This doc. reveals the miracle of Stradivari's instruments' engineering and exposes an extraordinary world of politics, deception, crime and passion. The title of the documentary is inspired by the most perfectly preserved Stradivari violin in existence: The Messiah, which is displayed in a glass case at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum and was donated with the condition that it must never be played again. Owning one of Stradivari’s instruments equates to great power and influence in the Music World. These instruments are so valuable that they are well beyond the capability of even the most famous musicians to own. What right, if any, will musicians have to play these unique instruments in the future? We follow the Brit award winning violinist Ruth Palmer as she circumnavigates the globe in search of an instrument to play, and we hear the magic of Stradivari in the hands of the world’s greatest musicians including: Joshua Bell, James Ehnes, Heinrich Schiff, Natalie Clein and Steven Isserlis.
