All Focus articles
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FocusecoRosin by Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin
ecoRosin strives to leave a zero footprint on our planet whilst offering string players premium rosin recipes for colourful music making
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Focus
Masterclass: Ray Chen on Mozart Violin Concerto no.3
Francesca Dego offers tips on Mozart Violin Concerto no.4 in our January 2022 issue. Here’s a throwback to January 2016, where Ray Chen gives bowings, fingerings and ideas for interpretation in the first movement of the popular G major Concerto K216
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Focus
Sentimental Work: Guy Johnston
The Walton Cello Concerto brings back fond memories for the British cellist, from one of his first concerts to a recent performance by early mentor Steven Isserlis
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Focus
‘A teacher should be most aware of a student’s health, both mental and physical’ - bassist Mary Condliffe
The Cardiff-based double bass pedagogue explains why her students’ health is her biggest concern, in this interview from April 2012
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‘A feeling of waves and lightness’ - Francesca Dego on performing Mozart Violin Concerto no.4
Violinist Francesca Dego guides us through the finale to Mozart’s Violin Concerto no.4, illustrating how working with an orchestra can help maintain ‘the big picture’
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Focus
Four insights on the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite no.1 in G major
Have a read of what two cellists and two violists think about ‘that famous cello song’
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Focus
The Power of a Performance Psychologist
What can musicians learn from sports and ballet psychology? Violinist Emma Baird speaks to performance psychologist Britt Tajet-Foxell, with further accounts from cellist Matthew Barley and violinist Ksenia Berezina
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Focus
Three copies of Stradivari’s ‘Titian’ violin
In this extract from the January 2022 issue, Jesús Alejandro Torres introduces a study in which three copies of Stradivari’s ‘Titian’ violin were made from wood of different densities
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The Strad Podcast Episode #28: Alexandra Conunova on losing her Guadagnini violin
Conunova’s violin was seized by customs officials at Chișinău airport in October 2021. She shares what happened on that day, as well as how she finally managed to get the instrument back after two months
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Focus
Stepping up: Postcard from Munich
Held every three years, the Hindemith International Viola Competition moved beyond its local origins to become a truly world-class event in 2021 – and a fitting tribute to its namesake, as Carlos María Solare reports
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Focus
Learning the cello as an adult: Mavis Himes
Upon hearing about the retirement projects many of her friends were enjoying, psychoanalyst Mavis Himes decided to jump into the world of learning the cello. Here, she shares her experiences of picking up a new skill later in life
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Focus
How should a double bassist prepare to play Bach’s Cello Suites?
Virtuoso bassist and conservatoire professor Leon Bosch explains how he introduces the Bach Cello Suites to his students
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Focus
What is true violin legato?
In an exclusive video premiere, violinist Daniel Kurganov examines the art of legato and what violinists can learn from singers
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Focus
Masterclass: Bach Cello Suite no.5, Prélude, by Jean-Guihen Queyras
Practical tips to help you master the challenges of this most fundamental of repertoire
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Focus
The final five bars of the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite in D minor
Mats Lidström, the Leo Stern Professor of Cello at London’s Royal Academy of Music, examines the curious and sudden omission of rhythm and flow in the final five bars of Bach’s Prelude in D minor for solo cello, in this extract from the January 2022 issue
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Focus
Opinion: To speak plainly
Teaching a young student with Down’s syndrome has taught Jacqueline Vanasse the value of simple concepts and hands-on rewards
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Focus
Happy birthday, Janine Jansen!
7 January is the birthday of the acclaimed Dutch violinist, who featured as The Strad’s October 2021 cover star
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Focus
The Strad Podcast Episode #27: Kian Soltani on Shostakovich Cello Concerto no.1
’You’ve got to be in shape to play this piece. You have to have the courage to not give everything right away’
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Focus
‘The best viola of mine’ - Count Cozio’s 1773 Guadagnini viola
Alberto Giordano and Barthelemy Garnier examine the business agreement between G.B Guadagnini and Count Cozio di Salabue that allowed the luthier to create a new style of viola, in this excerpt from the January 2022 issue
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