Q&A on the News

Q: During the Masters telecast I saw a Mercedes-Benz commercial with a fantastic violin solo in the background. Can you find out what the piece is and who plays it? —David Nugent, Canton

A: Robert W. Miller composed an original piece of music in the tradition of the Paganini Caprices for solo violin, which is used in the TV ad, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz USA told Q&A on the News via email.

Elena Barere, a violinist with the New York City’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, performed the track. Barere is a 24-year veteran of the MET Orchestra and has played on commercials, films and records for roughly 34 years.

The virtuoso level playing was recorded in a single take and is not an edit, the spokeswoman told Q&A.

The ad was one of six 30-second ads in Mercedes-Benz USA’s new “What Makes Us” brand campaign that began airing during the Masters. The ads, which feature Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG vehicles, premiered April 4 during the Masters broadcast, which was seen throughout the week on ESPN and CBS.

The music played while actor Jon Hamm narrated the ad with scripts such as this: “If the road is easy, you’re going the wrong way. Difficult challenges limits, reveals potential. No matter how daunting the struggle, difficult is worth it.”

The ads were created by Merkley+Partners. Q&A on the News runs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404222-2002 or email q&a@ajc. com (include name, phone and city).