The historic violin was crafted in 1720 by Antonio Stradivari, who lovingly made his instruments in his small shop in Cremona, Italy centuries ago, and remains the most famous violin maker of all time. Not long after its creation, the instrument appeared to vanish from the radar screen; no one knows where or to whom the violin belonged for more than 200 years, spawning any number of historians, writers, journalists, critics as well as Canadian filmmaker, Francois Girard, to speculate on the violin's mysterious history. Girard's imaginative speculations became the narrative for his beloved film, "The Red Violin."

The 1720 "Red Mendelssohn" Stradivarius would eventually surface in 1930s Berlin. It had been purchased by an heir to the great composer, Felix Mendelssohn. In 1945, it was purchased by a New York industrialist who kept the instrument in impeccable performance condition. Much of its original burnished red varnish remains on the violin today, and it is thought to be one of the best sounding and most beautiful of Stradivari's remaining violins. Then on Thanksgiving Day in 1990, the instrument's fate would once again be triggered when the industrialist opted to put the Red Violin on the auction block anonymously at Christie's of London. While some of the worlds' most powerful sought to win the coveted instrument, it landed in the hands of a then sixteen year old American solo violinist, Elizabeth Pitcairn. Pitcairn would remain silent about owning the violin until her rapidly burgeoning solo career brought her into the public eye on international concert stages after nearly three decades of rigorous training by the world's most esteemed violin teachers.

Pitcairn would come to view the violin as her life's most inspiring mentor and friend. Many have said that the violin has finally found its true soul mate in the gifted hands of the young violinist who is the first known solo artist to ever bring it to the great concert halls of the world, and who has made it her goal to share the violin's magical beauty of sound with people of all ages, professions and cultures. Today, Pitcairn and the "Red Mendelssohn" Stradivarius violin continue to foster one of classical music's most compelling partnerships.

Lilli von Mendelssohn was born on November 30, 1897,in Berlin. She was the daughter of Franz and Marie von Mendelssohn. Franz, a banker and president of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, was also the grandfather of the great composer, Felix Mendelssohn. She is pictured here holding the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius of 1720.

Lilli married conductor, composer, Emil Bohnke in 1919. She was 22 and he 31. They had three children, the youngest, famous pianist, Robert-Alexander Bohnke.

Lilli was brought up as a career violinist and there is evidence she also performed for highschool students when she was 29. Her husband, Emil, composed numerous pieces mostly for piano, yet also include his better known,Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 11. (Last recorded in 2004, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Koljia Lessing, violin, Israel Yinon, Conductor ) This concerto was composed  in the late 1800's as his other notable compositions, thus implicating that Lilli, herself, likely performed this piece (in private or otherwise).

Tragically, while looking for a Summer home, on May 11,1928, the lives of both Emil and Lilli Bohnke were taken in a car accident. Fortunately, they had left their children at their grandparents. The youngest was only a year old at the time. Emil was 39 and Lilli, 31. It's speculated that, having married into the von Mendelssohn family, Emil would have had considerable future success.

The three Brohnke children spent the remainder of their younger years under the care of their grandparents, growing up up in the von Mendelssohn mansion in Berlin. Later, during the beginning of WWII, the family fled to Austria due to Berlin being a prime bombing target. In regard to the compositions of Lilli's husband, Emil, his final symphonic composition was debuted just six months after his death - in late 1928. At any rate, his existing compositions were easily suppressed by the Nazis and it was left to his youngest son, Robert-Alexander, born 13 months before his parents' death, to gradually rediscover them after the war, helped along in part by the urging of Edwin Fischer, who had often played Emil’s music.

Emil’s final compositions were Piano Concerto, Op. 14 and Symphony, Op. 16. These pieces conveyed the  doom-laden atmosphere, towering, nightmarish shadows, creeping unease  which was present at the time in between WWI and WWII.  Robert ­Alexander recorded the piece in 2001, just prior to his death in 2004. He was married twice and fathered five children.

- By Richard Fricke