The curse of Stradivarius has long been a topic of fascination and speculation in the world of music. Antonio Stradivari, an Italian luthier from the 17th and 18th centuries, is widely regarded as one of the greatest violin makers of all time. His instruments, known as Stradivarius violins, are renowned for their exceptional sound quality and craftsmanship. However, along with the fame and acclaim came tales of a curse associated with these extraordinary instruments. According to legend, Stradivari made a pact with the devil in order to acquire the knowledge and skill necessary to create such magnificent violins. As a result, every Stradivarius violin was said to be cursed, bringing misfortune and tragedy to its owners.
She called her young son ‘my greatest success, and I will never do any better than him’ in her 2016 memoir ‘Sorry Not Sorry.’
Tragedy Harrowing images of Mark Salling s body being taken away in a body bag in 2018 are shown he committed suicide in 2018 after admitting to possessing thousands of child porn images. She also insisted she will learn from the mistakes she has made so she can be a real role model for my child when she gives birth in a couple of months.
As a result, every Stradivarius violin was said to be cursed, bringing misfortune and tragedy to its owners. The stories of accidents, illnesses, and even death surrounding these instruments have only added to their mystique and allure. One of the most famous accounts of the curse involves a violinist named Niccolò Paganini, who owned several Stradivarius violins.
The Price of Glee FIRST TRAILER: New docuseries documents show curse
The haunting first trailer for The Price of Glee – a new docuseries documenting the ‘poisonous side of fame’ and the hit show’s alleged curse – has been released.
The three-part Investigation Discovery series will examine the countless scandals among the show’s cast, including Mark Salling, who killed himself after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, Cory Monteith’s heroin overdose, accusations of -on-set bullying by Lea Michele and the shock drowning of Naya Rivera.
The trailer opens with a voiceover saying: ‘Glee was a phenomenon, the audience couldn’t get enough of it.
‘It took all these people and it turned them into stars’ with a eerie red carpet clip of late star Monteith – who died aged just 31 in 2013 saying: ‘It’s as fun as it looks.
Gone too soon: The haunting first trailer for The Price of Glee – a new docuseries documenting the ‘poisonous side of fame’ and the hit show’s alleged curse – has been released (pictured late stars Naya Rivera and Corey Monteith)
One person recounts the moment they were told of Monteith’s death, saying: ‘She says, “it’s about Corey”, she says “he’s dead”.
Text then appears reading: ‘In May 2009, 10 young actors made their TV debut on Glee . By 2020, all of them would be famous, and three would be dead.
Moving to Mark Salling – who committed suicide in 2018 after admitting to possessing thousands of child porn images – his father John Robert Salling Jr, says: ‘When you find out that someone is not necessarily who you thought they were…’
Harrowing images of Salling’s body being taken away in a body bag in 2018 and the police press conference at the lake where Naya Rivera drowned in 2020 is also shown on the trailer.
Tragedy: Harrowing images of Mark Salling’s body being taken away in a body bag in 2018 are shown – he committed suicide in 2018 after admitting to possessing thousands of child porn images
Glee Curse: Glee’s behind-the-scenes controversies which rocked the foundations of the wholesome TV show are to be explored in a new documentary series (Pictured top row L-R: Chord Overstreet, Harry Shum Jr., Naya Rivera, Dianna Agron, Iqbal Theba, Heather Morris, Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch. Bottom row L-R: Kevin McHale, Mark Salling (floor), Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Cory Monteith, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison in 2011)
A voiceover states: ‘The bigger the show became, the smaller their worlds became…’ with a clip of Salling at a premiere saying: ‘You can expect twists and turns…’
His father continues: ‘I cannot imagine what it must have felt like to be that alone and end your life…. he shared with me something prior to his death, I hesitate to even say it .’
Rivera’s father George is seen saying during an interview: ‘I knew that was the top of the mountain for Naya, for your kid, it was just surreal.
He adds: ‘Fame can be poisonous.
Other contributors reflect on Rivera’s death, saying: ‘We are just completely in shock, not another one, not another one.’
Another person says: ‘I don’t want to say the curse word, but that’s where your mind goes’ while a second adds: ‘My first reaction was blame, I still feel like there’s someone to blame.
Eerie: The trailer opens with a voiceover saying: ‘Glee was a phenomenon, the audience couldn’t get enough of it
First death: Monteith – who played Finn Hudson – died aged 31 in 2013 from a heroin overdose
Voiceover” ‘It took all these people and it turned them into stars’ with a eerie red carpet clip of late star Monteith – who died aged just 31 in 2013 saying: ‘It’s as fun as it looks’
Further trailer text reads: ‘The story behind the global phenomenon is more twisted than anyone can imagine.’
Glee ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015 and throughout its time on air and the years following, trauma has reigned supreme – leading to claims of a ‘Glee Curse’.
