Cello by Francesco Toto, 2017

Francesco Toto is an Italian luthier based in Cremona, working to his own models. He describes his aim as creating unique instruments guided by a search for beauty and elegant, clean-cut lines that give each one a powerful voice of its own.

His competition record is exceptional, particularly for cellos. He took a bronze medal in the cello section at Mittenwald in 2001, a silver at the 5th Mittenwald competition in 2005, and in 2006 both the gold medal and first place overall in the cello section of the 11th International Triennial Competition in Cremona, plus the Walter Stauffer Musicology Centre gold medal for the instrument judged most praiseworthy overall in acoustic terms at the same event.

His cellos are played by professional musicians internationally, and he remains one of the most decorated cello makers of his generation.

We first played Francesco's instruments in his Cremona workshop in 2018 and spent years trying to get one of his cellos into the London showroom. It was worth the effort. His work is among the rare set that scores highly across every category at once. The craftsmanship is some of the finest we have ever seen, the varnish has a rich golden colour with a depth that brings out a tasteful choice of wood, and the setup is meticulous, so the instrument is very easy to play. The sound is outstanding: warm, expansive and rich enough to fill a hall, with a response across the whole instrument unlike any other cello we have tried.