May 2021 issue

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Cover features

Julian Lloyd Webber: A glittering career

In celebration of his 70th birthday last month, British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber shares with Julian Haylock memories of a long and fulfilling professional life – and also looks forward to returning to the stage as a conductor

Azzo Rovescalli: The cream of Crema

The city of Crema has a unique violin making tradition, and Azzo Rovescalli was its most prominent maker in the 20th century – even though it never made him rich. Lorenzo Frignani and Vittorio Formaggia examine his life and work, along with the instruments of his sons

Encores: Time to shine

Throughout much of the last century, technically showy encores by Paganini and Kreisler were standard fare for violinists, but in recent years players have moved away from the established virtuoso works to embrace everything from solo Bach to folk tunes and contemporary commissions. Charlotte Gardner talks to top players about ...

Session Report: Playing the hero

Violinist Boris Begelman’s new recording represents a small fraction of the hundreds of violin concertos Vivaldi wrote during his lifetime – but people miss the point when they assume the composer’s prolific output equates to works of lesser quality, he tells Tom Stewart

Tracing the truth: Stradivari’s early cellos

What cello moulds were used in the Stradivari workshop? The question has long gone unanswered, despite the number of artefacts – and even intact moulds – that survive. Philip Ihle examines 17 of the cellos made before 1700 to find out how many moulds may have been used before the ...

Ysaÿe: On the trail of a trio

The discovery of part of an autograph manuscript for Ysaÿe’s little-known Second String Trio op.34 hidden in a folder on his computer led violinist Nandor Szederkényi eventually to produce a performing edition. Here he shares details of the painstaking process