Cello Focus

It was with great sadness that we at The Strad heard of the cancellation of the 2020 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, owing to uncertainly around the Covid-19 virus. As the event’s official media partner, The Strad has been closely involved with the festival since 2012 and we know the amount of effort that artistic director Ralph Kirshbaum and his team had put into this year's edition; it promised to be a truly magnificent celebration of the cello, featuring many of the world’s leading performers.

For this reason, The Strad has put together a digital tribute to the festival, including reports on previous Piatigorsky events and a selection of the best cello coverage from our extensive archive, in collaboration with our sponsors. Here, you will find articles on great cellists of the past, masterclasses by today’s leading performers on important cello repertoire, and some cello-related features (including some from our beloved In Focus series), all illustrated with high-quality photographs.

All content in this digital Cello Focus is free to view until 23 April 2020. We hope you enjoy!

Ronder rider

'Popper's cello studies force you to know the fingerboard inside out'

The cellist and Boston Conservatory chair of strings considers the value of the composer's etudes

LauraVanDerHeijden

Cellist Laura van der Heijden talks about performance nerves

The British musician discusses how best to tackle and overcome a difficult issue for so many players