All Premium ❘ Feature articles
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Premium ❘ Feature1734 Stradivari violin ‘Willemotte’: Late… but worth the wait
Made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old, the 1734 ‘Willemotte’ bears all his hallmarks including a deep, complex tone quality. Sam Zygmuntowicz examines the violin and compares its design features with other gems of the great master
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Vieuxtemps 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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Teaching chamber music: light-bulb moments
Giving formal chamber music training to students during their school years is vital for fostering a lifelong commitment to the art, writes Graham Oppenheimer , senior chamber music tutor at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester
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Trade Secrets: Preparing an instrument for varnishing
A guide to the steps needed for the final coat of varnish to show up to its best effect
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Session Report: No holds barred
For Amandine Beyer and her Gli Incogniti period ensemble, the string symphonies of C.P.E. Bach represented an opportunity to record difficult but exhilarating repertoire. Charlotte Gardner recalls attending the 2019 sessions, as the album nears its release following Covid-19 delays
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Making Matters: All laid out in black and white
Stradivari’s method for laying out f-holes has long been a mystery. Torbjörn Zethelius reveals the method he believes the Cremonese master may have used, and how it can still be useful today
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The viola d’amore: For a sympathetic ear
The viola d’amore is undergoing a resurgence in popularity among early music groups, with a wealth of repertoire still to be rediscovered. Rachael Durkin tracks the development of this unique instrument, examining its many precursors along the way
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Evolving interpretations: The long and winding road
The development of the great violinists from fresh young artists to profound musical thinkers can be charted through their recorded interpretations. Nathaniel Vallois uses his time in lockdown to examine changes in the playing style of some of the best-known names
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Masterclass: Alban Gerhardt on Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto no.1
In the first of two articles, the German cellist shows the importance of pulse, planning and precision in the first two movements of this underestimated Romantic concerto
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Technique: Memory and mental practice
Techniques to help you learn music off by heart and protect against memory slips
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From the Archive: December 1920
A reader (and a master of the long sentence) pens a letter extolling the merits of British violins and makers, in contrast to the current trend for Italian instruments
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Trade Secrets: Removing the mould after gluing the linings
A simple procedure that imitates the methods of the old Cremonese makers
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Making Matters: New angles on an old problem
David Burgess explains how he made a simple device for raising and lowering the tailpiece, to compare the differences in sound when adjusting the string angle and downforce on the bridge
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Masterclass: Hagai Shaham on Brahms Violin Sonata no.3
In his explorations of the first movement, the Israeli violinst discusses the German composer’s clear performance instructions, intimate Romantic style and self-critical nature
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Technique: Playing with expression
Ideas to help you experiment, and to find new sounds and means of expression on your instrument
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From the Archive: November 1940
One year into the Second World War, The Strad laments the limited prospects for British musicians, despite the indisputable need for music in such troubled times
