The tale of the countess and the little cello

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When Christine Walevska was given a rare, one-eighth-size Bernardel cello at the age of eight and a half, she fell in love with the instrument immediately and it set her on a path to becoming an internationally renowned concert cellist. The tiny cello, given to her by her father, had an intriguing label on the inside...it said "Pour la petite Comtesse Marie 1834". This label would prove crucial after the cello was stolen from Christine's father's shop in 1978. It led - 36 years later - to Christine receiving an email from the Breshears family in California. They had been searching for a rare child-size cello for their gifted six-year-old daughter Starla and had finally found one. Was it Christine's beloved Bernardel? Today, the story of a rare cello, its theft and how it shaped the dreams of two highly talented young girls. Picture: Cellist Christine Walevska aged eight and a half, with her rare Bernardel cello Credit: Christine Walevska