Corelli Alliance Vivace - Bulletproof Violin Strings?

Are Corelli Alliance Vivace the perfect violin string? Well, with a recent change to the Corellis my fiddle does sound awesome and if their longevity is a good as their sound this may, as the saying goes, be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Why did I make a switch? Well, my last set of my favorite Pirastro Tonicas were very old, worn and becoming quite dull sounding. When I got online to shop for a replacement set, I discovered that Pirastro had reformulated their Tonica strings. After reading several reviews of the recently reformulated strings, the resultant opinions were mixed and I was on the fence whether to stay with Tonica or try a different string.

Naturally, the same string can vary in overall tonal performance and projection depending upon the violin you put them on so I wouldn't base my decision solely on one reviewer and one violin. However, of the several reviews that I was able to find the general consensus seemed to be that the reformulation of the Tonica string had significantly changed its' tonal qualities from a darker, warm sound to one that was much brighter. I decided that since a warm-sounding string had worked so well on my Lowendall fiddle that perhaps I should look for another string that espoused that same tonality rather than taking my chances with the reformulated Tonicas. (Sorry, Pirastro - but don't worry, I still love your Evah Pirazzis for my classical violin!)

So I then tracked down a review that Strings Magazine had done in 2001. The article was really helpful and gave me an idea of what violin strings might perform similarly to the old formula Tonicas. The Corelli Alliance strings in particular sparked my interest - though the price per set ($110) listed in the article most definitely did not!

Fast forward a few years to another review from 2008 on Violinist.com. Article author Tasha Miner had the following to say about the Corellis:

"While focused, they also provide rich overtones. They tend to be more powerful in terms of projection than Obligato strings, if not quite as sweet, while lacking the harshness that the Evah's can bring to some instruments."

She also commented on their long life, adaptability to many instruments and their quick response in all positions. Hmmm, I thought, it all sounds good on paper...

Decision time. Luckily for me, after shopping around for the best price on Corelli strings I discovered that, believe it or not, not everything gets more expensive over time. The price on Corelli Alliance Vivace strings now hovers around $50 per set, a decent mid-range price for a synthetic core string. This reasonable price ultimately made my decision for me.

So, what's the verdict? Well, from my opening statement you can see that I am impressed so far. According to Savarez their secret is 'a composite multifilament core wrapped with a combination of sophisticated metal wires'. I understand from my readings on these violin strings that this composite core they speak of is Kevlar, giving this string a longer life than a typical perlon core. We'll have to wait and see on that - I'll have to post back in a few months and let you know.

The particulars that have me loving this string so far are:

• Quick settle-in period. The Corellis only took a couple of days and very few retunings to truly find their groove.
• They sounded great right out of the package too. No funky tone during the settle-in period. It was then that I had a feeling these strings were going to really amount to something.
• Not muddy sounding on the lower strings in 3rd position and up. Okay, okay. I know. Who fiddles up there? What can I say? I had to dip into my classical roots to give them a decent tryout.
• They weren't kidding about projection either. Although a light touch will give you the pianissimo you desire as a classical player, as a fiddler there are no worries about being drowned out by the banjo player.
• The sound is rich and full. On my violin, they are simply a great sounding string.

Bottom line: If you're ready for a new set of strings and are considering a change of brand, Corelli Alliance Vivace might be a violin string worth checking into. Particularly if a warm-sounding string works for your violin, you are looking for a string with great projection and long settle-in times make you crazy.