The Cuypers Cello
is being played again!
After a long and intensive restoration, the Cuypers cello was reunited with Greek cellist Giorgos Kotsiolis on Thursday afternoon. He has been its player since 2015 and had the honor of being the first to play it again. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, it took a little longer than expected, but Thursday was finally the day!
The Restoration in Brief
Hubert de Launay, a violin maker from Utrecht, took on this enormous task and began working on this special project last year. Now, more than eleven months later, the Cuypers cello is once again in top condition. This exceptional 250-year-old cello (built in 1770 in The Hague) underwent extensive restoration, particularly to the top.
The Reunion
It was exciting for both Hubert and Giorgos to hear the Cuypers cello again. Because the cello had been disassembled into three parts for a long time, and the top has been extensively restored to extend the instrument’s lifespan, the sound will be very different—especially at first. Hubert described it as a true “facelift” for the cello; the entire curvature has been reshaped. It’s difficult to predict in advance what the difference in sound will be. Of course, he has played the instrument himself, but he is looking forward to hearing the cello when Giorgos really lets it rip.
Rediscover
Giorgos was very excited to see the Cuypers cello again. Over the past few months, he had been playing a Bernardel cello from the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund. When he handed the cello over to Hubert last year, he knew the instrument would never be the same again. Hubert had also prepared him for the fact that he couldn’t expect to get his old cello back right away—perhaps never again. But Giorgos was pleasantly surprised by the sound that came from the cello.
"I expected it to have some differences of course, but what came out of the cello really amazed me! The sound is very different than before, in a positive way."
According to Giorgos, the sound is much more lively, with greater depth, allowing the cello’s personality to shine through more than before. In the coming weeks, he’ll take his time rediscovering the Cuypers cello. He’s immensely grateful to Hubert, and we’re thrilled that this beautiful instrument is back in top condition.
A heartfelt thank you to all the donors who made this restoration possible!