Playing debates – Page 3
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FocusOpinion: Dare to be different
When selecting repertoire for that crucial audition it’s an advantage to avoid predictable choices, writes Julian Lloyd Webber, who suggests alternatives for cellists
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FocusOpinion: Across the decades
Karen Gomyo revisits recordings by ‘golden age’ violinists, and explores why these performances are still so meaningful today
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FocusOpinion: Relaxed body, focused mind
The art of Chinese calligraphy has much to teach us about playing a stringed instrument, writes violist Hsin-Yun Huang
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Premium ❘ DebateOpinion: Solo exploring
There is so much more to the unaccompanied violin repertoire than the works of Bach, Paganini and Ysaÿe, writes James Dickenson
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DebateOpinion: An integrated whole
By divorcing technique from the music, we prevent the bow from becoming an extension of our right arm and hand, writes John Crawford
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DebateOpinion: Touching a nerve
Although nervous energy can lead to inspired playing, it can also result in performance anxiety – unless we find ways to control it, writes cellist Laura van der Heijden
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DebateOpinion: A new light
Debussy’s Sonata for flute, viola and harp is just one of many works written for that combination, and is a prime example of how loosening fixed traditions can open new and exciting sound worlds, writes Toby Deller
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DebateBuilding an international profile for French violinists
In comparison with its array of top-level cellists and string quartets, France’s violin soloists seem in general to attract less media attention globally. Charlotte Gardner investigates the causes
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DebateOpinion: Defining relevance
Classical musicians can feel concerned about their lack of consequence in the ‘real’ world. But, as the pandemic has shown, the art form is needed now more than ever – and it’s up to performers to make the case, writes Andrew Mellor
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DebateOpinion: Original and the best?
Scouring the archives for early drafts is fine in the name of research, but when it comes to performance, the composer’s revised version is usually the more satisfying option, writes Charlotte Gardner
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DebateOpinion: From the Heart
In the Covid-19 crisis, musicians have begun to film their playing from home. Andrew Mellor asks whether these raw and sometimes less-than-pristine performances have killed off classical music’s ‘cult of perfection’
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DebateAfter Corona, pay inequality among musicians will be unsustainable
The great disparity in wages between soloists and rank-and-file musicians has been highlighted by the Covid-19 crisis, writes Andrew Mellor
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DebateOpinion: Go your own way
Musicians today are encouraged to play it safe by a recording culture that encourages perfect homogeneity. But, writes violist Paul Neubauer, it is still possible for individuality to thrive
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ArticleOpinion: ‘The cello has never been more popular’
In the years since Gregor Piatigorsky first set out to boost the cello’s profile, the instrument has seen a massive growth in popularity, particularly through the efforts of crossover artists, says Yoshika Masuda
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DebateOpinion: In the Public Eye
The primary purpose of a musician is to be heard by an audience – yet so many performers are self-conscious about the idea of their practice being observed and judged. Perhaps it’s time to practise out in the open, writes Toby Deller
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Premium ❘ ArticleOpinion: going international
Despite the large number of young and talented British string players, few seem to make an impact as leading soloists on the world stage. Charlotte Gardner explores the reasons for this phenomenon
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Premium ❘ FeatureIs repetitive practice a good or a bad thing?
A prolonged, sickening and monotonous repetition of a section of music or the legitimate means of mastering a difficult passage? Joseph O'Doherty weighs up the two sides.
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DebateClassical musicians should play more sports
String players often shy away from sports for fear of damaging themselves, but the benefits far outweigh the dangers, says cellist and tennis enthusiast Maria Kliegel
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Premium ❘ DebateEarly vibrato was one aspect of a vastly different sound world
A response to Beverly Jerold’s article 'Did early string players use continuous vibrato?' by Kevin Class
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Premium ❘ DebateHistorically informed performance on modern instruments is misguided
Historically informed performance is all well and good, argues Julian Haylock, but continuing to play on modern instruments just results in the worst of both worlds
