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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Second Viennese journey
Sara Wolstenholme and Christopher Murray, both of the Heath Quartet, talk to Toby Deller about their pre-pandemic recording of intense Second Viennese School quartets – music from another time and place, in more ways than one
Premium ❘ FocusOpinion: Playing by numbers
In theory, it is possible for a student to gain their ABRSM Grade 8 having only learnt 24 pieces in their life. Davina Shum argues that such a quantified approach to learning is no way to become a rounded musician
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Bach Cello Suites: What do we really know about Bach’s Cello Suites?
Bach’s sublime Six Suites for solo cello are possibly the most frequently published works in western music history, yet their source editions are shrouded in mystery. Cellist and writer Jeffrey Solow puts forward an intriguing new theory as to their origins
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Lost arts of string playing: Unlocking the secrets of the past
Did the great string players of old know something that we didn’t? Some of today’s virtuosos reveal to Charlotte Gardner the various technical and musical tools of the trade that are in danger of being lost in the current pursuit of perfection
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Brodsky Quartet at 50: Life is an adventure
The Brodsky Quartet is celebrating 50 years of pioneering music making that spans genres from Beethoven to Björk and beyond. Amanda Holloway catches up with the four musicians during their anniversary tour
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Hsin-Yun Huang: Life Lessons
The Taiwanese violist on what she learnt from her early years, and her move to the UK’s Yehudi Menuhin School
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‘Dvorak was a brilliant specimen of a bad conductor’: From the archive: July 1932
The great cellist and pedagogue Carl Fuchs (1865–1951) recalls some of the great players and composers seen during his time in Manchester – including the original Brodsky Quartet
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Sentimental Work: Kenneth Sillito
Performing Benjamin Britten’s 1931 String Quartet in D major for the composer was an eye-opening experience for the former leader of the Gabrieli Quartet
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‘I recall lessons with teachers texting on the phone while I was playing’: Letters to the editor July 2022
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: July 2022 issue
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Music by the sea: Postcard from Cornwall
The annual series of masterclasses held in the spectacular setting of Cornwall’s Prussia Cove celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Rita Fernandes explores its welcoming and nurturing atmosphere
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Opinion: The power of imagination
To enhance a pupil’s learning, it is useful to build a list of words and catchphrases that conjure images relating to different techniques. Jeffrey Howard introduces his own ‘violin vocabulary’
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Sentimental Work: Joshua Bell
Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto no.2 brings back fond memories for the American violinist, from studies at Meadowmount to reminiscences of his mentor Josef Gingold
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That festival feeling: Postcard from Odense
Davina Shum reports on the violin final of the Carl Nielsen International Competition in Denmark, an event that encourages a unique sense of collaboration and support between competitors
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Vadim Gluzman: Life Lessons
The Israeli violinist talks about dealing with self-doubt and developing a strong work ethic
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Adult beginner cello: Never too late to learn
When Billy Tobenkin decided to learn the cello from scratch at 25, he ignited a lifelong passion. He shares what turned out to be a bumpy but ultimately deeply fulfilling journey
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Pavel Haas Quartet at 20: Coming home
The energetic and eloquent musicians of the Pavel Haas Quartet are celebrating 20 years of music making with a new recording of Brahms quintets joined by some old friends, as they tell Tom Stewart
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‘I’ve always been led by music’: cellist and gambist Christophe Coin
For Christophe Coin, the French cellist, gambist and musical time-traveller, historically informed performance practice involves a combination of forensic-level investigation and leap-of-faith creativity. In conversation with Helen Wallace, he describes the instruments and scholarship behind his work as an interpreter
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‘Where else may there be thriving, yet-to-be-discovered hubs of violin making?’: Letters to the Editor June 2022
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: June 2022 issue
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Masterclass: Simon Standage on Bach’s Violin Sonata in E major
Early music expert Simon Standage discusses historically informed performance, interpretation and balancing violin and harpsichord in the first two movements of BWV1016
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Sentimental Work: Renaud Capuçon
Despite being a ‘non-violinistic’ piece, the Brahms Violin Sonata no.1 stands out for the French violinist as the work that helped him discover the wonders of chamber music
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Historically informed performance: Baroque revolution
