Erika Morini, a Jewish, Austrian violinist born in 1904, was one of the greatest female violinists ever. A student of Oscar Sevcik (best known for his torturous violin exercise books), Morini made her debut with the Chicago Symphony at age 17. In 1945, she was the first violinist—and the first woman—to produce a commercial recording as a soloist with an orchestra.
In 1924, Morini’s father paid $10,000 to buy her the Davidoff Stradivarius violin. This instrument quickly became her preferred performance instrument for the remainder of her life. When she died at age 91, she was cradling her Strad in her arms.
Morini didn’t know that the violin she was cradling was a replica of her Strad. Her treasured violin, then worth about $4 million, had been stolen from her apartment shortly before her death. Since there was no sign of a break-in, law enforcement concluded the theft must have been planned by someone close to Morini.
This violin, now called the Davidoff-Morini Strad, has yet to be found. To this day, the FBI’s website describes the theft as an unsolved case.
Indirectly, Morini may have aided the thieves. Rather than securing her valuable instrument in a safe or bank lockbox, Morini wanted to keep it close to her. So, it remained in a wardrobe with a lock that could be opened with a skeleton key, and the instrument’s location was well known among her inner circle. Since few had access to Morini’s apartment, someone known to her likely was involved in the…
