All Features articles
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Premium ❘ FeaturePierre Fournier: In quest of higher truth
Born 120 years ago this June, Pierre Fournier emerged as one of the 20th century’s most influential cellists. Oskar Falta traces his life, artistry and complex legacy, and hears from two of his former pupils
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Premium ❘ FeatureBig is beautiful: violoncello da spalla
After decades of relative neglect, the violoncello da spalla is undergoing a resurgence of interest. Daniela Gaidano, who has made several examples, looks into its history and explains its appeal for both players and makers
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Premium ❘ FeatureMysteries of the soul: soundpost acoustics
Often called the violin’s ‘soul’, the soundpost is possibly the least understood part of the instrument. Joseph Curtin details a series of experiments that shed light on the acoustic role of this tiny piece of wood
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Catalyst Quartet on recording the Chevalier de Saint-Georges quartets
Catalyst Quartet violinist Karla Donehew Perez speaks to Thomas May about the focus required to reconstruct and record all 18 string quartets by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
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Premium ❘ FeatureChamber music in small spaces: music without boundaries
Chamber music has its roots in proximity and shared listening. As the genre increasingly migrates to large halls, Irina Rostomashvili explores what happens to musical intimacy – and speaks to fellow musicians about how connection can be preserved
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Premium ❘ FeatureChristian Tetzlaff: ‘Following the score is freedom’
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff has built a career defined by artistic independence. As he celebrates his 60th birthday, he speaks to Richard Bratby about the values that have shaped his musical life
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Premium ❘ FeatureMichael Rabin: a brief flame
Michael Rabin, one of the most gifted violinists the US has ever produced, enjoyed a short but dazzling career before his untimely death at 35. To mark what would have been his 90th birthday this May, Jonathan Woolf examines Rabin’s legacy and his central place in the history of American ...
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Premium ❘ FeatureResurrection symphony: an 18th-century composite cello
The careful restoration of a composite cello identified merely as ‘possibly Italian’ proved a journey of discovery for Sally Gosling and the family team at Chapel Violins, UK
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Premium ❘ FeatureSgarabotto and Ornati: lives in fragments
When Giuseppe Ornati and Pietro Sgarabotto donated the contents of their workshops to the Cremona School of Violin Making, they ensured an enduring legacy. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti tell the story and examine some of the treasures
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Tippett Quartet on recording Glazunov’s string quartets
Harry White speaks to members of the Tippett Quartet about recording the complete string quartets of Glazunov – works that trace the composer’s journey from youthful confidence to late retrospection
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Premium ❘ FeatureMany voices, one sound: orchestral blending
How is it possible to create a seamless yet distinctive orchestral string sound? Players from some of the world’s leading orchestras speak to Peter Somerford about the techniques, traditions and listening skills that shape an orchestral identity
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Premium ❘ FeatureChiaroscuro Quartet: gut instinct
The musicians of the Chiaroscuro Quartet talk to Pauline Harding about the challenges of playing on gut strings, and the emotionally and physically demanding experience of recording the complete Beethoven string quartets
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Premium ❘ FeatureYehudi Menuhin 110th anniversary: music with friends
To mark the 110th anniversary of Yehudi Menuhin’s birth on 22 April 1916, Tully Potter presents an overview of the great violinist’s numerous chamber music partnerships and their recordings
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Premium ❘ FeatureRudolf Neudörfer: guardian of a lineage
The German bow maker Rudolf Neudörfer celebrates his 90th birthday next month. Gennady Filimonov looks back at his life and career, exploring the Neudörfer dynasty of makers and examining his bows
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: violinist Midori on recording works by Robert and Clara Schumann
Violinist Midori speaks to Thomas May about her new album, which features Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto and juxtaposes his late works alongside chamber music by Clara Schumann
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Premium ❘ FeatureBack to life: an 18th-century viola concerto rediscovered
When writer and music director Gerald Elias was looking for a work to include in a recent concert, he and violist Devan Maria Freebairn unearthed a rare viola concerto by 18th-century composer Markus Heinrich Graul. They explain how they prepared for its performance and first ever recording
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Premium ❘ FeatureFrank Peter Zimmermann: ‘Music that possesses you’
Frank Peter Zimmermann is one of the first German musicians to record Elgar’s emotionally charged Violin Concerto, in a new release with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He speaks with Thomas Eisner, a first violinist with the LPO, about bringing the work to life
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Premium ❘ FeatureInveterate innovator: Louis Noebe
Despite success in his own time, and a penchant for experimentation, German maker Louis Noebe is an almost forgotten figure in lutherie history. Clifford Hall examines his life and achievements
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Premium ❘ FeatureUS school repair shops: close to home
In US public school music programmes, broken instruments can harm students’ learning and create stress for teachers. Rita Fernandes discovers the schools that are tackling the problem head on by offering free repairs via in-house repair shops
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn a spirit of collaboration: Brandenburg experiments
Makers at the annual Brandenburg violin making workshop joined forces on a two-year project to build and test two identical violins, one of which was made with treated wood. The results were intriguing. Adam Winskill reports on the methodology and findings
