All Focus articles – Page 42
-
FocusViolinist Tomás Cotik on how to produce clear and controlled ricochet bowing
The violinist demonstrates ricochet technique in a series of videos
-
Focus'I disagree strongly with idea of a “deeper” Beethoven and “lighter” Beethoven' – Jean-Guihen Queyras
Recording Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto last June allowed French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras to step back into near normality, among colleagues and friends. He tells Pauline Harding about recording at a social distance
-
FocusRohan de Saram: Life Lessons
The former cellist of the Arditti Quartet on his journey from the 19th to the 20th century, and returning to his childhood studies of traditional Sri Lankan drumming
-
FocusI gave up a Montagnana for my c.1696 Cappa cello, says Jean-Guihen Queyras
The French cellist and January 2021 cover star tells Pauline Harding about his cellos and bows
-
FocusWhat were the forerunners of the viola d’amore?
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
-
FocusWhat technical exercise has brought you the swiftest results?
The Strad's panel of experts answer string teaching questions from readers as part of our Teacher Talk series
-
FocusMade when Stradivari was 90 years old, the ‘Willemotte’ is a fitting subject for our times
The 1734 ‘Willemotte’ bears all of Antonio Stradivari’s hallmarks including a deep, complex tone quality. Sam Zygmuntowicz examines the violin
-
FocusHow did Yehudi Menuhin’s interpretations evolve over his lifetime?
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
-
Focus‘For me this recording is almost like an exorcism’ – Amandine Beyer on playing the music of C.P.E Bach
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
-
FocusCamilla Wicks – a virtuoso speaks about ambition, expectations, sacrifice and balance
In 1987 Camilla Wicks gave an interview to Louise Cavanaugh Sciannameo, then editor-in-chief of The Violexchange. Now, following Wicks’s death, Sciannameo shares this previously unpublished interview
-
FocusInnovative solutions: Postcard from Cremona
Cremona’s Mondomusica trade fair, held annually in the Italian city, was unable to go ahead as planned this year due to coronavirus. Charlotte Smith attended the alternative Special Edition, and witnessed a host of creative ways to deal with the pandemic
-
FocusKim Kashkashian's top 5 tips on combating stage fright
The Armenian-American violist used to get ‘terribly nervous’ when performing as a teenager. Here she shares her tips on preparing psychologically for a concert
-
FocusWho was the British cellist Leo Stern?
The career of the English cellist Leo Stern included the world premiere of the Dvořák Concerto under the baton of the composer, playing to Queen Victoria, and to President McKinley at the White House. Here, the cellist Mats Lidström profiles this too-little-known musician, who died aged 42
-
FocusHow can I avoid memory slips?
William Herzog, assistant professor of violin at Northern Kentucky University, US, shares techniques to help you learn music off by heart
-
FocusLatvian violinist Eva Bindere on playing music by one of her country’s greatest hidden talents
To tie in with the release of her new recording with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Bindere shares her experience of playing Tālivaldis Ķeniņš’s Violin Concerto
-
FocusWhen Vieuxtemps performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, aged 14, he was hailed as a ‘musical genius’
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
-
FocusHow did Jascha Heifetz’s interpretations evolve over his lifetime?
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
-
Focus‘I’m a classically-trained violinist, but I’d love to play Jazz. How do I start?’
The genre-bending Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis shares his top 7 tips
-
Focus‘I hope our Bach might give another musician a slight push to keep going a little longer’ – Tim Crawford
The three Tims of the Teyber Trio (cellist Tim Posner, violist Timothy Ridout and violinist Tim Crawford) talk about their genesis as a group, playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and finding the motivation to rehearse during the time of COVID
-
FocusThe Strad Calendar 2021: Giovanni Battista Rogeri cello 1695
The arching of the Rogeri is flat, unlike the bulbous forms of most of his contemporary makers
