May 2026: Editor’s welcome and contents

Playing on gut strings isn’t easy; even the musicians of the brilliant and celebrated Chiaroscuro Quartet, who make it their speciality, admit that. Four cover stars speak to Pauline Harding about how playing period‑appropriate instruments and strings shapes their musical philosophy and expressive approach – particularly in the context of their project to record the complete string quartets of Beethoven, where the equipment itself mirrors the sense of struggle implicit within the music.

Have you ever wondered how the Vienna Philharmonic achieves that unmistakably clear, cohesive and velvety string sound? I certainly did when I heard the orchestra’s epic Bruckner Ninth at the Proms last summer. Peter Somerford explores the question by speaking to players from some of the world’s great orchestras, who reveal how they approach blending, both within their sections and across the orchestra as a whole, and the traditions that guide them.

The commitment to preserving valuable traditions extends to our lutherie features this issue. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti present a detailed history of some of the most important figures associated with the Cremona School of Violin Making in the mid‑20th century, while Sally Gosling tells the intriguing tale of a nameless 18th‑century cello found at auction. It was authenticated as a composite of instruments by Pietro Guarneri of Venice, Domenico Busan and Paolo Antonio Testore – and a subsequent sensitive restoration resulted in an instrument that Julian Lloyd Webber described as having ‘hidden depths’.

This month also marks what would have been the 90th birthday of American violinist Michael Rabin, who died aged only 35. Despite this, his legacy endures as one of the most gifted violinists who ever lived: his recordings reveal his expressive, innate musicality and luminous sonority, all served by dazzling virtuosity. Jonathan Woolf explores Rabin’s life and career.

Emma Baker editor

Email me at thestrad@thestrad.com

Issue summary

We talk to the Chiaroscuro Quartet and examine how some of the world’s top orchestras achieve their own distinctive sound. There’s a look at the career of US violinist Michael Rabin and we examine a cello with elements of Testore, Busan and Pietro Guarneri. Plus a Schubert Masterclass and David Finckel’s Life Lessons.