Andreas Guarneri Cello ca. 1689

There is quite a fateful story behind how I acquired this magnificent instrument. At the age of 22, I decided to fulfill a long dream studying with Bernard Greenhouse, a founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio and himself a student of the great Pablo Casals. As Greenhouse lived on Cape Cod, this meant living for a year in a community about as far removed in scenery and climate from the kibbutz in Israel where I grew up as one could imagine.

I was looking for a place to stay in Wellfleet, a little fishing town, on Cape Cod, and put an ad in the local library that a young cellist was looking for accommodation in return for doing some house work like cleaning, working in the garden, shoveling snow, etc. A lady named Judith Davidson, an amateur violist and a music lover who simply wanted to get to know the famed cellist Bernard Greenhouse, replied to the ad and I ended up living in her house. I shoveled snow few times, but was lucky enough to be away for concerts whenever a big storm arrived in town. Also I worked with her husband, Arthur, in the garden. Soon enough we all understood that I’m not much of a housekeeper and I began giving Judy cello lessons, and helped with the cooking, mainly the famous Davidson’s apple pie. I now think of both Judy and Arthur as my American parents.

Judith Davidson wanted to buy a great instrument to help my career. She had bought the Guarneri from Eileen Lawrence, a professional cellist in England, who had owned it since 1944 and was delighted to hand it over to one of Greenhouse’s former students.

William E. Hill and Sons provided a letter of certification. An unspoken part of the selling deal was that the 91-year-old lady in London insisted that the cello should be used on stage by one of Greenhouse’s former students. While on a concert tour in Europe in December of 2003, I stopped by in London to collect the cello and tried it for the first time at the Wigmore Hall. It was love at first sight. Two days later I was already playing it as a soloist with an orchestra in Sweden! Judy’s only condition was that she must hear the cello at least once a year in concert.”

In their book, The Violin Makers of the Guarneri Family, William E. Hill and Sons reported that they knew of only fourteen Violoncellos from the hand of Andreas Guarneri!!!

Bernard Greenhouse: “It is the closest thing to my Strad” “A gorgeous instrument”

Robin Aitchinson, British violinmaker: “It is very rare to see work from the Guarneri family in this period where the very finest wood, varnish and workmanship have been used and your cello is one of the few exceptions. Of course, note the instrument has been reduced in size. The original design does not survive in total but what remains is in such an extraordinary state of preservation. Perhaps one in a hundred Strads are so well preserved and many fewer Guarneris. For a Guarneri enthusiast like myself this is very exciting.”

Selma Gokcen, Executive Council of the Violoncello Society of London: “The Andrea Guarneri cello which now belongs to Amit Peled is a rare cello, which responds immediately to the player. This instrument has all the colors, all the nuances, and all the beauty of sound one could want. It has found its home in Amit Peled's hands.”