Historically informed performance requires no secret code, argues Baroque violin professor Walter S. Reiter. The information is out there for the taking, and modern music colleges need to get ahead of the game
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Session Report: A royal consort
Richard Boothby of Fretwork speaks to Robin Stowell about the ensemble’s recording of fantasias for viol consort by Thomas Lupo, the Italian who made a name for himself at Queen Elizabeth I’s court
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Pietro Castrucci: Resurrecting a Baroque maverick
When Gerald Elias unearthed music by the little-known London-based 18th‑century composer and virtuoso violinist Pietro Castrucci, he discovered a unique and independent musical voice
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Opinion: A New Deal for Early Music
Covid-19 has highlighted the economic inequalities that divide musicians who perform on period instruments from the majority of today’s string players, says Andrew Mellor
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Astrid Schween: Life Lessons
The Juilliard Quartet cellist recalls her many tutors and stresses the importance of staying curious
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Cello explorations: Postcard from Dublin
Adrian Smith spent a weekend in Dublin exploring the delights of Spike Cello Festival, a vibrant ‘alt-cello’ weekend that celebrates the versatility of the instrument beyond the core classical repertoire
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Viktoria Mullova: Her infinite variety
Violinist Viktoria Mullova talks to Toby Deller about her eclectic musical collaborations, mastering the art of improvisation, experimenting with technique, and her new Schubert recording with pianist Alasdair Beatson
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‘It may reduce luthiers’ frustrations with lazy treatment of instruments!’: Letters to the Editor May 2022
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: May 2022 issue
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Casey Driessen: Music in other lands
In 2019, American five-string fiddler Casey Driessen and his family took off around the world for nine months for his music-sharing project Otherlands: A Global Music Exploration. In a tantalising snapshot of his journey, often into the musical unknown, he recalls meeting and playing with some of the great regional ...
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Gidon Kremer on Mieczysław Weinberg: Testament to turbulent times
2019 marked a century since the birth of Polish–Soviet composer Mieczysław Weinberg. Violinist Gidon Kremer tells Tom Stewart why he has become one of the composer’s greatest champions
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Johannes Moser: Surrounded by sound
The German–Canadian cellist Johannes Moser embraces experimentation. He talks to Peter Quantrill about channelling his inner Jimi Hendrix and exploring the sound of the electric cello which, alongside the conventional cello, features in his latest recordings for Platoon
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‘Faking is perfectly acceptable, provided the player’s conscience can deal with it’: Letters to the Editor April 2022
A selection of letters The Strad receives each month from its readers around the world: April 2022 issue
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‘Stop! There is a violin; it might be good for my cabinet’: From the Archive: April 1902
Dr T. Lamb Phipson recalls the tale of an impromptu violin auction on the streets of Rome, where a bidding war ended with a happy twist
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Masterclass: Eldbjørg Hemsing on Grieg Violin Sonata no.2 in G Major
To bring out all the joy, innocence and darkness in this first movement, it is essential to understand its combined roots in classical composition and Norwegian folk music, explains Eldbjørg Hemsing
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Masterclass: violist Emilie Hörnlund on Beethoven String Quartet op.59 no.1
Swedish violist Emilie Hörnlund, of the Chiaroscuro Quartet, discusses how to achieve optimal articulation, balance and flow in the first movement of the first ‘Rasumovsky’ Quartet
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Quartet identity: Alchemy of the souls
Is a string quartet’s sound greater than the sum of its parts? Tully Potter considers what goes into making a quartet distinctive
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Masterclass: Beethoven String Quartet op.132
Jacqueline Thomas, cellist of the Brodsky Quartet, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, looks at a third movement written by a composer convalescing from a near life-ending illness
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Two Shapiros: musical doubles
Though unrelated by birth, US violinists Eudice Shapiro and Frances Shapiro (later Magnes) forged parallel careers which provide a fascinating insight into the lives of female musicians during the mid-20th century, writes Tully Potter
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Coleridge-Taylor violin and chamber music: From fame to footnote
Despite his prolific output, the works of British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor have been performed relatively infrequently in the century following his death. Tatjana Goldberg explores his chamber and violin music, particularly the Violin Concerto, and his fruitful artistic partnership with pioneering US violinist Maud Powell
![USE [1] Residence and cove pc Rita Fernandes](https://dnan0fzjxntrj.cloudfront.net/Pictures/415x277/1/3/8/26138_use1residenceandcovepcritafernandes_558849.jpg)
