In Search of the Messiah reveals a miracle of engineering and exposes an extraordinary world of politics, deception, crime and passion, spanning over 350 years of history. The title of the documentary is inspired by the most perfectly preserved Stradivari violin in existence: The Messiah, which is displayed in a glass case at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum and was donated with the condition that it must never be played again.

This is a tale with its fair share of controversy. Owning one of Stradivarius’ instruments now equates to great power and influence, and all of the world’s top five dealers have been implicated or sued in high profile lawsuits in the last ten years. These instruments are so valuable that they are well beyond the capability of even the most famous musicians to own.

Narrated by Rosamund Pike, In Search of the Messiah follows Brit Award-winning violinist Ruth Palmer as she travels the globe looking for an instrument to play. We hear the magic of Stradivari in the hands of the world’s greatest musicians including Joshua Bell, James Ehnes, Heinrich Schiff and Steven Isserlis, and we experience the obsessions of the exclusive collectors – Microsoft Millionaire David Fulton in Seattle, electronics Billionaire Shi Wen Long in Taiwan and Bank of America President Jonathan Moulds in London.