Featured Stories – Page 56
-
Premium ❘ FocusMusic by the sea: Postcard from Cornwall
The annual series of masterclasses held in the spectacular setting of Cornwall’s Prussia Cove celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Rita Fernandes explores its welcoming and nurturing atmosphere
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Second Viennese journey
Sara Wolstenholme and Christopher Murray, both of the Heath Quartet, talk to Toby Deller about their pre-pandemic recording of intense Second Viennese School quartets – music from another time and place, in more ways than one
-
Blogs’Representing nature, a sense of place and identity’: Harriet Mackenzie on three new commissions
Violinist Harriet Mackenzie reflects on a busy summer of commissioned projects influenced by nature, special locations and personal collaborations
-
FocusFrom the archive: Joseph Joachim, endurance violinist
In this extract from an article in the May 1894 issue of The Strad, our correspondent Robin H Legge does not try to hide his adulation for the most celebrated violinist of the time
-
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Playing by numbers
In theory, it is possible for a student to gain their ABRSM Grade 8 having only learnt 24 pieces in their life. Davina Shum argues that such a quantified approach to learning is no way to become a rounded musician
-
Premium ❘ Article‘I recall lessons with teachers texting on the phone while I was playing’: Letters to the editor July 2022
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: July 2022 issue
-
Premium ❘ Feature‘Dvorak was a brilliant specimen of a bad conductor’: From the archive: July 1932
The great cellist and pedagogue Carl Fuchs (1865–1951) recalls some of the great players and composers seen during his time in Manchester – including the original Brodsky Quartet
-
BlogsThe Danish Quartet: ’Our string quartet is the pot into which we can each pour our personal dreams and ideas’
Violist of the Danish Quartet Asbjørn Nørgaard shares the ensemble’s need to further explore string quartet repertoire through its Prism project
-
Focus10 essential pieces for string orchestra
As Endellion Quartet violinist Andrew Watkinson prepares to lead the Guildhall String Ensemble, he tells us his favourite works for strings – and we put them in a convenient playlist. From 2019
-
BlogsViolinist Fedor Rudin on performing and directing post-Classical concertos from the violin
How does one conduct violin concertos by Prokofiev, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian - and play the solo part as well? French-Russian violinist Fedor Rudin shares his approach
-
Blogs‘Full of golden sounds’: Andrew Bernardi’s top 5 string pieces from Sussex
The violinist and founder of the Bernardi Music Group shares his favourite pieces that have originated or taken inspiration from the English counties of Sussex
-
FocusThe harmonious string quartet - a balance of four personality types
No one said that living in a quartet was easy - but the most successful groups develop a unique identity that survives vitriolic relationships and even personnel changes, writes Paul Robertson. From 2005
-
Blogs‘Paganini’s Caprices can actually be fun!’: Violinist Fenella Humphreys
The violinist illustrates her love of Paganini’s 24th Caprice with why she commissioned twelve composers to write a new variation on the theme
-
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: The power of imagination
To enhance a pupil’s learning, it is useful to build a list of words and catchphrases that conjure images relating to different techniques. Jeffrey Howard introduces his own ‘violin vocabulary’
-
Focus‘Don’t take yourself too seriously, but take what you do seriously’: Johannes Moser answers your questions
Cellist Johannes Moser shares his expertise on performance, life as a busy musician, plus his favourite concert to date
-
BlogsCrash course: are there benefits when things go wrong in a competition?
There was drama at the inaugural Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition this week, in everything but the string result, writes Andrew Mellor. From 2015
-
FocusThe Inner Monsters responsible for performance nerves
In order to equip musicians for emotionally disconnecting from their negative thoughts, flautist Katie Frisco unpacks the three categories of Inner Monsters she characterises as being responsible for performance anxiety
-
Premium ❘ FocusSentimental Work: Joshua Bell
Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto no.2 brings back fond memories for the American violinist, from studies at Meadowmount to reminiscences of his mentor Josef Gingold
-
BlogsFour preparation musts for competition season
Practice and performance consultant Adam Hockman shares practical habits and strategies for musicians preparing for competitions
-
FocusHow to prepare for a competition: Valentino Worlitzsch, Pacem in Terris Competition
The cellist won the €10,000 first prize at the 2014 Pacem in Terris competition in Bayreuth, Germany, and was a prizewinner at the 2015 Emanuel Feuermann Competition. He shares his success strategies


























