All Playing articles
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe mindful hands: creative health for musicians
Pedro de Alcantara considers a playful yet philosophical approach to boosting health for the curious musician, and suggests some novel arm, wrist, hand and finger exercises for string players
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Calidore Quartet: scaling the summit
Having completed the epic task of recording all of Beethoven’s string quartets, the members of the Calidore Quartet speak to Thomas May about their 15‑year journey from Colburn classmates to international acclaim
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Carnatic violin: a voice of fluid grace
Brought to India in the late 18th century, the violin now plays a central role in South Indian classical music. Nikhil Bhambri presents an introduction to its use in Carnatic concerts, and hears from some of its leading exponents
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Premium ❘ FeatureString teachers’ development: sharing the wisdom
Teaching often forms a major part of a string player’s career, but how and where do they develop the skills required? Peter Somerford hears from pedagogues, course leaders and graduates about the options
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Premium ❘ FeatureColeridge-Taylor 150: ‘A message of hope and resilience’
August 2025 marks 150 years since the birth of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the British composer and violinist. Bruce Hodges speaks to five leading violinists about what his music means to them
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Premium ❘ FeatureStaying power: US String Quartets
As Brooklyn Rider and the Jack and the Miró quartets mark milestone anniversaries, Thomas May looks at how these contemporary American ensembles are not just surviving, but reshaping the 21st-century musical landscape
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Premium ❘ FeatureAdam Summerhayes: Music shaped by instinct
Adam Summerhayes is a violinist and composer who combines his flair for improvisation and a love of folk music with a classical training and technique. He speaks to Alexandra Petropoulos about his latest projects and his very special instruments
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Premium ❘ FeatureFlying the flag for young talent: young artists’ schemes
As the Young Classical Artists Trust celebrates its 40th anniversary, Jessica Duchen hears from artists whose careers have been supported by this and other schemes for emerging talent
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Premium ❘ FeatureGeorge Enescu: a musical polymath
Tully Potter explores the rich and colourful life of George Enescu, the extraordinary Romanian violinist, composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue, who died 70 years ago
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Premium ❘ FeatureFrom screen to strings: concert works by screen composers
Rita Fernandes presents a curated list of string works by ten composers best known for their screen work, as well as interviews with composers and players
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Premium ❘ FeatureOut of the shadows: violin pedagogue D.C. Dounis
The Greek-born violinist and mandolinist D.C. Dounis was one of the most influential pedagogues of the 20th century, but his life and works still remain shrouded in mystery. Clifford Hall investigates why
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Premium ❘ FeatureNigel Kennedy: the real thing
Nigel Kennedy is still often viewed as the bad boy of the violin, but he reveals his thoughtful, straight-talking nature as he chats with Harry White about equality, education and his recent forays into original composition
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Premium ❘ FeatureFamily treasures: Leopold van der Pals
At the turn of the millennium, a young Scandinavian cellist discovered he had an illustrious musical forebear. Since then, a treasury of previously unperformed music has come to light. Andrew Mellor speaks to cellist Tobias van der Pals about his great-great-uncle Leopold’s legacy
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Premium ❘ FeatureCelebrating South African music: the Signum Quartet
Carlos María Solare meets the members of the Signum Quartet towards the end of their two-year-long project to commission and perform brand new works that mark 30 years since the fall of apartheid in South Africa
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Premium ❘ FeatureAn unforgotten talent: 100 years of violinist Leonid Kogan
The matchless Soviet violinist Leonid Kogan was born 100 years ago on 14 November 1924. To mark the centenary, Tully Potter examines the life of ‘the greatest violinist’ he’s ever heard in concert
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Premium ❘ FeatureRégis Pasquier: the complete violinist
Now nearing his ninth decade, the great French violinist Régis Pasquier has enjoyed a dazzlingly varied 65-year career taking in everything from core repertoire to contemporary music to jazz. He shares some of his memories over tea in Paris with Jessica Duchen
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Premium ❘ FeatureScandinavian Cello School: The road to Vienna
From rural Denmark to Vienna’s Musikverein, Rita Fernandes discovers the Scandinavian Cello School’s distinctive educational ethos while on tour with its cello octet
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Premium ❘ FeatureBass instinct: a new generation of double bass players
The Strad speaks to five double bassists who are helping to shape a multifaceted and forward-looking new generation of players
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Premium ❘ FeatureSerge Koussevitzky: 150 years of the double bass virtuoso and conductor
July 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Serge Koussevitzky – the Russian-born double bass virtuoso turned music director, educator and mentor. Fellow double bassist and conductor Leon Bosch examines his hugely influential life
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Premium ❘ FeatureRemembering Ida 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
