Featured Stories
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Premium ❘ FeatureViolinist Arabella Steinbacher: angels and demons
Pauline Harding hears from the German violinist about her cathartic journey into the darkest depths and brightest heights of Lentz’s Violin Concerto, its pairing with Beethoven on her latest recording and the impact of motherhood on music making
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Premium ❘ FocusPostcard from Germany: Heidelberg String Quartet Festival
Carlos María Solare joined the loyal audience at Heidelberg’s String Quartet Festival, which celebrated both its 20th anniversary and the upcoming 90th birthday of composer Helmut Lachenmann
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BlogsPerformance practice: the missing step in every musician’s practice routine
Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała shares why it’s important not only to practise, but to practise performing - and how implementing this in your routine can help you gain confidence on stage
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BlogsMarathon at Wigmore: The Jack Quartet has world-burning energy to spare
Jack Quartet violinist Austin Wulliman and violist John Pickford Richards speak with US correspondent Thomas May about their upcoming marathon at Wigmore Hall, where the ensemble will perform three signature programmes all on the same day
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BlogsHow we transcribed Bach’s Goldberg Variations for flute, violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo
The early music group Nevermind outlines the challenges and its immersive process to transcribe Bach’s mighty opus for its instrumentation
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Premium ❘ ArticleViolinist James Ehnes: an exclusive profile from The Strad’s archive, November 2007
Charismatic, honest, self-critical, and with an amazingly relaxed approach to performing, the Canadian virtuoso charms Michael Quinn in this archive interview from The Strad’s November 2007 issue
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Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Fabio Biondi on Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette
Discovering Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette was a pivotal moment in the Italian violinist–conductor’s path to understanding the world of 19th-century Romanticism
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Premium ❘ Feature‘They never seemed quite to forgive each other’ - From the archive: March 1915
The somewhat irascible Belgian cellist Ernest de Munck, who passed away on 19 January 1915, is remembered by his student Dora Petherick
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BlogsOwls takes flight with debut album ‘Rare Birds’
One of the two cellists comprising the ‘inverted quartet’ Owls, Gabriel Cabezas speaks with US correspondent Thomas May about the ensemble’s debut album, Rare Birds.
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BlogsAisha Syed Castro: Four pieces from the African diaspora for violin
Ahead of a performance at Wigmore Hall, the violinist examines her musical and personal connections to four pieces by significant composers
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BlogsMonk, Bach and Beyond: The ETHEL Quartet with Ron Carter at Carnegie Hall
In advance of ETHEL Quartet’s Carnegie Hall debut, cellist Dorothy Lawson speaks with US correspondent Thomas May about their collaboration with the programme’s featured guest artist, legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter.
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BlogsBeyond the violin: how the Echo Collective creates soundscapes on stringed instruments
The Echo Collective explores the sonic possibilities of stringed instruments on its new album Mirror Image, using extended techniques and technology
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BlogsPlay that funky folk-Baroque: Adventures in Scottish fiddling
Violinist Keir GoGwilt tells US correspondent Thomas May about The Edinburgh Rollick, his new album with the wildly inventive early music band Ruckus, which explores the legacy of 18th-century Scottish fiddle legend Niel Gow
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Blogs‘The singular beauty from the tone of two solo violas heard together’: exploring works for viola duos
Peter Mallinson examines the history and challenges of writing repertoire for two violas, ahead of the release of the album Two Violas: Regeneration, celebrating the longevity, versatility and modernity of the viola duo as an ensemble
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BlogsWhat Dame Ethel Smyth and Rebecca Clarke can teach us this International Women’s Day
Violinist Sofia Yatsyuk examines the extraordinary achievements of the two composers ahead of an album release of violin and piano works, coinciding with International Women’s Day
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Premium ❘ FeatureCellist Zara Nelsova: A sound from a dream
The Canadian-born cellist Zara Nelsova was a fierce advocate for the repertoire she loved and for four decades an inspirational teacher at the Juilliard School. Oskar Falta explores her life and remarkable career, and hears from some of the musicians who studied with her
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Premium ❘ Focus‘You have to feel you’re worthy of standing on stage’ - Julia Fischer’s life lessons
The German violinist on her influences and navigating today’s challenges
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Blogs‘Always a surprise in her writing’: Rediscovering French composer Fernande Decruck
Conductor Matthew Aubin speaks with US correspondent Thomas May about his ongoing revival of the 20th-century French composer Fernande Decruck.
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BlogsWhy we play Tchaikovsky on gut strings and period bows: Dudok Quartet Amsterdam
The sound of Tchaikovsky is not often associated with unwound gut and period bows - but perhaps that perspective should change. Cellist of Dudok Quartet Amsterdam David Faber makes the quartet’s case for performing Tchaikovsky’s rich music on a specific set-up
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Violinist Liya Petrova on recording Korngold and Strauss
Bulgarian violinist Liya Petrova tells Emma Baker about how her new album pairing Korngold’s Violin Concerto with Richard Strauss’s Violin Sonata came into being, and about striving for a sense of spontaneity
