All Blogs articles – Page 6
-
BlogsLayale Chaker on the violin as cultural chameleon
The Lebanese composer and violinist discusses the ease with which the violin can drift between genres – and why she has devoted her creative life to doing just that
-
BlogsThomas Bowes: a Bach Pilgrimage
On Tuesday 1 May I will set out again on a Bach Pilgrimage, taking round the solo violin music of J.S. Bach to communities up and down the country. My odyssey this year is a little more modest than the marathon of 2013 when I covered some four thousand miles ...
-
BlogsLife on the front desk: the BBC National Orchestra of Wales' concertmaster
On the day of the BBCNOW’s 90th anniversary, Lesley Hatfield offers some thoughts on leading and life in the orchestra
-
BlogsIf you want the industry to change, you have to be willing to enact a change yourself
The violinist and co-founder of the Manchester Collective on her musical philosophy and forging new ground in an increasingly conservative music world
-
Blogs6 mindfulness techniques for music teachers
Mindfulness is an invaluable tool for teaching students how to concentrate on-stage, improve awareness in the practice room, play pain-free, and move on from disappointing auditions or performance experiences, writes Dr. Travis Baird
-
Blogs9 ways for musicians to think like top athletes
Carole Talbot-Honeck earned her Masters degree from The University of Ottawa studying the psychological prerequisites for optimal musical performance. Here, she outlines a number of sporting attitudes, which are of equal value to musicians
-
Blogs‘Just think of love’: Vadim Gluzman on Leonard Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium'
As the violinist heads to London to perform the work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he tells The Strad what is special about this violin concerto in all but name – and of his surprise that it is not programmed more often
-
BlogsLearning how to lose control is Paganini's gift to violin music
With his new album of music by and inspired by Paganini out today, Michael Barenboim writes that the great violinist’s legacy as a composer is the invention of a specific kind of headlong virtuosity
-
FocusConquering performance nerves: starting well and keeping tempo on track
Brian Hodges answers student questions on coping with stage fright
-
BlogsConquering performance nerves: sweaty hands, losing bow grip
Brian Hodges answers student questions on coping with stage fright
-
BlogsTamsin Waley-Cohen: 7 tips for making a successful recording
Making a recording comes with its own special set of pressures, and moving from the stage to the studio isn’t the easiest transition for a musician to make. Here violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen sets out her advice earned through experience
-
BlogsClare Howick on finding inspiration in the personalities of the ‘Maurin’ Stradivarius and 'DeLay' Guadagnini
Like many violinists I have had the occasional opportunity to play on some lovely violins. For example, for my recently released recital disc, British Music for Violin and Piano, I was fortunate to play on the ‘Dorothy DeLay’ Guadagnini (1778), and for my forthcoming world premiere recording ...
-
Blogs10 tips for buying a new bow
Are you considering upgrading to a better bow but not sure where to start? Violinist and bow maker Mariia Gorkun gives practical advice on how to go about choosing the right bow for you and your instrument – Register for free to read
-
BlogsUsing innovative programmes to stimulate innovative listening
Violinist Hugo Ticciati lays out the programming philosophy which governs his O/Modernt festival
-
BlogsHow Schumann’s suppressed Violin Concerto made history – and the ideal subject for a novel
A glamorous violin virtuosa, a hidden masterpiece, a ouija board, Nazis, Ravel’s Tzigane. It’s not hard to see why author Jessica Duchen was attracted to the story of Jelly D’Arányi. As her novel becomes a UK touring concert, she writes about the strange facts behind the fiction
-
BlogsBecoming a better and happier musician through mindfulness and yoga
Violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White’s musical lives have been transformed by yoga, finding both body and mind freer and more resilient against the rigours of life as a professional musician
-
BlogsVariations on fast-forward: the extraordinary density of Émile Sauret's 24 Études-Caprices
Nazrin Rashidova’s encounter with the 19th-century French violinist’s music led her down a rabbit-hole of virtuosity and research – from which has come a PhD and a four-part recording project for Naxos
-
BlogsThe 4 crucial components of a winning competition performance
Qian Zhou, jury chair of the Singapore International Violin Competition, gives some tips on what it takes to win a share of its $110,000 prize money – plus a bonus tip on the application process
-
BlogsFrom concept to sound: What judges look for in a violin making competition
Luthier Patrick Robin, one of the jury members of the International Violin Making Competition Prague, discusses how he goes about assessing an instrument
-
Focus‘I always go for bigger double bass sections’ - conductor Donald Runnicles
The Scottish conductor and music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival shares his preference for large double bass sections in his orchestras
