NEWS · B2 Level - Part 3

This Could Be the Most Expensive Instrument Ever

A historical piece is going up for auction. And its selling price could once again make history.

Level: B2 · 17 sentences

Transcript

  1. A historical piece is going up for auction.
  2. And its selling price could once again make history.
  3. So this is a 1714 Stradivarius,
  4. and it was made during the golden period by Antonio Stradivarius. This is the peak of his output.
  5. This is the best violin of this era.
  6. And it is going to be sold at Sotheby's on February 7th.
  7. It still sounds pretty good for a 300-year-old violin.
  8. But Sotheby's says its owners were all famed musicians who treated it with the utmost care.
  9. Brahms wrote the Violin Concerto specifically for this violin,
  10. and it was debut on this violin in the mid-1800s.
  11. This violin was owned by Joseph Joachim, arguably the most famous and most notable violinist of the 19th century.
  12. It was owned by him for more than 50 years.
  13. And then it was owned by a number of other important violinists, and then...
  14. was gifted to the New England Conservatory, which is now going to sell it for student scholarships.
  15. And a lot of students could get scholarships if the Stradivarius sells in its expected price range
  16. of 12 to 18 million dollars.
  17. If it sells at $16 million or higher, it will break a record for the most expensive instrument ever sold.