 14 minutes and 40 seconds into this interview:

http://www.pbs.org/video/ilya-finkelshteyn-phe9uu/

Farina Montagnana articles:

The Full Monty by Robin Aitchison; The Strad Magazine November 2023 pp.38-43

Ilya Finkelshteyn: Playing the Domenico Montagnana ‘Farina’ cello 1730 by Christian Lloyd. Ilya Finkelsteyn describes playing the Farina in an online Strad Magazine feature 26 June 2025. Also included in the following article:

Power and Majesty article by John Waddle and Steve Sirr
The Strad Magazine July 2025 pp.24-30.

The Strad Farina Montagnana poster was published in July 2025. www.thestradshop.com/store/

Aitchison Farina copy

Montagnana Calling

A cello calls across a crowded concert hall
to a luthier who frowns, closes his eyes
and bows his head in welcome.

He’ll copy this Montagnana if he can;
measure every arching curve and thickness,
trace the outlines of its bear-like body,

make templates from its wild Venetian scroll.
He’ll find wood to match its grain, density,
weight. One day he’ll press his thumbs

into the newly carved front, where a bridge
will dance under a bow. Slanting light will show
the belly breathe beneath his hands.

He understands this work. For every place
of strength, a place of softness. For every hill
of maple or spruce, a subtle valley

where sound will build, roll into the air
and sing as it breaks on the shore
of our ears, our bones.

Sarah Mnatzaganian

First published by Poetry Wales
Included in ‘Slow Movement’ a journal of 12 love poems published by Coast to Coast to Coast.