Lev’s Violin

Born with a beautiful sound but no name, Lev’s Violin was valued as worthless. Although its origins remained a mystery, many tales were attached to Lev’s Violin, some true and some wonderfully untrue… Old and worn by its travels, Lev’s Violin eventually broke a few years ago, and the instrument became the subject of a book by Helena Attlee, Lev’s Violin: An Italian Adventure, which reached many thousands of listeners when it was broadcast as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. The violin has since been through an extensive restoration and, having passed through the hands of countless musicians, travelled continents and played the music of many cultures, it is now in the possession of Greg Lawson. An acclaimed violinist, composer and conductor who has held principal and leading positions in most of the orchestras in Scotland, Greg Lawson is joined by former Moishe’s Bagel bandmate and accordionist Phil Alexander for this special series of concerts. Follow the journey of Lev’s Violin and hear some of the music from its past, from Bach and Arvo Part to Armenian and Macedonian music and Klezmer.