Frankfurt customs confiscates violinist Janke's Stradivarius

Frankfurt customs confiscates violinist Janke's Stradivarius

TOKYO, Japan - Violinist Yuki Manuela Janke, a resident of Germany, poses with a Stradivarius violin in Tokyo in September 2012. The violin was confiscated by customs officers at the international airport in Frankfurt later in the month, the Nippon Music Foundation, a Japanese entity leasing the instrument, said Oct. 4, 2012. The German customs authority said it will keep the violin, one of the most coveted makes, unless Janke pays a duty of 120 million yen, on the grounds it is an item that needs to be declared for taxation.

Zurich-based violinist hopes to perform in quake-hit area

Zurich-based violinist hopes to perform in quake-hit area

ZURICH, Switzerland - Andreas Janke, a concertmaster of Tonhalle Orchestra, poses for a photo in Zurich on April 12, 2011. The orchestra, as well as the Zurich Opera House Orchestra and Zurich Chamber Orchestra, jointly held a charity concert in Zurich on April 12, 2011, for Japan victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Janke, whose mother is Japanese, plans to perform in Sendai, an area hit by the disaster, in November.

Zurich-based violinist hopes to perform in quake-hit area

Zurich-based violinist hopes to perform in quake-hit area

ZURICH, Switzerland - Andreas Janke, a concertmaster of Tonhalle Orchestra, poses for a photo in Zurich on April 12, 2011. The orchestra, as well as the Zurich Opera House Orchestra and Zurich Chamber Orchestra, jointly held a charity concert in Zurich on April 12, 2011, for Japan victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Janke, whose mother is Japanese, plans to perform in Sendai, an area hit by the disaster, in November. (Kyodo)