Stolen, $1 million Stradivarius violin recovered after 35 years--owner knew exactly who stole it, but couldn't get police to investigate the theft.

A Stradivarius violin that belonged to the late Roman Totenberg, a violinist and music professor, has been recovered after it was stolen from him more than three decades ago.

The violin was made in 1734 by the famed Italian Antonia Stradivari, whose instruments are prized for the quality of their sound, and their rarity, ultimately placing an incomparable value on the violins. Mr. Totenberg's violin was valued at $250,000 when it was stolen. Today, they sell for millions of dollars at auction.

Born a Polish virtuoso, Mr. Totenberg made his debut at the of 11 and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, and was given the Stradivarius by his wife in 1943. It was stolen in 1980, after Mr. Totenberg played a concert at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass.

"It was stolen out of a closet that was the equivalent of the green room," said daughter Jill Totenberg, sister of Nina Totenberg who covers the Supreme Court for National Public Radio.

"I remember calling my father and saying to him, 'Daddy, are you OK?' He said, 'Well, it's sort of like having your arm taken from you.'"

At 101, Mr. Totenberg passed away after a 90-year career that included performing all over the world, and teaching music at Boston University among other institutions.

The man who stole Mr. Totenberg's Stradivarius, a musician as well, died four or five years ago, Ms. Totenberg said. He left his violins to his ex-wife, who met with an appraiser in New York in June with a violin. "The appraiser looks at her and says, 'Well, I have some good news and some bad news,'" Ms. Totenberg said. "'The good news is that this is a real Stradivarius. And the bad news is it was stolen, 35, 36 years ago from Roman Totenberg, and I have to report it right away.' And within two hours, two agents from the F.B.I. art theft team were there."

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