All Article articles – Page 107
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ArticleViolin legend Ruggiero Ricci dies at 94
Violin virtuoso Ruggiero Ricci has died at the age of 94, of heart failure, according to his son Gian-Franco Ricci. He was a towering figure in the string world, a former child prodigy known for his technical brilliance and range of colour, which combined in definitive performances ...
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Cremona-based bow maker Giovanni Lucchi dies aged 69
The Italian bow maker Giovanni Lucchi has died at the age of 69. Born in Romagna, he originally trained as a double bassist before becoming a bow maker. He founded a school of bow making in Cremona in 1976. His reputation as a bow maker was such that he made ...
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Philadelphia Orchestra exits bankruptcy
The Philadelphia Orchestra has officially emerged from bankruptcy. In June a US bankruptcy court judge approved a reorganisation plan that will see the orchestra reduce the number of musicians from 105 to 95 and cut their pay by 15 per cent. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association said in a statement ...
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ArticleThierry Barbé plays Debussy Cello Sonata
Here's Thierry Barbé performing his transcription for double bass of Debussy's Cello Sonata, which is available to download at www.thestrad.com
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International Federation of Musicians calls on musicians to boycott orchestra
The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has called for musicians worldwide to boycott the upcoming auditions for posts within the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). The Paris-based organisation has accused the orchestra of dismissing nine of its musicians ‘for no reason whatsoever’, and of issuing new contracts to the remaining 70 ...
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Cellist Natalia Gutman wins German music prize
Russian cellist Natalia Gutman has been awarded a €10,000 music prize by the Association of German Concert Agents (AGCA). The 69-year-old will receive the award at a ceremony in Stuttgart on 13 September. In its citation, the association praised Gutman for her contribution to musical life in Germany, particularly ...
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Public funding cut for Dutch string quartets, chamber groups and festivals
The Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten, the Dutch performing arts fund, has slashed its funding for ensembles and arts projects. Only 80 arts companies will receive grants in the 2013–16 funding period, down from 118 in the previous round four years ago. Sixty per cent of applications – a total of ...
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Sydney Symphony announces partnership with Guangzhou conservatoire
Australia's Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has launched a three-year partnership with the Xinghai Conservatory of Music (XCM) in Guangzhou, China. The tie-up will involve musicians from the SSO coaching XCM students, starting in Guangzhou during the orchestra's tour of China this October. At a later date, XCM students will ...
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Memorial to violin maker Jin Chang Heryern unveiled in Kiso, Japan
A public memorial to violin maker Jin Chang Heryern has been erected in the town of Kiso, Japan. The South Korean-born luthier, who died in May at the age of 82, began his career as a maker in the town. The stone memorial, situated on Kiso's main street, was ...
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ArticlePiazzolla's Libertango
In the August issue, string players explain why they 'went crazy' for the tangos of Astor Piazzolla. Here's Ikuko Kawai performing his Libertango on a 1715 Stradivari
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Violinist Victor Aitay, Chicago Symphony concertmaster for 19 years, dies
Victor Aitay, who performed for 19 years as concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), died on 24 July at the age of 91. He played with the orchestra for 50 seasons, also serving as assistant and associate concertmaster, and concertmaster emeritus until 2003. Born in Budapest in 1921, ...
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Violinist Frank Almond to make ‘Lipinski' recording after reaching crowdfunding target
US violinist Frank Almond has succeeded in raising more than $30,000 for his latest recording project. In August, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster will record works associated with the 1715 'Lipinski' Stradivari violin, which he has played since 2008. Almond used the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to raise the necessary ...
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Kazakh violinist Erzhan Kulibaev wins Buenos Aires International Violin Competition
Erzhan Kulibaev, a 25-year-old from Kazakhstan, has won first prize at the second Buenos Aires International Violin Competition. Kulibaev, who studied with Zakhar Bron in Madrid and in Novosibirsk, received $20,000 for his first prize, and also won a $2,500 award for the best performance of Argentine tangos. Second prize ...
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Government considers options for orchestras amid falling audience numbers
New Zealand's Ministry for Culture and Heritage has launched a review of the country's professional orchestras, and has released a discussion paper inviting feedback on possible scenarios for the future of the sector. The review concerns the national orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO), and the country's ...
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Obscure Italian composer, and not Vivaldi, may have written Baroque violin concerto
The violin concerto discovered in the archives of the Dresden State Library last June is ‘almost certainly’ not by Vivaldi, according to Baroque expert Michael Talbot. It now appears likely that the work was written by the lesser-known Italian composer Francesco Maria Cattaneo. A contemporary of Johann Georg ...
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ArticleSchubert: 'Death and the Maiden'
In the August issue of The Strad, violinist Arnold Steinhardt discusses Schubert’s String Quartet in D minor D810 ‘Death and the Maiden’. Here's a performance by the Takács Quartet.
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Füssen holds exhibition to celebrate Cremonese violins
A new exhibition in the German town of Füssen celebrates the history of violin making in Cremona. The instrument exhibition at the Füssen Heritage Museum includes five historical violins: one of the instruments made by Andrea Amati for King Charles IX of France in c.1566, a violin by Francesco ...
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ArticleJack Quartet plays Xenakis
The Jack Quartet's Wigmore Hall Live disc of music by Ligeti, Pintscher, Cage and Xenakis is a recommended CD in our July issue. Here is the quartet in an earlier Xenakis recording.
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ArticleStefano Scodanibbio
The July issue includes a tribute to the late, great double bassist and composer Stefano Scodanibbio. Here he is playing one of his solo bass pieces, & Roll, in 2009
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Baroque cellist Beiliang Zhu takes first prize at Bach Competition in Leipzig
Baroque cellist Beiliang Zhu, from China, won first prize in the cello/Baroque cello division of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. Zhu, 26, who has studied with Steven Doane, Phoebe Carrai and Sarah Cunningham, received €10,000. Second prize went to Hungarian cellist Ditta Rohmann, 29. French cellist Clara ...
