The tale of the countess and the little cello
Concert cellist Christine Walevska's love affair with the cello began when she got a rare child-size instrument, aged eight. But its theft 25 years later, left her heartbroken.
When Christine Walevska was given a rare, one-eighth-size Bernardel cello at the age of eight and a half, she fell in love with the instrument immediately and it set her on a path to becoming an internationally renowned concert cellist. The tiny cello, given to her by her father, had an intriguing label on the inside...it said "Pour la petite Comtesse Marie 1834". This label would prove crucial after the cello was stolen from Christine's father's shop in 1978. It led - 36 years later - to Christine receiving an email from the Breshears family in California. They had been searching for a rare child-size cello for their gifted six-year-old daughter Starla and had finally found one. Was it Christine's beloved Bernardel? Today, the story of a rare cello, its theft and how it shaped the dreams of two highly talented young girls.
Picture: Cellist Christine Walevska aged eight and a half, with her rare Bernardel cello
Credit: Christine Walevska
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Thu 31 Dec 2020 12:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Thu 31 Dec 2020 18:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 31 Dec 2020 23:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- New Year's Day 2021 03:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected