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Eugène Ysaÿe: instruments, repertoire and recordings
Read about the tools of the great violinist’s trade in this extract from January 2011
How to perform with confidence – 3 golden rules about stage performance
In the final instalment of his four-part blog series, Junior Guildhall violin professor Ivo Stankov shares tips on performing
Podcasts
The Strad Podcast Episode #12: Maxim Vengerov on Ravel
’For every nuance that Ravel wrote, one must really be attentive to the score’
The Strad Podcast Episode #11: Jesus Rodolfo’s 1696 ‘Spanish Court’ Stradivari viola copy
Jesus Rodolfo speaks about his very special instrument made for him based on a decorated Stradivari
The Strad Podcast Episode #10: Joshua Bell on Piazzolla
The violinist speaks about playing Piazzolla’s music in the centenary of the composer’s birth
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Editor's pick
‘Planting seeds for my relationship with music’ - Hilary Hahn and the Suzuki method
As a former Suzuki student, violinist Hilary Hahn shares her earliest memories of lessons and how they shaped her into the musician she is now
Current online issue
September
‘Suzuki kids grow up in an environment where everybody's supported and where difficult skills are broken down into something more achievable’
How the Suzuki teaching method has become an unparalleled success around the globe since its founding in 1945.
‘I ask students to relinquish their dependence on vibrato and focus on the expressive potential of the bow’
Why conservatoires should embrace Historically Informed Performance.
Cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca on how is latest recording project is designed to highlight the environmental challenges facing humanity
'The idea of applying a neural network to musical acoustics seemed quite far-fetched' The science of violin acoustics has encompassed 3D scanning, CNC technology and good old-fashioned tap tones - so why not AI software
'Shafran could replace a good number of shifts with a stretch, moving around the fingerboard in an almost violinistic manner'. Russian cellist Daniil Shafran was one of the 20th century's most distinctive musicians
Janine Jansen: A spiritual connection
Even for one of the most revered violinists, it is a daunting task to get to know twelve of the world’s finest Stradivaris, many with jaw-dropping pasts, within only a few weeks. Janine Jansen talks to Pauline Harding about how she did just that for a new recording and documentary
Historical varnishes: Beneath the surface
The inclusion of minerals in Italian varnishes from the 16th to mid-18th centuries has long been a source of speculation. Balthazar Soulier, Stefan Zumbühl and Christophe Zindel present the first results of a long-term study showing that key answers can be found in early German recipes
Ludwig Quandt: Life Lessons
Advice and memories from before and during the German musician’s decades-long tenure as the Berlin Philharmonic’s principal cellist
The geometry of violin outlines: Proportional representation
In this article from March 1990, Leslie Wyatt offers a rational and coherent geometrical method for the construction of an inner form outline and for sizing and positioning the f-holes, to break free from the traditional slavish reproduction of classical instruments
Analysis October 2021: Progress report
Despite the UK government’s announcements of major advances in negotiations, the impact of Brexit continues to be a cause for concern among British musicians and organisations. By Harry White
Competitions, Awards and Appointments: October 2021
This month’s competition results, appointments and forthcoming contests
October 2021: Welcome
The Strad’s editor Charlotte Smith introduces the October 2021 issue
Soundpost: Letters to the Editor October 2021
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: October 2021 issue
Chloe Chua plays Ysaÿe
In this recent recording, the 14 year old Singaporean violinist performs Ysaÿe Sonata for Solo Violin no.3 ‘Ballade’
Chloe Chua plays Ysaÿe
World Alzheimer’s Day: Manchester Camerata release ‘Untold’
Violin disaster! Can this violin be fixed?
Matt Haimovitz performs Ligeti Solo Sonata for Cello
Solem Quartet play Kate Bush’s ‘And Dream of Sheep’
Alma Deutscher performs Schubert’s Ständchen
Alisa Weilerstein performs at Wigmore Hall
Violinist to Violinist: Tasmin Little and Mathilde Milwidsky
Shinichi Suzuki group lesson
TwoSet Violin perform Dvořák ‘American’ Quartet on fractional instruments
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Dutch treasures
The Strad Calendar 2022 showcases twelve of the finest instruments belonging to the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation. Head of collection Frits Schutte outlines its work, while Hubert de Launay gives a tour of the riches
Optical effects in Lutherie: Reflected Glories
Why do some instruments look completely different in varying kinds of light? In this lutherie feature from August 2013, Michael Molnar explains how an understanding of wood, varnish and their optical interactions can produce magical results
Using ‘Digital Amati’ in violin making
In this extract from September 2017, Harry Mairson introduces the ’Digital Amati’ software used in conjunction with Euclidean geometry to design string instruments
Between the Baroque and modern age: Vuillaume’s ‘Messiah’ Strad
Stefan-Peter Greiner examines Vuillaume’s unorthodox method of fastening and extending the neck in his copy of the ‘Messiah’ Strad. From November 1996
Using Artificial Intelligence in violin making
In the September 2021 issue, Sebastian Gonzalez investigates artificial intelligence (AI) software to examine violin forms
‘Spanish Court’ Stradivari viola copy by Diego del Valle
A chance to check out the decorated viola that is the subject of The Strad Podcast Episode #11
Masterclass
Masterclass: Julia Fischer on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Third Movement
Conversations between instruments, harmony and articulation all form part of Julia Fischer’s discussion of this joyous third movement
Masterclass: Natalie Clein on Haydn Cello Concerto in D major
The cellist discusses the improvisational freedom, humour and joy that are central to her own interpretation of the first movement of this popular audition piece
Masterclass: Rainer Moog on Brahms’s Viola Sonata in F minor op.120 no.1
Viola pedagogue Rainer Moog revisits the original score for clarinet and reveals some alterations that may be better left unchanged, in this article from the August 2015 issue of The Strad
Live-streamed concert review: KAIA Quartet
Bruce Hodges attends the show at Depaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL, US, on 24 July 2021, from the comfort of his own computer
Live-streamed concert review: Jack Liebeck (violin) Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) Julian Bliss (clarinet) Katya Apekisheva (piano) Voces8
Tim Homfray watches the recital at the Voces8 Centre (St Anne and St Agnes Church) in London, UK, on 17 July 2021
Live-streamed concert review: Claudio Bohórquez (cello) Christoph Eschenbach (piano)
Peter Quantrill tunes into the show from Teldex Studios, Berlin, Germany, on 16 June 2021
Concert review: Nicola Benedetti (violin) Aurora Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
Peer Quantrill hears the performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 4 July 2021
Concert review: Johan Dalene (violin) Julien Quentin (piano)
Charlotte Gardner visits the Verbier Festival in Switzerland to hear the performance at Verbier Church on 18 July 2021
Concert review: The Knights
Bruce Hodges hears the recital at Bryant Park, New York, NY, US, on 23 July 2021
Debate
Opinion: Across the decades
Karen Gomyo revisits recordings by ‘golden age’ violinists, and explores why these performances are still so meaningful today
Opinion: Make ’em laugh
Humour can be a useful tool when teaching – especially online, argues Naomi Yandell
Accessories
Products October 2021: D’Addario viola micro tuner
D’Addario’s micro tuner, originally designed to clip on to a violin, is now available with a viola mount.
Products October 2021: CAD Audio USB microphone kit
A USB studio kit from CAD Audio
Products October 2021: Gewa Air Luthier case
Gewa’s new case puts instrument makers’ feedback into practice
Artists
Female composers: A woman’s touch
Quartets written by women are too often overlooked by today’s performers, argues Ian Lawrence. In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 2011), he recommends an array of works to hear and play from a repertoire spanning three centuries
‘There is no separation of music and technique’ – Joshua Bell on virtuosic encores
The violinist explains why it’s crucial to prioritise musicality as well as technical prowess when performing encores by Paganini, Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps
’I remember one festival promoter describing him to me as being “tough as old boots” – Julian Lloyd Webber on Marius May
Marius May, who died last year, led the generation of British cellists that emerged after Jacqueline du Pré. Here, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber remembers him
Education Resources
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