May

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.

May 2026 Cover

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From this month's magazine

Chiaroscuro Quartet: gut instinct

The musicians of the Chiaroscuro Quartet talk to Pauline Harding about the challenges of playing on gut strings, and the emotionally and physically demanding experience of recording the complete Beethoven string quartets

Many voices, one sound: orchestral blending

How is it possible to create a seamless yet distinctive orchestral string sound? Players from some of the world’s leading orchestras speak to Peter Somerford about the techniques, traditions and listening skills that shape an orchestral identity

Postcard from the Netherlands: String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam

Clare Varney reports from the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, where an array of star performers and repertoire old and new proved that the genre is alive and well

May 2026: Editor’s welcome and contents

The Strad’s editor Emma Baker introduces the May issue, in which the Chiaroscuro Quartet discusses its approach to recording the complete string quartets of Beethoven

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Michael Rabin: a brief flame

Michael Rabin, one of the most gifted violinists the US has ever produced, enjoyed a short but dazzling career before his untimely death at 35. To mark what would have been his 90th birthday this May, Jonathan Woolf examines Rabin’s legacy and his central place in the history of American ...

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Making Matters: A history of the ‘Il Cremonese’ Stradivari violin’s case

For more than half a century, one of the finest violin cases ever made has lain undisturbed in Cremona. Dimitri Musafia examines the history of the case built to house the 1715 ‘Il Cremonese’ Stradivari

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Technique: Shifting on the double bass

Shifting can be especially tricky for bassists, Nina Decesare gives tips on how to best approach it

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Tales of a cinema violinist - From the Archive: May 1926

An anonymous cinema violinist, used to performing alone with a pianist, rails against the vicissitudes of the cinema screen – speaking entirely from experience

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‘The more Haydn you play, the better you’ll play everything’ - David Finckel’s life lessons

The US cellist talks about his inspirations and the power of sound

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Resurrection symphony: an 18th-century composite cello

The careful restoration of a composite cello identified merely as ‘possibly Italian’ proved a journey of discovery for Sally Gosling and the family team at Chapel Violins, UK

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Trade Secrets: Camouflaging a patch using a veneer

An innovative and intricate method for a taxing problem in restoration

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Sgarabotto and Ornati: lives in fragments

When Giuseppe Ornati and Pietro Sgarabotto donated the contents of their workshops to the Cremona School of Violin Making, they ensured an enduring legacy. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti tell the story and examine some of the treasures

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My Space: Koichi Furukawa’s Osaka workshop

The maker presents his shop located in Japan’s second largest city

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Sentimental Work: Bonnie Hampton on Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto

The US cellist, who performed with the Francesco Trio for almost 40 years, recalls the exhilaration and challenge of playing Beethoven’s joyous ‘Triple’ Concerto

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Analysis May 2026: The European Parliament tackles airlines’ instrument policies

Members of the European Parliament are now debating the thorny issue of musicians taking their instruments on flights. Could there finally be light at the end of this tunnel?

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Opinion: Finding creativity in scales

Love them or hate them, scales are at the heart of string training. Violinist and teacher Mark Knight examines why, when approached correctly, they are the gateway to a world of expressive freedom

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In Focus: A 1925 violin by Carlo Carletti

Leonardo Cella examines the early 20th-century instrument

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Masterclass: Schubert Piano Trio no.2 in E flat major, first movement

David and Edgar Moreau dive into Schubert’s sound world, exploring colour, balance and the expressive detail that shapes their interpretation of this late work

Session report (4)

Session Report: the Tippett Quartet on recording Glazunov’s string quartets

Harry White speaks to members of the Tippett Quartet about recording the complete string quartets of Glazunov – works that trace the composer’s journey from youthful confidence to late retrospection