All Features articles
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Premium ❘ FeatureSeven, they are seven: Nicolò Amati cello 1642
One of only seven known cellos by Nicolò Amati, this 1642 example is in an excellent state of preservation. Alberto Giordano examines its history and provenance, while Barthélemy Garnier discovers what its condition can tell us about the old Cremonese working methods, and Francesco Piasentini discusses CT-scanning the cello
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Premium ❘ FeaturePromise and possibility: the Isidore Quartet
The Isidore Quartet players tell Pauline Harding about their sudden propulsion into professional string quartet playing, a beloved mentor whose loss has inspired their debut album, and their emotionally raw collaboration with the composer Billy Childs
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Premium ❘ FeaturePaganini Quartet: When the stars aligned
The Paganini Quartet was formed 80 years ago in Los Angeles, named after the four Stradivari instruments in its members’ charge. Tully Potter looks at the group’s dazzling but relatively short career
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Premium ❘ FeatureBending the rules: arching constructions
How can luthiers create an instrument’s arching from scratch? Sebastian Gonzalez presents a possible solution to an age-old dilemma, using simple formulas and the latest technology
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Violinist Ning Feng on recording the Goldmark and Brahms violin concertos
Violinist Ning Feng speaks to Harry White about recording two contrasting 19th-century concertos – Goldmark’s First and Brahms’s mighty warhorse – and how he strives to serve the voice of the composer above all
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Premium ❘ FeatureIberian lutherie guilds: Tradition and Innovation
Instrument making in the Iberian peninsula was once tightly controlled by a network of guilds. Pablo Soriano examines regulations and personal documents to reveal the details of luthiers’ working lives
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Premium ❘ FeatureStella Chen: a bright future
The American violinist chats with Rebecca Franks about her philosophy of playing and teaching, studying at Harvard, her experience of winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition and her new album, which marks a fresh chapter in her career
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Premium ❘ FeatureStanding on great shoulders: the Lakatos dynasty
The Lakatos family has long been synonymous with Gypsy violin playing. Erika Nyerges looks at the key figures of this generations-old musical dynasty, meeting Sándor Déki Lakatos along the way and discovering what it takes to become a Roma musician
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Premium ❘ FeatureA master of his craft: Simone Fernando Sacconi
Born 130 years ago, Simone Fernando Sacconi was a brilliant violin maker and restorer, a respected teacher and, latterly, a celebrated author. Friends, colleagues and former students share their memories with Peter Somerford
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Premium ❘ FeatureAmaryllis Fleming: A life less ordinary
To mark a hundred years since the birth of Amaryllis Fleming in December 1925, Oskar Falta takes a look at the British cellist’s colourful life and influential career, and hears from one of her pupils – Raphael Wallfisch
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe mindful hands: creative health for musicians
Pedro de Alcantara considers a playful yet philosophical approach to boosting health for the curious musician, and suggests some novel arm, wrist, hand and finger exercises for string players
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Cellist Gautier Capuçon on recording new album ‘Gaïa’
Cellist Gautier Capuçon tells Charlotte Gardner about his new album, Gaïa, which features a climate change-inspired programme showcasing 17 new works by 16 composers
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Premium ❘ FeatureForms follow function: early Stradivari violin patterns
Unlike his contemporaries, Antonio Stradivari was trying out different violin patterns from the start of his career as a luthier. Philip Ihle examines a number of his early violins to discover how his art evolved
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Premium ❘ FeatureA youthful spirit: violinist Johan Dalene
The young Swedish violin virtuoso Johan Dalene speaks to Jessica Duchen about his evolution as a musician, his passion for contemporary music and his latest album that pairs the Bruch and Mendelssohn concertos
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Premium ❘ FeatureLetters from America: 130 years of Hindemith
To mark the 130th anniversary of Paul Hindemith’s birth, Carlos María Solare delves into the composer and violist’s US years and hears from three leading soloists about what his music means to them
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Premium ❘ FeatureSing the body electric: early amplified instruments
The 1920s saw a demand for louder, more resonant instruments, and resourceful violin makers rose to the challenge. Clifford Hall looks at some of the innovative solutions they came up with
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: violinist Chloë Hanslip on recording the Bennett and Duke violin concertos
Violinist Chloë Hanslip chats to Harry White about giving voice to two neglected concertos by 20th-century Broadway composers who were compatriots of George Gershwin
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Calidore Quartet: scaling the summit
Having completed the epic task of recording all of Beethoven’s string quartets, the members of the Calidore Quartet speak to Thomas May about their 15‑year journey from Colburn classmates to international acclaim
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe greatest storyteller: Itzhak Perlman at 80
As he turns 80, the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman speaks to Ariane Todes about everything from his stellar career to his teaching ethos, and his approach to social media stardom
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Premium ❘ FeatureHeroes of the Jazz Age: American bows in 1925
For many reasons, the 1920s saw the first great boom in American bow making. Raphael Gold tells the stories of some of the original US bow makers and examines examples of their work
