“It was an exacting mission. Gruelling. If I break it down, it was the hardest thing I have ever done for a film. Sword fights and all that sort of thing are nothing compared to learning the violin.” So says Russell Crowe, speaking of his experience learning the instrument for his role in Master and Commander. He had three violin coaches for the film, one of which was fellow Australian (though, strictly speaking, Crowe was born in New Zealand), Richard Tognetti. The two met when Crowe pulled out cash to sponsor the drinks at Tognetti’s Australian Chamber Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall in the early 1990s. When the original drinks sponsor backed out, audience member Crowe was approached to be the hero. He and Tognetti made a connection and are now close friends. Tognetti speaks well of Crowe’s efforts to learn the violin in a mere four months, enough so that he could appear to be playing in sync with the soundtrack. Tognetti contributed to the score of the film and also plays what Crowe appears to be playing.