Can Local Poplar Create a Professional Viola? The 1670 Guarneri Model in Cremona

Описание: In this video I present a newly completed viola inspired by the 1670 Andrea Guarneri “Zukerman” model — built with local black poplar cut only 20 km from my workshop in Cremona, in the heart of the Po Valley.
The back and ribs come from the same tree, and the instrument features high archings, widely spaced f-holes (as in the original), a black chamfer on the scroll, and an alcohol-based varnish with warm brown–orange tones.
Working this poplar released a very familiar scent — the unmistakable smell of the Cremonese countryside — and I wanted to share that experience, along with the sound and character that local wood can offer in fine instrument making.
🎻 Sound Test Performer
The acoustic test is performed by Artemis Samaras,
Principal Viola of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Greek Radio-Television (ERT).
🎵 Music performed in the sound test:
• Giselle – Act II, Pas de Deux (Theme)
• Mikis Theodorakis – “Old Streets”
(theme from the film Serpico)
Performed in honor of the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
🌳 About this viola
Model: Andrea Guarneri “Zukerman” (1670)
Back & ribs: local black poplar (single-tree wood, Po Valley)
Top plate: red spruce
Varnish: alcohol-based, hand-applied
Archings: high, inspired by the original
F-holes: characteristically wide spacing
Scroll: black chamfer finish

00:00 — Introduction
00:15 — Commission & model choice
00:31 — Local black poplar from the Po Valley
01:07 — Carving the wood & its distinctive scent
01:36 — Archings, f-holes, scroll details
01:59 — Alcohol varnish & final appearance
02:10 — Reflection on local woods
02:32 — Sound test introduction
02:56 — Sound test: Artemis Samaras
06:00 — Final thoughts & closing

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