Priceless historic instrument revealed in serendipitous discovery
MONTVILLE cellist Sam Lucas will take a significant step in his musical career when he performs at the Holocaust Memorial Concert in the European Parliament at Brussels on January 29.
The concert, which will be live-streamed to a worldwide audience, will see Lucas playing a priceless cello—a circa 1720 Nicolo Gagliano—recently rediscovered after being lost in the aftermath of World War II.
The instrument was once owned by renowned cellist Pal Hermann, a Holocaust victim, and was saved by a family friend who risked their life to retrieve it from Hermann’s home during the Nazi occupation.
After several transactions, the cello’s whereabouts remained unknown for decades. However, it was during a performance by Sam Lucas at the Queen Elizabeth International Cello Competition in 2022 that a judge recognised the cello’s unique markings and suspected it might be the lost Gagliano.
The discovery has since been confirmed, making Sam Lucas the instrument’s current custodian.
“This is an experience on a scale I have not quite experienced yet in my career,” Mr Lucas said.
“It’s also an honour to do so on the Nicolo Gagliano, a cello owned by one of the victims during the second World War, Pal Hermann.
“I’m extremely excited, honoured and anxious at the same time. What is most important to me is the cause – honouring the victims of the Holocaust, and dedicating my performance to them, their families and their nations.”
Sam Lucas has also become a key figure in bringing attention to Mr Hermann’s legacy. In September 2023, he surprised Pal Hermann’s 93-year-old daughter, Corrie, with a performance of the rediscovered cello in London—fulfilling her lifelong wish to hear her late father’s instrument once more.
The upcoming concert in Brussels will be attended by world leaders and includes a special performance of a five-movement cello concerto composed by the cello’s original owner.
Sam’s father, Ian Lucas said Sam’s performance at the memorial concert would be followed by engagements in Bonn, Germany, in July, and performing in the Dvorak Cello Concerto concerts in Denmark in September.
“I think Sam fully appreciates what a privilege it is for him – the kid from Montville – to be associated with this particular event,” Ian Lucas said.
“He is just be over the moon with that, and the way that this has all sort of panned out from the discovery – or the rediscovery – of the cello.
“It’s a special and almost unbelievable chain of events, a beautiful story, and a wonderful opportunity for Sam.”