All Playing articles – Page 3
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Premium ❘ FeatureFemale violinists of 18th-century England: Portrait of a lady holding a violin
Taking a Regency portrait of an unknown violinist as his starting point, Kevin MacDonald investigates the lives and careers of Louise Gautherot and other female violinists of Georgian England
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Premium ❘ FeatureVilla-Lobos and the cello: A voice for Brazil
Heitor Villa-Lobos began his musical career as a cellist and wrote numerous works for the instrument, including the monumental Second Cello Concerto. However, his primary interest lay in promoting the folk traditions of his Brazilian homeland rather than advancing the cello’s virtuoso repertoire, writes Felipe Avellar de Aquino
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Premium ❘ FeatureJoseph White: Making history
Cuban-born violinist Joseph White’s 1875 debut with the Philharmonic Society of New York was both a triumph and enormously significant – as the orchestra’s first performance with a soloist of African descent. Yavet Boyadjiev explores the event itself and the circumstances surrounding it
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Premium ❘ FeatureEncores: Time to shine
Throughout much of the last century, technically showy encores by Paganini and Kreisler were standard fare for violinists, but in recent years players have moved away from the established virtuoso works to embrace everything from solo Bach to folk tunes and contemporary commissions. Charlotte Gardner talks to top players about ...
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Premium ❘ FeatureStrings and Piano: a sound balance
Producing a nuanced, well-balanced and blended combination of piano and strings can be a difficult performance feat to achieve. Pauline Harding talks to chamber musicians, soloists and teachers to discover some of their secrets
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Premium ❘ FeatureOrchestral Tricks: in plain sight
Gerald Elias has spent many years as a professional orchestral violinist – in the Boston SO and Utah Symphony – and has been music director of Salt Lake City’s Vivaldi by Candlelight chamber orchestra since 2004. Here he explores some of the universal challenges faced by orchestral string players which ...
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Premium ❘ FeatureChevalier de Saint-Georges: the remarkable revolutionary
Too long overlooked, the extraordinary life of 18th-century violinist and composer the Chevalier de Saint-Georges has once more been celebrated over the past 25 years. Yet his compositions remain unfairly neglected, writes Kevin MacDonald
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Premium ❘ FeatureTwo-fingered Tchaikovsky: Beating the odds
Despite losing the function of the third and fourth fingers of his left hand through focal dystonia and a shoulder injury, violinist Clayton Haslop was determined to continue playing. Here he shares his story
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Premium ❘ FeatureVieuxtemps cadenzas: Following the clues
The recent discovery of another cadenza to the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, likely by Vieuxtemps, sheds an interesting light on the early performance history of the work, writes Martin Wulfhorst
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Spice of Life: Teaching different styles
Too often string teachers shy away from embracing styles outside the Western classical canon, but in doing so they’re ignoring a wealth of useful skills and techniques, not to mention repertoire, writes Julie Lyonn Lieberman
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Premium ❘ FeatureEnsemble Diderot: Hidden Gems
This month Ensemble Diderot releases The Berlin Album, the latest in its ‘cities’ recording series, juxtaposing works by established 17th- and 18th-century composers alongside those of lesser-known contemporaries. Ensemble founder and violinist Johannes Pramsohler speaks to Pwyll ap Siôn about why these works deserve greater attention
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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
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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
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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
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Premium ❘ FeatureWorking with Conductors: Natural Balance
When playing a concerto, the string soloist is rarely fully in charge – and working with opinionated conductors means that sometimes disagreements will occur. Charlotte Gardner speaks to three top performers and a conductor to find out how to strike the right balance
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FeatureSentimental Work: Maxim Vengerov
The First Violin Concerto by Shostakovich brings back memories of the Russian violinist’s first meeting with Mstislav Rostropovich – an encounter that blossomed into firm friendship
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Premium ❘ FeatureCareer in Bloom: Tabea Zimmermann
For Tabea Zimmermann, 2020 represents a new flowering in her musical life. Amanda Holloway speaks to the German violist about directing her final Beethoven-Woche, her new recording projects, expanding the viola repertoire and imparting her wisdom to the next generation
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NewsFrankfurt Musikmesse postponed over coronavirus concerns
Prolight + Sound has been rescheduled to late May, while new dates for music trade fair are unconfirmed
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FeatureSentimental Work: Leonidas Kavakos
For the Greek violinist, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto stands apart from the rest of the repertoire – and requires a very special method of interpretation
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: Violinist Johan Dalene makes his recording debut
For his debut album as an exclusive BIS artist, Johan Dalene – teenage winner of last year’s Carl Nielsen International Competition – has not shied away from ambitious and much-loved repertoire. He and producer Jens U. Braun recall the recording process
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