The violin was later sold to a buyer whose name has not been made public. That buyer lent it to a young American violinist, Nathan Meltzer.
Roman Totenberg bought the Stradivarius in 1943 and called it his musical partner. After that night in 1980, he never saw it again.
It was missing for 35 years and outlived both him and the man he suspected. When it came back, it still had gut strings, the kind he played on. Today it has a new partner.
