Two violin dealers pull pistols at dawn
NewsThe lucrative, secretive business of buying and selling pedigree violins usually keeps its internal disputes well under wraps. Musicians and investors might lose confidence in dealers who slag each other off.
But that’s just what’s happening right now.
Four years ago, mid-Covid, a relationship between Florian Leonhard of London and Jonathan Solars of New York was terminated with the usual discretion. But bitterness simmered and Solars is unable to contain his frustration.
Under the headline ‘Addressing False Claims’, he posted this notice yesterday on social media:
I’ve been made aware that my former business partner, now some four years on from our separation, is still spreading misinformation about me and the circumstances surrounding our separation. I want to take a moment to clarify a few things for everyone involved.
Integrity Matters: I believe in transparency and integrity in all my dealings. Any claims made about me that don’t align with these values are simply untrue.
Focus on Positivity: Instead of engaging in negativity, I choose to focus on the positive paths ahead. My work speaks for itself, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
Open Dialogue: I’m always open to constructive conversation. If anyone has questions or concerns, I encourage you to reach out directly rather than relying on hearsay.
Let’s lift each other up and work towards a better future!
The stylish Florian Leonhard (below) has yet to respond.
Buy a contemporary instrument, cultivate a relationship with a luthier and archetier, or a few. Support living artists, the dead ones don’t need the money….men in velvet jackets who pop cialis and give foot rubs to despots do.
I can’t make a comment that could be published.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oU_HFZ2Tr0&t=4s
The architecture of a violin is positively magical.
The dealers have always been a cartel, de facto. Demand isn’t going away. The locations these shops open up are not the humble abodes they once were.
Pablo Escobar performed violens.
Violins, relative to artwork, are wildly underpriced.
Birds of a feather flock together….
When you go camping, take the viola. It burns longer.
I actually prefer reading about this squabble to the usual drivel one sees from violin dealers on social media. More common from these scumbags are posts with zero self awareness which are insulting to working musicians. Photos of fancy meals and bottles of wine while the musicians they sell to are barely scraping by. There is one American dealer who is particularly obnoxious in this respect. He has made a fortune selling Italian instruments to Putin, Gergiev and other Russian oligarchs. It’s nauseating behavior.
ahha, from Boston perhaps?
That’s the guy. His latest stunt is feigning faux outrage at conservative American politicians while simultaneously humping the legs of Russian war mongers.
Firstly, these two creeps are the lowest of the lowest and are complete bottom feeders in the violin world.
Both FFlorian Leonhard and Jonathan Solars are highly disliked universally by almost everyone in the business … and also eventually by any players that gets to see below their their icky, greasy, nuevo exteriors.
Florian is a crazed, image-obsessed, pathological narcissist, a hack instrument repairman and a shady as all hell salesman … and Jonathan … well, Jonathan is just a tacky, broke, wanna-be.
They’ve both done enormously shady things to each other, other dealers and their clients. Desperate men, do desperate things. Most dealers have long refused to collaborate with either of them.
But, I’m very glad that it’s time the industry is speaking up about Florian Leonhard, in the same way they did about Dietmar Machold.
I can’t believe Elly Suh married Florian and got involved with any of the faux-glamor crap. She’s an innocent bystander in all of it, so let’s leave her out of it.
It’s time we lift the veil on “The Great” Florian Leonhard once and for all, people. The guy is a murky criminal — just like his mentor was: Dietmar Machold.
[redacted: defamation]…
Let’s go …. Speak your truth …
It is depressing to realize that everyone knows about such people and how immoral and unethical they are, yet they continue living on the way they always have. It’s almost unjust to focus on these two men when the world is so full of them.
Yes. Florian worked for Machold for years in Germany before going to the UK. They are cut from the same oily cloth.
There really are advantages to being a brass player that I had not previously considered. To whit – when the average instrument is worth a four figure sum (maybe five for tubas and horns) rather than a six-to-eight figure sum, the likelihood of drama and conflict seems to be significantly higher.
Once when playing a concert with a colleague who plays a multimillion $ del Jesu, we were about to finish up a rehearsal when a brass quintet arrived. They asked if they could leave their instruments onstage while we packed up and they went for coffee. After they left, my colleague said: “Wow. There must be $5000 worth of instruments right there.”
Ooops, meant Lower, not higher.
The violin dealership world is murky at best, and Florian is one of the pushiest salesmen to have been in the business. His prices are incredibly inflated (7 figures for a Storioni recently!) and he is increasingly desperate bringing his wife Elly and influencer Sumina Studer into the shop. He pays many of the top professors to bring in wealthy students who don’t know better.
The more truth about his man the better
Elly and Sumina are good girls, but don’t know how this association is destroying their reputations. I, like many, had to block Sumina on socials as she wouldn’t shut up about Florian and his fabulous workshop. It was just so irritating and naive. Get the hell out girls and focus on your playing. Florian is going down. FINALLY.
OMG Yes! Sumina ffs stop it! You look like a fool and he’s completely taking advantage of you.
As a resident of Great Britain, I think it’s mandatory jail-time for mentioning “pistols” in your headline
Jonathan is the real deal. Nothing but honesty and positive experiences dealing with him. It took a lot of courage for him finding his own path. I wish him the very best and much success.
No. He’s weasel also. If he had any brains he wouldn’t have even gotten into bed with Florian in the first place. The Carpenters dodged a bullet.
Florian Leonhard and Dietmar Machold (now in jail) worked together for many years! Florian tries his very best to not remind people about that fact. Good to see people speaking up about this finally. Florian is orange trash like Trump.
FINALLY! I have been waiting for years and years and years for this conversation to be had out in the press!!! Florian has a lot of skeletons in his closet, that’s for sure. Anyone who shops with, or associates with him, is a complete and utter fool. He’s basically Trump with slightly more palatable makeup. It makes me sick thinking about Florian Leonhard (and Trump).
Pass the popcorn. This is getting gooooooood!
Yes. All true. The best one I ever heard was that Florian was begging The Strad to put him on the front cover! Does that get any more Trumpian than that? rofl
And, whilst we are on the topic, let’s ask The Menuhin Competition what they think of Florian?
Thank you for bringing this amazing thread into my life!
Lol it’s glaringly obvious that the majority of these comments are from the same one or two unhappy people.
Why hasn’t anybody mentioned David Murdoch..?
A lot of innuendo here. Would anybody have a source of actual info they could refer us to?
But Jonathan, it was ok for you, Katie and Florian to sit around talking utter crap about everyone else constantly? What a toxic Harlem sh*t pit that was. Grow up and move on from the business for good this time. If you are going to lie down with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas. And you have.