After it was stolen from its rightful owner 35 years ago, the Stradivarius violin of Roman Tontenberg has finally resurfaced last June 26.
Totenberg, a Polish-American virtuoso, bought the particular musical instrument in 1943 and performed with it exclusively until 1980.
Totenberg, when his violin got lost, had always believed that his violin was stolen by a violinist rival named Philip Johnson, who was seen loitering around Totenberg's dressing room before it disappeared.
The recovery became possible through an eagle-eyed appraiser named Phillip Injeian. Johnson's wife, Thanh Tran, wanted to have an idea of how much the violin would cost, and planned on bringing it to Injeian at the Ace Hotel on West 29th Street. Photos of the violin were initially sent to the appraiser and, upon seeing it, Injeian became suspicious. He then asked the help of his older brother, a retired FBI agent, and current NYPD Detective, Michael Gildea.
When he saw the actual violin, Injeian was able to confirm that it was the real article.
"It's a national treasure. It's like uncovering a lost Declaration of Independence," commented Injeian, who showed the violin at a press conference last Thursday so that people could see that the wood's grain "is like a fingerprint," with the Stradivari mark still visible through the instrument's f-holes.
Gildea then spoke to Tran over the phone and advised her to immediately turn over the violin.
Nina Totenberg, the late musician's daughter and a legal affairs correspondent of NPR, shared that the FBI informed her last June that the violin was finally found. According to her, since the principal suspect has died, no one will be charged for the theft.
After Johnson stole the violin, the violinist had moved to California where he had a lackluster musical career. The musician died of cancer in 2011, one year before Totenberg's death at the age of 101.
