Apart from preparing and taking part in competitions, doing concerts and preparing for his CD recording, Vilmos is still attending the Brussels Conservatoire. Passing all his exams this year, Vilmos can ease off a little during the Summer.
Some of our readers may remember Vilmos’ video, during the YBT final? In it he told the audience that he was learning to drive a car, well yesterday, I am happy to announce, he has passed it!
I think you can imagine that to play a violin as well as Vilmos takes literally thousands of hours, so it will come as no surprise when I tell you that his violin is in serious need of repair. The neck is down to the bare wood, the sound post and body needs serious attention and it needs a massive overhaul. In the next few months, Vilmos will have to take the agonising decision to hand his violin over to a luthier and play on a ‘loaner’ until it is repaired (this can take several weeks, even months).
Unless you are lucky and have a rich benefactor (like Nigel Kennedy had) it is unlikely that anyone would lend you a Stradivarius, so Vilmos will have to make do with the best option he can get. Tough times. There is no guarantee that he will be happy with his instrument when it is returned. I have known many string players, whose instruments have caused them no end of worry. Fingers crossed that it all goes well!