Pierre Amoyal plays the Kochanski Stradivarius, made in 1717, believed by many to be one of the most beautiful Stradivarius violins in existence today.

What led him to acquire this particular instrument? "When I started my career, I had in my mind a certain sound that I was trying to achieve, an ideal violin. I searched for many years, and one day heard my 'ideal' - it was the Kochanski Strad.

This violin once belonged to the Tsar Nicolas II in Russia. When the revolution began, he offered the violin to the Polish violinist, Pavel Kochanski, in order to keep the violin safe from harm. Kochanski then attempted to flee Russia in a train car carrying farm animals with his best friend, Artur Rubinstein. When the train was stopped by revolutionary soldiers, Kochanski had the idea to play revolutionary melodies on his violin - which saved his life. When I acquired the "Kochankski" several decades later, everyone thought I was crazy, as it was at the time way beyond my means. But for me, it was an unbelievable dream come true; a privilege to be able to express myself through these four strings and some wood, miraculously put together by a genius."

Amoyal led a charmed existence... from his studies with Heifetz, an ideal career - until the dream was interrupted when the Kochanski was stolen from him in Italy. "It was like something from a horror movie. The person who stole the violin had heard it was one of the most famous and valuable violins of Stradivarius, and thought he could re-sell it. He was also involved in drug dealing and was assassinated a couple of months later, but not before he had time to sell the violin to an antique dealer, who also thought he could re-sell it. But after a few attempts he realized that nobody was prepared to buy such a valuable and well-known instrument. The only possible buyer was... me!"

The transactions were agonizingly long, but with the help of a specialized lawyer in Rome known for his skill in negotiating difficult cases with gangsters and kidnappers, and the Italian carabinieri, the horror story turned at last into a fairy tale when the violin was returned to Amoyal. "It came back absolutely intact, and now my love for it is even greater."