Featured Stories – Page 135
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VideoViolin Masterclass with Nicola Benedetti
Emily from Taunton, who has been playing the violin since the age of seven, fought Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and is now in remission. As part of Make-A-Wish UK she travelled up to London to have a violin masterclass with Nicola Benedetti at the Royal Albert Hall.
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Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Beethoven String Quartet No 16 in F Major, Op 135, first movement
Casals Quartet violist Jonathan Brown scrutinises this movement and explains why this piece is less abstract and unruly than many musicians first assume
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DebateWhy do string players often sound so different on disc than live?
Too many string players are unable to take ownership of their recorded sound because they lack an external perspective, says Charlotte Gardner
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VideoLearning Beethoven with Maxim Vengerov
Three students at the Royal College of Music reveal what it’s like to work with Maxim Vengerov, ‘one of the big legends of the violin’ on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.
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VideoPhiladelphia concertmaster David Kim on orchestral auditions
‘Through all of those barriers, psychological and physical, you have to make beautiful art somehow, in a setting that is so unartistic and unispiring.’ In this interview for J.W. Pepper, Philhadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim talks about how he learned to audition for orchestras and how to thrive in the ...
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FocusAsk the Experts: how to eliminate tension in the bow arm and hand
Three teachers give their thoughts on eliminating right hand, arm and shoulder tension in a young student
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FocusMoonkyung Lee: add a 21st-century miniature to your recital
The violinist delves into one of the contemporary pieces from her latest album and explains why expanding the instrument’s repertoire is not just worthwhile but alo fun and exciting
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FocusSentimental work: Jennifer Koh on Kaija Saariaho’s 'Graal théâtre'
Saariaho’s violin concerto contains multiple layers of meaning for the US violinist – as well as a personal connection with the composer
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FocusBaroque violin: How to get the most out of a bow stroke
Bow control and son filé with Simon Standage, professor of Baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music and leader of the Salomon Quartet
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Focus7 tips from the class of Jascha Heifetz
Sherry Kloss was Heifetz’s student and later teaching assistant – he even left her a Tononi violin and a Tourte bow in his will. Here she recalls some of the master’s methods
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Video'Playing', a short film from St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh
Violinist Nicola Benedetti and cellist Steven Isserlis feature in this new short film showing them tutoring pupils from Scotland’s national music school, St Mary’s in Edinburgh. The teenage pupils on the brink of leaving the school are violinist Sophie Williams and cellist Hugh MacKay.
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FocusIndependence and flexibility in the left-hand thumb
The first in a two-part article on techniques and tricks to loosen your hands and free up your instrument hold by Gwen Thompson-Robinow
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FocusIt’s so important for Prokofiev's concerto not to become just a showpiece for the soloist
Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto provides myriad possibilities for interpretation – and Pekka Kuusisto takes inspiration from dreams, diamonds, the Beach Boys and Romeo and Juliet to find them. From the June 2018 issue
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FocusGeared pegs: why isn't everyone using them?
Geared pegs have their advocates and detractors but, as Tom Stewart finds out, the innovation has benefits for a broad range of players, from young students to seasoned professionals
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ArticleA cello quartet with one cello
Four members of the Wiener Cello Ensemble 5+1 perform Ravel's Bolero on a single instrument to great comic effect. Watch: Music teacher loses temper with violinist – with destructive results
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FocusSentimental work: Lynn Harrell on Bloch's Schelomo
For the US cellist, the singing qualities and narrative drive of Bloch’s Schelomo bring evocative memories and spiritual uplift. From the January 2017 issue
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FocusDid Beethoven write idiomatically for the string quartet?
The Casals Quartet has embarked on a large-scale Beethoven cycle, both in the studio and on tour to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The players speak to Richard Wigmore about the demands of the repertoire, which in so many ways was ahead of its time
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FocusTechnique: Minna Rose Chung on double stopping and Tartini tones
Using ‘difference tones’ to perfect your intonation when tackling double stopping passagework
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FocusTwo ♭ or not two ♭ – on the Adagio from Bach's Violin Sonata no.1
Excessive reverence for Bach’s manuscript is leading violinists to make a mistake early in the first sonata, writes Hagai Shaham
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DebateWith vibrato the question isn't just about more or less, but also about variety of sound
It is a wonderfully expressive tool when used sensitively, but soloists especially should take greater advantage of the various vibrato possibilities, writes violist Hartmut Rohde
