Playing – Page 21
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Early Inspirations
Violinist Tessa Lark’s new collaborative album, The Stradgrass Sessions, brings together the musical influences of her childhood, fusing bluegrass, folk, jazz and classical styles. The project might easily have been delayed by Covid-19, but her musical partners were only too happy to record remotely
-
Premium ❘ FeatureIda Haendel: Grande dame of the violin
Following Ida Haendel’s death at the age of 96 in July 2020, Tully Potter surveys the career of an exceptional performer and a remarkable woman. From September 2020
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Final Frontier
The Jerusalem Quartet’s second instalment of Bartók string quartets brings a new delicacy and clarity to these works, which are so often portrayed as brutal. Violinist Alexander Pavlovsky and violist Ori Kam discuss their approach with Tom Stewart
-
Premium ❘ FeatureHeart of the matter: Schumann’s Cello Concerto
Schumann’s Cello Concerto is often seen as dark and troubled, and its advocates have struggled to bring it the recognition it deserves. Now, Josephine Knight’s discoveries have led to a new edition and recording which shed a fresh light on this work, writes Peter Quantrill
-
Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Rosalind Ventris on Vieuxtemps Viola Sonata op.36
The British violist details the virtues of this underappreciated B flat major Sonata, with all of its structural surprises and ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ twists and turns
-
Premium ❘ FeatureFrom the Archive: September 1930
The pseudonymous cellist and columnist ‘Ike’ observes how classical music lovers are becoming more plentiful, thanks to the wireless – even if they won’t recognise it themselves
-
Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: 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 ❘ FeatureFrom 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
-
Premium ❘ FeatureDigital 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 meets ...
-
Premium ❘ FeatureIn 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 ❘ FeatureSession 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 ❘ FeatureD. 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
-
Premium ❘ FeatureIsaac Stern: Generosity of Spirit
In celebration of Isaac Stern’s centenary this month,Tully Potter surveys the great violinist’s many and varied chamber music collaborations
-
Premium ❘ FeatureWriting a Cadenza: Creativity Unchained
Cadenza writing has enjoyed a renewed surge in popularity over recent years. Pauline Harding talks to soloists, teachers and competition jurors about why the trend has been growing, and why more performers should take the plunge
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Different Voices
At a recording session for the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam’s latest Haydn release, Peter Quantrill finds an ensemble at ease with themselves, their producer and the exacting process of creating Classical ‘perfection’
-
Premium ❘ FeatureAlma Moodie: From Praise to Obscurity
Australian-born violinist Alma Moodie was a celebrated performer in her day – a protégée of Carl Flesch who collaborated with many leading composers. However, her contribution to the violin canon has been largely forgotten, writes Tatjana Goldberg
-
Premium ❘ NewsAnalysis July 2020: The new normal
As Covid-19 lockdowns are gradually lifted, orchestras and concert venues in Europe and Asia are contemplating the task of reopening in a socially distanced world
-
Premium ❘ FeatureMasterclass: Henri Demarquette on Franck’s Violin Sonata (Cello Version)
The cellist looks at the conflicts of French atmosphere and German Romanticism in the first and second movements
-
Premium ❘ FeatureFrom the Archive: June 1910
An anonymous reader remonstrates with The Strad for characterising Marie Hall (below) as the first female violinist of the modern era
-
Premium ❘ FeatureSarasate Letters: Beloved Mother
During a two-year concert tour of America, violinist Pablo Sarasate corresponded with his adoptive mother Amélie de Lassabathie in Paris. His surviving letters have been translated for the first time into English by Nicholas Sackman and Bastien Terraz, who present a digest of their contents