Historical
-
FocusSteven Staryk on being a virtuoso violin collector
The former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among other ensembles, shares examples of virtuoso violinists who were also virtuoso violin collectors
-
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Lutherie Dynasties: a family affair
In this globalised era, there are still many families that keep up their strong lutherie traditions, with parents passing on their secrets and skills to the next generation. Peter Somerford asks how such formative influences can affect their craft, for better or for worse
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Francesca Dego: chance of a lifetime
For Italian violinist Francesca Dego, the opportunity to perform and record on Paganini’s ‘Il Cannone’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ of 1743 was a dream come true. She shares with Tom Stewart her experiences with the rarely accessed instrument – which came complete with security guards and its own dressing room
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Dawn of Parisian splendour: Charles François Gand
A talented luthier and a shrewd businessman, Charles François Gand had a seismic effect on the Paris violin world despite his relatively small output. Florent Boyer presents an in-depth examination of several Gand instruments to show the development of his style
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Behind the Curve: the evolution of the bow
The evolution of the bow is inextricably tied up with the needs of the player, and the changing face of society. Paolo Sarri examines the development of the ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’ curves of the bow stick, dispelling a number of myths along the way
-
Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1675 violin by Antonio Casini
Jonathan Marolle describes an instrument by Modena’s first violin maker, born around 1630
-
News
Omobono Stradivari violin loaned for Biden’s inauguration ceremony
The violin, valued at just under $4 million, was played by the Irish violinist Patricia Treacy
-
News
Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ violin at centre of Holocaust storm
The German foundation holding the instrument has failed to pay €100,000 compensation to the heirs of its former owner
-
Focus
I 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
-
Premium ❘ Feature
CT-Scanning the ‘Messiah’
In 2016 the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari was the subject of an extensive CT scanning project. Francesco Piasentini and Gregg Alf examine the resulting data, discovering repair work in the neck, and attempt to determine how it had originally been set
-
Premium ❘ Article
Auction Report: January 2021
Despite the problems of Covid-19, the October sales went ahead as planned in London. Kevin MacDonald reviews some of the highlights
-
-
Focus
Made 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
-
Video
Sara Zeneli plays ‘il Cremonese’ Stradivari at the Museo del Violino
In this video the violinist Sara Zeneli plays Monti’s Csárdás on the 1715 A.Stradivari ‘il Cremonese’ in the Chamber Hall of the Museo del Violino in Cremona. Read: Innovative solutions: Postcard from Cremona Read: 1734 Stradivari violin ‘Willemotte’: Late… but worth the wait
-
Video
The Strad Calendar 2021: Antonio Stradivari 1707 ‘Rivaz, Baron Gutmann’ violin
The ‘Rivaz, Baron Gutmann’ is a powerful instrument, made from a beautiful single piece of deeply figured maple
-
Video
The Strad Calendar 2021: Gasparo da Salò double bass c.1580
The workmanship of this bass is typical of Gasparo, with the distinctive double purfling and long, widely set f-holes
-
Focus
The 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
-
Video
The Strad Calendar 2021: Carlo Bergonzi ‘Kreisler’ violin 1735
The ‘Kreisler’s characteristically thin yet intensely coloured varnish is in abundance
-
Article
‘It was like the earth moved beneath me’ - violinist Leonidas Kavakos on playing the ’Willemotte’ Stradivari
Kavakos describes his first encounter with the 1734 violin, made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old
