All Focus articles – Page 21
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FocusFrom the archive: Gustav Rivinius on his 1712 Grancino cello
Published in the August 1992 issue of The Strad, this is an extract from an interview with Gustav Rivinius, who two years previously became the first and – to this day – only German to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition
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FocusFrom the archive: Kreisler’s pseudo-classics
In February 1935 Fritz Kreisler revealed that several of the pieces in his repertoire, formerly ascribed to such composers as Vivaldi and Tartini, were in fact written by him. The admission sent shockwaves throughout the music world – here M. Montagu-Nathan reacts in the March 1935 issue of The Strad
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FocusThe Arod Quartet on competition success and the pressures of life on the road
The young French players of the Arod Quartet have enjoyed rapid career success, helped in no small part by their mentor, former Ébène Quartet violist Mathieu Herzog. But being an effective 21st-century chamber musician is about much more than first-rate playing, as Charlotte Gardner discovers
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FocusFrom the archive: a 1792 viola by Venetian maker Anselmo Bellosio
In this extract from an article in the June 1992 issue of The Strad, John Dilworth takes a look at a small viola by the last of the great Venetian makers
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FocusBuilding a string sound from scratch at the Estonian Festival Orchestra
In the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado established an ensemble with its own sound character in just a few years. How can an orchestra, and its signature string section, form a distinctive sound in such little time? Paavo Järvi’s orchestra project at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia offers some ...
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FocusMinimalism for strings: An overview with performance advice from the Kronos Quartet and others
Following the emergence of minimalist music in 1960s America, some of the style’s most enduring works have been written for strings, among them Steve Reich’s Different Trains. Pwyll ap Siôn finds out how performers overcome the technical and psychological challenges of playing this music
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FocusCT scanning for luthiers: an essential guide
Increasingly, researchers are using technical CT scanners to examine instruments for construction secrets to woodworm and previous repairs. Rudolf Hopfner presents a guide to the technology and the microscopic details it can reveal
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BlogsLearning how to lose control is Paganini's gift to violin music
With his new album of music by and inspired by Paganini out today, Michael Barenboim writes that the great violinist’s legacy as a composer is the invention of a specific kind of headlong virtuosity
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FocusIn the studio with the Signum Quartet – what is the recipe for a successful recording process?
As the Signum Quartet gears up for a focus on the quartets of Jörg Widmann at the first edition of the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, its first violinist Florian Donderer and violist Xandi van Dijk report back from their recent recording sessions featuring the contemporary composer’s work
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FocusYsaÿe’s Knokke: the Belgian coastal town honouring its famed violinist son
Edward Bhesania reports from a chamber music festival in the Belgian town of Knokke themed around its illustrious one-time resident, Eugène Ysaÿe
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FocusSession report: Sol Gabetta on 'Dolce Duello', her recording collaboration with Cecilia Bartoli
The Argentinian cellist recalls the genesis of her latest album, a partnership of equals with mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli – and how their disparate talents played off each other
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FocusFrom the archive: a c.1700 cello by Pieter Rombouts from the workshop of Hendrick Jacobs, Amsterdam
This cello was featured in a two-part study by John Dilworth of Dutch maker Hendrick Jacobs in the September and October 1991 issues of The Strad. The following is an extracted from that article
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FocusAsk the experts: What should a luthier look for when choosing tonewood?
For a beginner luthier, choosing the perfect spruce and maple for an instrument can be a confusing process. Three experts in wood selection offer some guidelines
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FocusJan Vogler on performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations
For the German cellist, imagining how Tchaikovsky might have viewed the rococo period was key to reinterpreting his Rococo Variations
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Focus'If one can do something, I believe it’s important to try' – Hilary Hahn on Refugee Council concert in London
The violinist will perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at a Royal Festival Hall fundraising concert on 15 January conducted by Edward Gardner. Here she talks to The Strad about a cause close to her heart and a concerto which has become a constant companion
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FocusWIN a box set of Debussy's complete works
Although Claude Debussy wrote only a handful of chamber works over the course of his career, they included some undisputed masterpieces of the genre. In the February 2018 issue of The Strad, James Ehnes, Renaud Capuçon, Nicolas Altstaedt and Raphaël Merlin each discuss the ins and outs ...
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FocusTechnique: Viola vibrato, and how flexible joints and a keen ear can enhance your expressive range
Roger Tapping, violist of the Juilliard Quartet, on the faculty of the Juilliard School, and formerly New England Conservatory, gives a lesson on improving vibrato, particularly for violists
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FocusHeinrich Schiff: A life on record
Tully Potter introduces his guide to the recorded legacy of Austrian cellist Heinrich Schiff from the January 2018 issue of The Strad and complements it with a sweep through live performances available on YouTube
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FocusString courses checklist
Questions to help you find the right short course and arrive well prepared
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FocusThe Strad features index: online for the first time
A fully searchable document containing listings of 4652 articles published in the past 21 years