All Playing articles
-
FocusHow to make the most of cello scales
Approach scales with commitment, imagination and daring, and they will inspire your cello playing, argues Mats Lidström
-
Video
Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s parents on raising confident black classical musicans
To tie in with the broadcast of BBC One’s Imagine…This House is Full of Music, Kadiatu and Stuart Kanneh-Mason, the parents of seven classical musicians (Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, Jeneba, Aminata and Mariatu) talk about life under lockdown, the importance of black role models, the Black Lives Matter movement and ...
-
Video
Vadim Repin performs Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.2
The Russian violinist chooses the concerto for his Sentimental Work in the August issue
-
News
Hong Kong tutor found guilty of acting as an agent for a dealer
Zhao Ying took a 20,000 yuan commission in exchange for recommending the dealer’s instruments
-
Article
‘One thing I'm grateful for is the amount of practice I did growing up’ – TwoSet Violin
Violinists and YouTube comedy stars Brett Yang and Eddy Chen of TwoSet Violin speak to Kimon Daltas about competition in classical music and the importance of practice
-
News
Violinist with cerebral palsy becomes manga star
Mizuki Shikimachi’s life story has been turned into a comic book for Japanese readers
-
Video
TwoSet Violin: Film music that has been inspired by classical music
The Strad’s August 2020 issue cover stars, Brett Yang and Eddy Chen of TwoSet Violin, examine the similarities between famous film music scores and the classical music that has ‘inspired’ them. Read: ‘The one thing we’re grateful for is the amount of practice we did growing up’ – ...
-
Video
Interview with two-fingered violinist Clayton Haslop
This is an interview with the violinist Clayton Haslop about his struggles with Focal Dystonia, which lost him the use of two fingers on his left hand. A student of violinist Nathan Milstein, Haslop was concertmaster in the recording studios of Los Angeles for composers including James Horner and ...
-
Article
Nine steps to mastering violin vibrato
Dr Rebecca McLeod, associate professor of music education at the University of North Carolina, gives a guide to achieving a good vibrato - from establishing a relaxed position to mastering a smooth, even motion
-
Focus
Alexander Sitkovetsky: Life Lessons
The Russian–British violinist on moving between artistic cultures and the future of collaborative music making
-
Video
Ida Haendel plays informally in 2009
In this video, the violinist, who died two weeks ago, plays informally at a 2009 social gathering, traversing much of the violin repertoire, including several violin concertos. Although the description states that she was 80 years old at the time, there is some uncertainty as to her year of birth, ...
-
Debate
Opinion: 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’
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Masterclass: Tai Murray on Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto Part 2
Violinist Tai Murray discusses balance and colour in the first movement of the op.56 work for violin, cello, piano and orchestra, in the second of two articles
-
Premium ❘ Feature
From the Archive: August 1910
Author William C. Honeyman responds to an article suggesting that priceless instruments should be kept in museums rather than in players’ hands
-
Feature
Sentimental Work: Vadim Repin
Despite a shaky beginning, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.2 has become one of the most beloved pieces in the Russian violinist’s repertoire
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Digital Double Act: TwoSet Violin
Over the past eight years, Brett Yang and Eddy Chen of TwoSet Violin have become an increasingly popular source of humour and inspiration for string players worldwide through their hugely successful YouTube channel. A more recent foray into staging live shows was a shot in the dark. Kimon Daltas ...
-
Premium ❘ Feature
In search of perfection: finding the right bow
Violinist and Metropolitan Opera concertmaster Benjamin Bowman has spent his entire playing career in search of ever more subtle and responsive bows. Here, he charts his journey to finding his ‘forever bow’, and advises string players on how they, too, can invest in this most important of assets
-
Premium ❘ Feature
Session Report: Family connections
For her latest recording, violinist Viktoria Mullova has collaborated with her son, jazz bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado in an eclectic array of duets. Harry White speaks to the pair about the project’s origins and about working with family
-
Premium ❘ Feature
D. C. Dounis: Training the brain
For Demetrius Constantine Dounis, the secret of good technique came from developing the brain and memory, as well as the arms and fingers. James Dickenson examines what made his ideas so special, and why he became one of the 20th century’s most influential teachers
-
Video
Orchestra of the Swan plays David Bruce’s Swanning Around
This is the world premiere performance of ‘Swanning Around’ by David Bruce, performed and recorded at home by Orchestra of the Swan during the Covid-19 Lockdown 2020. It was commissioned by Orchestra of the Swan with funds provided by Arts Council England. As the orchestra is freelance and has lost ...
