March 2020 issue

Karen Tuttle: Marking the centenary of the violist and pedagogue, whose innovative teaching methods helped a generation of players | March 2020 issue | The Strad

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Cover features

Pablo Casals: Boundless Expression

The legacy of Pablo Casals is alive and well in the cello playing of today – and can be traced primarily to the methods of his colleague Diran Alexanian and favourite student Maurice Eisenberg. Oskar Falta explores the Catalonian cellist’s main vibrato theories, as communicated by his two important associates

Chinese Tonewoods: Interesting Times

For luthiers worldwide, European wood is still viewed as the best for making stringed instruments – even though China’s forests are filled with high-quality spruce and maple. Xue Peng presents the results of a study comparing the tonewoods of China and Europe, with some startling conclusions

Session Report: Freedom of Choice

For Jack Liebeck, recording the Brahms and Schoenberg violin concertos has felt like a homecoming – a chance to reflect on the life of his grandfather, and to appreciate the liberties we enjoy today, as he tells Harry White

William C. Honeyman: The People’s Violin Man

During the 19th century there was an upsurge of interest in violin playing in Britain. At its centre, writes Kevin MacDonald, was the Scottish violinist and writer William C. Honeyman – purveyor of string secrets to the masses and perhaps the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes

Karen Tuttle: The Violists’ Champion

Violists, particularly in the US, regard Karen Tuttle as a pioneer of pedagogy, tirelessly committed to improving the playing freedom of her students. As this month marks the 100th anniversary of her birth, Carlos María Solare pays tribute to her career, teaching methods and formidable strength of character

Cover story

Karen Tuttle: The Violists’ Champion

Playing

Sentimental Work: Leonidas Kavakos

For the Greek violinist, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto stands apart from the rest of the repertoire – and requires a very special method of interpretation

Lutherie

The freeform style of the Vogtland’s violin tradition

A recent research project using high-resolution CT scans is lifting the lid on the unusual construction methods behind four instruments makers of the Vogtland region in Germany