Bangladesh, Nov. 17 -- A Stradivarius violin stolen four decades ago from the virtuoso Roman Totenberg and returned to his family by a federal prosecutor came alive again - at the crime scene.

Nineteen-year-old star violinist Nathan Meltzer revived the prized instrument of the late Polish-born musician on Friday evening at a public concert in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He played the same music as Totenberg had minutes before his Stradivarius disappeared one night in 1980. The thief was a former student, and the violin was eventually found in a California attic.

Recovered by the FBI, it was returned to Totenberg's three daughters four years ago by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan at the time, Preet Bharara.

"Our father would have been so p...