All Focus articles – Page 66
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FocusDaniel Müller-Schott on Shostakovich's Cello Concerto no.1
For the German cellist, this concerto brings back memories of a year of mentorship by the great Mstislav Rostropovich
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FocusAaron Rosand: My most memorable musical experience
Aaron Rosand The US violinist and teacher recalls a nerve-racking performance and hands on some advice drawn from his many years under the spotlight
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FocusProfessional string players reveal their favourite accessory
We asked six string musicians to name the one most treasured addition to their kit – though for some it was doing without something which made the difference
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FocusThe many basses of Barry Guy: from Gasparo da Salò to modern travel instruments
Barry Guy with his Roger Dawson travel bass (Photo ©Francesca Pfeffer) The following is an extract from a longer article in The Strad December 2017 – to read it in full, download the issue on desktop computer, via the The Strad App, or buy the print edition ...
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FocusHilary Hahn discusses why Vieuxtemps’ Fourth Violin Concerto is so special to her
Musicality, virtuosity, expression – this work requires a good deal from any player, especially if they start to learn it at the age of ten
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FocusDouble stopping on the cello: How to play passages of 3rds and 6ths with more fluidity
Technique advice, exercises and repertoire examples from Lionel Handy, cello professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Birmingham Conservatoire and Winchester College, UK
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FocusFrom the archive: Yehudi Menuhin discusses his violins, including this Guarneri copy by Glen Collins
These photographs of a 1987 copy of the ‘d’Egville’ Guarneri by Glen Collins appeared in the April 1991 issue alongside an interview feature with Yehudi Menuhin on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The interviewer was Tully Potter – who still works with The Strad as our historical consultant
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FocusLuthiers' favourite gadgets from ancient plant matter to the latest tech
We asked some top makers and restorers to share their favourite labour-saving devices, and got a fascinatingly broad range of responses
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FocusSteven Isserlis's trench cello encores
In 2014, when violin dealer Charles Beare introduced Steven Isserlis to a ‘box cello’ played in the trenches of the First World War, there was an instant connection. Isserlis has now recorded wartime works on the humble ‘holiday’ instrument, as he tells Kimon Daltas
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FocusHi-res revelations: how CT scanning is revealing the secrets of the old Cremonese makers
In the January 2018 issue of The Strad, Rudolf Hopfner explores the CT scanning of stringed instruments, explaining how the technology works, some of the terms involved, and exactly what kind of revelations can be gleaned from the resulting images. Below, he interprets CT images of instruments by Amati, Stradivari, ...
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FocusCan these new tailpiece designs raise the tonal game of your instrument?
Until recently, the importance of an instrument’s tailpiece was barely realised. Vicky Sharpe talks to some of the craftsmen who have been experimenting with different materials and designs to help maximise an instrument’s sound quality
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FocusNatural playing on violin and viola, inspired by the Alexander Technique
Exercises to release tension and improve ease of movement when playing the violin by Tomas Cotik, violin professor at Portland State University
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FocusGreat cellists: Emanuel Feuermann
Although he died aged just 39, the Austrian cellist and teacher left a recorded legacy that deserves wider recognition. Tully Potter examines his life and career
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FocusIrvine Arditti's sentimental work: Helmut Lachenmann's Grido
For the Arditti Quartet’s founder and first violinist, Helmut Lachenmann’s String Quartet no.3 Grido contains unorthodox challenges and an unusual sense of passion
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FocusRenaud Capuçon: the mentee becomes the mentor
This has been a year of achievements for Renaud Capuçon – from celebrating the fifth anniversary of his Aix Easter Festival to winning an ECHO Klassik award – yet the French violinist is happiest when mentoring the next generation of talented musicians, finds Charlotte Gardner
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FocusMasterclass: Johannes Moser on Brahms E minor Cello Sonata no.1 op.38
The German-Canandian cellist takes a look at structure, character and speed, and explains why it is so important to honour the composer’s bowings, in the first and second movements of the E minor Sonata
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FocusFrom the Archive: the 1729 ‘Récamier’ Stradivarius from the January 1991 issue of The Strad
Mischa Elman’s violin was featured alongside an article marking his centenary, extracted from the book Mischa Elman and the Romantic Style by Allan Kozinn
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FocusStradivari's Cremona was an unstable place, ravaged by war and disease
Exactly 280 years ago in December, master violin maker Antonio Stradivari met his end. Here Andrew Dipper recounts how the changes that took place in Cremona during his final years influenced the creation of his later masterpieces
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FocusMaking a carbon fibre bow in 10 steps – photo story
Founded in 1999, Arcus has developed a reputation for making lightweight, durable bows from non-traditional materials. Company director Bernd Müsing explains how a composite bow is made, from initial design to first hair fitting
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FocusIt's the inside of the violin which governs its sound – how did we end up carving the outside arch first?
For almost two centuries luthiers have been copying instruments using the French method which, Torbjörn Zethelius argues, doesn’t give the interior carving of the violin the primacy it deserves – and crucially, that which it had in the hands of the original Italian makers