The programme centred on the William McKinley High School Glee club and starred Lea, Matthew Morrison, Cory, Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Amber Riley, Mark, Heather Morris and Kevin McHale.
A series synopsis reads: ‘With unbiased filters, hear directly from those outside of the cast bubble who can provide no-strings-attached perspectives, such as: relatives and friends of cast members; those who were on the set and close to it, such as set decorators, hairdressers, stylists and publicists; and entertainment reporters who covered the phenomenon,
In what was the start of the show’s behind-the-scenes demise, on 13 July 2013, Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, was found dead of a drugs overdose aged 31 in his Vancouver hotel room, after taking a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol. Four months before his death he had completed a stint in rehab.
Cory was dating Lea Michele at the time of his death. After news broke of his overdose, it was revealed that Lea rang his mother, hysterical and screaming: ‘Is it true?’ Following his passing, she released a statement.
Grief: Salling’s father John says: ‘When you find out that someone is not necessarily who you thought they were…’
Vigil: Footage of Monteith’s vigil after his death is shown
Through her representative, the actress said: ‘Lea is deeply grateful for all the love and support she’s received from family, friends, and fans. Since Cory’s passing, Lea has been grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them. They are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss together.’
Lea, began dating Cory in 2012, and after his death, she said: ‘There was no greater man than Cory. So, for the time we spent together, I consider myself very lucky.’
Five years after his death, Cory’s mother Ann McGregor insisted her son had been on pain medication following dental work to cap his teeth in the weeks before his overdose and that he ‘never meant to die’.
She said he had battled his fair share of demons from a young age, drinking and smoking marijuana from 13, and with two stints in rehab by the time he was 19. While he managed to get clean for a time, he fell back into bad habits when he went to Hollywood.
Ann, who admitted her son began using drugs again in December 2012, seven months before his death, said: ‘He wasn’t ready for the Hollywood world. Drugs were his way of checking out’. After his death, she said: ‘I still can’t pick up the pieces. My world totally stopped. And I’m a different person than I was before.’
Another person says: ‘I don’t want to say the curse word, but that’s where your mind goes’ while a second adds: ‘My first reaction was blame, I still feel like there’s someone to blame.
On July 8 2020, Santana Lopez actress Rivera accidentally drowned aged 33 while boating on Lake Piru, California with her four-year-old son.
Another boater raised the alarm after seeing the vessel drifting and the child asleep on board.
Naya’s son Josey has told investigators that he got back on the boat and his mother did not
Her autopsy confirmed that the actress died by drowning and there were no signs drugs or alcohol played a role in her death.
Naya welcomed son, Josey Hollis, with then-husband Ryan Dorsey in 2015.
She called her young son ‘my greatest success, and I will never do any better than him’ in her 2016 memoir ‘Sorry Not Sorry.’
Rivera and Hollis divorced in 2018, after Rivera had applied to end the marriage in 2016 but they had initially reconciled.
On Thanksgiving weekend 2017, Rivera was arrested in West Virginia on suspicion of domestic battery against Dorsey.
RIP: Footage of the police press conference at the lake where Naya Rivera drowned in 2020 is also shown on the trailer
Gone: Monteith and Salling are seen in the hit show
Triple tragedy: The show will examine the tragic deaths of the cast on the wholesome show
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said Dorsey later asked that Rivera not be prosecuted
The most horrific of the show’s woes was undoubtedly Salling’s 2015 arrest and subsequent conviction in 2017 for possession of more than 50,000 images and 600 videos which showed girls, some of whom as young as three, being raped. It was described as ‘the worst pornography collection the nation has seen’.
Salling, who played Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the show, had tried to conceal them by masking his IP address and storing them on an encrypted hard drive. They were revealed to police by an ex-girlfriend who he showed them to. She was sickened and notified authorities. In his plea deal, the extent of his collection was described in harrowing detail.
He was found dead from suicide by hanging on 30 January 2018 near his home in Sunland, Los Angeles. His death came shortly before his sentencing, which was due to take place on March 7. He had attempted suicide the previous year by slashing his wrists, after which he was treated for psychological problems.
Missed: Rivera’s father George is seen saying during an interview: ‘I knew that was the top of the mountain for Naya, for your kid, it was just surreal. He adds: ‘Fame can be poisonous
Salling dated Naya from 2007 to 2010. In her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, the actress admitted that she was not surprised by his horrendous convictions.
She wrote: ‘I can’t say I was totally shocked. When Mark dumped me, I thought it was the worst thing ever, but can you imagine if that didn’t happen?…
‘And I was laying there in bed when the battering ram came through the door?’
