All Features articles – Page 14
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTwo-fingered Tchaikovsky: Beating the odds
Despite losing the function of the third and fourth fingers of his left hand through focal dystonia and a shoulder injury, violinist Clayton Haslop was determined to continue playing. Here he shares his story
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Right place, right time
For Renaud Capuçon, recording Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle was a dream come true – and one that he couldn’t allow to be derailed by Covid-19’s lockdown restrictions, as he tells Charlotte Gardner
-
Premium ❘ FeatureVieuxtemps cadenzas: Following the clues
The recent discovery of another cadenza to the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, likely by Vieuxtemps, sheds an interesting light on the early performance history of the work, writes Martin Wulfhorst
-
Premium ❘ FeatureTeaching chamber music: light-bulb moments
Giving formal chamber music training to students during their school years is vital for fostering a lifelong commitment to the art, writes Graham Oppenheimer, senior chamber music tutor at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: No holds barred
For Amandine Beyer and her Gli Incogniti period ensemble, the string symphonies of C.P.E. Bach represented an opportunity to record difficult but exhilarating repertoire. Charlotte Gardner recalls attending the 2019 sessions, as the album nears its release following Covid-19 delays
-
Premium ❘ FeatureThe viola d’amore: For a sympathetic ear
The viola d’amore is undergoing a resurgence in popularity among early music groups, with a wealth of repertoire still to be rediscovered. Rachael Durkin tracks the development of this unique instrument, examining its many precursors along the way
-
Premium ❘ FeatureEvolving interpretations: The long and winding road
The development of the great violinists from fresh young artists to profound musical thinkers can be charted through their recorded interpretations. Nathaniel Vallois uses his time in lockdown to examine changes in the playing style of some of the best-known names
-
Premium ❘ FeatureDover Quartet: United in sound
After twelve years together, the Dover Quartet is marking its graduation to the ranks of mature ensembles with a new Beethoven recording cycle and a residency at the Curtis Institute. The players speak to Charlotte Smith from the Bravo! Vail Music Festival
-
Premium ❘ FeatureThe Spice of Life: Teaching different styles
Too often string teachers shy away from embracing styles outside the Western classical canon, but in doing so they’re ignoring a wealth of useful skills and techniques, not to mention repertoire, writes Julie Lyonn Lieberman
-
Premium ❘ FeatureCarlo Bisiach: Dispatches from the front line
Gennady Filimonov examines the letters between Carlo Bisiach (1892–1968) and his American representative Leo D. Larsson, which provide a fascinating perspective on the violin trade in the 1930s and 40s, as well as an insight into the Italian luthier’s working methods
-
Premium ❘ FeatureHollywood Bow Makers: Unsung heroes of the silver screen
Lasting from the late 1920s to 1960, Hollywood’s golden age was a boom time for musicians, and those who catered for them. Raphael Gold tells the stories of some of the era’s best-regarded LA bow makers, and reveals why their work should be better known today
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: American dreams
On his latest album, German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann devotes himself to the works of Bohuslav Martinů and Béla Bartók, two immigrants to the US in the wake of the Second World War, as Tom Stewart reports
-
Premium ❘ FeatureMidori: Active Listener
From getting to the core of new works to appreciating her students’ motivations, Midori is on a constant search for understanding. Toby Deller finds out how the Japanese-American violinist communicates this passion to those around her
-
Premium ❘ FeatureEnsemble Diderot: Hidden Gems
This month Ensemble Diderot releases The Berlin Album, the latest in its ‘cities’ recording series, juxtaposing works by established 17th- and 18th-century composers alongside those of lesser-known contemporaries. Ensemble founder and violinist Johannes Pramsohler speaks to Pwyll ap Siôn about why these works deserve greater attention
-
Premium ❘ FeatureEmpty Chairs at Empty Tables: Lutherie and Covid-19
Violin makers worldwide were hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak as the customers dried up – nowhere more so than in Italy. Peter Somerford speaks to makers in Cremona, Florence and Modena to find out how the industry is gradually getting back on its feet
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Early Inspirations
Violinist Tessa Lark’s new collaborative album, The Stradgrass Sessions, brings together the musical influences of her childhood, fusing bluegrass, folk, jazz and classical styles. The project might easily have been delayed by Covid-19, but her musical partners were only too happy to record remotely
-
Premium ❘ FeatureNot Quite Cinderella: The Viola in Late-Georgian Britain
Britain during the late Georgian era was fertile ground for the viola as a serious chamber and solo instrument – and witnessed a flourishing in standards of playing and making, writes Kevin MacDonald
-
Premium ❘ FeatureThe Lost Art of Cremonese Violin Archings
The old Cremonese luthiers’ method of designing violin archings has been lost in the mists of time. Andrew Dipper uses evidence from 18th-century manuals to propose how they might have done it, through a system encompassing string lengths, internal forms… and a lot of mathematics
-
Premium ❘ FeatureAll for one: Nicola Benedetti
When violinist Nicola Benedetti launched her Benedetti Sessions at the beginning of this year she had no idea that the mass-participation workshops for string players and teachers would be stalled by Covid-19. Undeterred, she moved the programme online, which, as she tells Peter Somerford, was no bad thing
-
Premium ❘ FeatureIda Haendel: Grande dame of the violin
Following Ida Haendel’s death at the age of 96 in July 2020, Tully Potter surveys the career of an exceptional performer and a remarkable woman. From September 2020