Russian violin masters struggle to fill the niche after ban on Western instruments

(14 Jan 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PLEASE NOTE: AP IS OPERATING IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON ALL REPORTING RELATED TO THE ONGOING MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE   ASSOCIATED PRESS Moscow - 11 January 2024 1. Various of Russian violinist David Ardukhanyan playing at contest of violin makers 2. Close of violins 3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) David Ardukhanyan, Russian violinist: “Of course, now is a time when any crisis always brings new opportunities. And for our masters and everyone else, this is a huge stepping stone for playing our (Russian) violins. Moreover, now there is such a trend that many soloists and musicians are switching to modern instruments. If earlier, perhaps, it was fashionable and prestigious to play on Italian (violins) of the 17th and 18th centuries, now I often meet soloists who play instruments of Russian masters, which are distinguished by their excellent sound and ease of use, in many ways they are not even inferior to grea