Prior to his death, in January 2013, Salling’s ex-girlfriend Roxanne Gorzela accused him of sexual battery by forcing her to have unprotected sex without consent. He denied the charges and filed a countersuit for defamation. In March 2015, they out of court with judges ordering him to pay her $2.7million.
Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry on the show, has been plagued by bullying rumours in recent years , after a host of cast and crew members came forth to accuse the leading lady of vile behaviour on-set.
Accusations of on-set bullying began with a tweet from Lea’s co-star Samantha Ware in 2020, accusing her of being rude to her on-set and behaving with ‘traumatic microaggressions’.
Lea Michele played Rachel Berry
Others then piled on to the actress with allegations of their own, including Heather Morris, Dabier Snell and Yvette Nicole Brown. Lea was subsequently dropped by her sponsor, HelloFresh.
Morris, 35, who played cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce on the Ryan Murphy show, claims Michele was ‘very’ unpleasant to work with, saying: ‘Was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so; for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out.’
Lea apologised and said she has ‘never judged others by their background or color of their skin.’ She also insisted she will learn from the mistakes she has made so she ‘can be a real role model for my child’ when she gives birth in a couple of months.
Naya and Lea famously had on-set friction, with the former writing in her book: ‘One of the Glee writers once said that Lea and I were like two sides of the same battery and that about sums us up. We are both strong willed and competitive – not just with each other but with everyone – and that’s not a good mixture…
‘We’re all stressed, yes, but we’re all working toward the same goal, so laugh it off and keep it movin’. Lea was a lot more sensitive, though, and it seemed like she blamed me for anything and everything that went wrong.’
Lea has also previously been the target of ridicule after several of her fans insinuated that she was unable to read, and she has denied the rumor several times in the past.
The star previously joked about the viral theory about her supposed illiteracy with a humorous video that she shared to her TikTok account.
In the clip, the actress used a soundbite from The Kardashians and added a text graphic to her post that read: ‘Calling Jonathan to read me the comments on my first TikTok.’
The Price of Glee premieres all three episodes on Monday, January 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ID, and will be available to stream on discovery+
Heartbreaking: Monteith dated his co-star Lea Michele up to the time of his death (pictured together 2012)
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
He adds: ‘Fame can be poisonous.
It is said that Paganini made a bargain with the devil, trading his soul in exchange for mastery of the violin. Throughout his career, he experienced numerous setbacks and personal tragedies. Some attributed these misfortunes to the curse of his beloved Stradivarius instruments. Another notable story is that of the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius, which is said to have caused a series of tragedies for its owners. Its first owner, violinist Joseph Joachim, reportedly died shortly after acquiring the instrument. Subsequent owners also met untimely deaths or faced other calamities, leading to speculation that the violin was indeed cursed. Despite these tales, many violinists and collectors have dismissed the curse as mere superstition. They point out that the misfortunes associated with Stradivarius violins can be explained by the normal hazards of life rather than a supernatural curse. Moreover, the exceptional sound quality and craftsmanship of these instruments have made them highly sought after, regardless of any supposed curse. Nevertheless, the curse of Stradivarius continues to fascinate and captivate the imaginations of musicians and enthusiasts alike. The allure of owning an instrument with such a storied history and reputation, curse or not, remains irresistible to many. Ultimately, whether one believes in the curse or not, the legacy of Stradivarius violins as masterpieces of musical artistry and craftsmanship remains undisputed..
Reviews for "The Price of Perfection: Stories Behind the Stradivarius Curse"
1. Emma - 2 stars
I was really excited to read "The Curse of Stradivarius" as I'm a big fan of mystery novels. However, I was sorely disappointed. The plot was slow and predictable, and the characters felt one-dimensional. The supposed curse was barely explored, and the resolution at the end felt rushed and unconvincing. Overall, it was a lackluster read that failed to live up to its potential.
2. John - 1 star
"The Curse of Stradivarius" was a complete waste of time. The writing was amateurish, filled with clichés and inconsistencies. The characters were poorly developed, and their actions didn't make sense half of the time. The supposed curse was nothing more than a gimmick to attract readers, and it added no depth or intrigue to the story. I regret picking up this novel and would highly recommend avoiding it.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "The Curse of Stradivarius," but it fell flat in many aspects. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the author spent too much time describing irrelevant details instead of advancing the plot. The characters were forgettable and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their fate. The curse aspect was interesting in theory, but it wasn't explored enough to create a truly engaging or suspenseful story. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
4. Alex - 1 star
"The Curse of Stradivarius" was a disappointing read. The writing was mediocre at best, with clunky phrasing and repetitive descriptions. The characters were unlikable and unrealistic, and I couldn't connect with any of them. The curse aspect of the story felt forced and underdeveloped, leaving me wanting more substance. The plot lacked originality and failed to hold my interest. I regret wasting my time on this poorly executed novel.