Raffaello Stefanani Violin- Bologna 2017- Beautiful Powerhouse!

click picture to enlarge

Label:

We are offering a very nice Italian gem made by Rafe. The label also carries Raffaello’s full name with it in a stamp form that crosses through his last name on the upper right side of the label. Rafe was born in 1954 in northern Italy on a small hillside near Bologna. In 1979 he was admitted to the Violin Making School (Scuola di Liuteria) in Bologna, under the teaching master violin maker Otello Bignami he studied and learned the style of his town’s distinctive luthiery tradition. He graduated in 1983 and later moved to the US where he settled and worked out of Adolph Primavera’s shop and Fred Oster’s Vintage Instruments in Philadelphia where he continued to develop his skills in repair and restoration. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2021 where he established his own workshop. He enjoys building his violins at his brother Bruno (himself a renowned violin maker still in Bologna, where Rafe has time to travel and shop and continue building when he is back in his hometown. Rafe’s instruments are above nice. I’ve known Rafe for many years and can attest to his attention to detail and the quality craftsmanship in his instruments. The violin is antiqued and looks older than it is on purpose. The scroll work and especially the volute show off excellent knife and chisel work. The plate edges are clean and show a nice touch in how the lip is entered and rounded. The choice of woods is beautiful and all European. The violin has a two-piece maple back, highly flamed, with matching ribs, neck, and scroll, and a two-piece spruce top. The violin has great bones and the craftsmanship is evident. The violin is light in its makeup and is set off by the antiqued and slightly distressed oil varnish. The color is a red/orange/brown on a golden yellow ground.

Corpus 358.0 mm., Major Width 206.0 mm., Minor Width 165.0 mm., Rib Height 30.0 mm.

The violin has a deep and powerful sound, especially on the bass side. It is more than rich; it is warm and mature. The sound jumps off the strings. I noticed that response as soon as I played 5 or 6 notes. Wow! The overall sound is deep and will stir you as you play. The G & D strings have a gutsy core that will grab you. The overtones ring out and will carry in any hall. The violin leans to darker colors, has sustain, and speaks clearly. The E & A strings are worthy of praise too. Brillant in color and overtones. The violin offers a player strength of tone when you need it and the delicacy of holding back but still having the beautiful presence of sound; a clarity of tone that can speak softly or turn on a dime and devour a concert hall. Yup, I love the sound.