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I do know what made me a walk, you famous.

Listen, I'm Peter Curran, and now on the BBC World Service

the extraordinary tale of the lapinski strata various.

This is the story of a small musical instrument

that over the past 300 years has brought

at the best and the worst of men and women.

Brought transcendent musical joy to audiences and players,

paranoia, violence and present time to some of those who have held it in their hands.

The story will pull us through war-torn Germany,

Italy, pre-revolutionary Cuba and mid-Sussex,

then onto the dimly lit car park of a concert hall in the American Midwest.

This isn't a family.

This is a multi-million dollar musical instrument.

This is the crime of the century.

I just kind of thought to myself

where I was carrying that violin around,

just was really active for it.

I was a translator at the Nuremberg Warcraft Trials in 46, 47

and a friend there said there's a violinist if it maybe get to know her.

...