All Premium ❘ Feature articles – Page 3
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Russian violin school is largely misunderstood
Igor Bezrodnyi, violinist, teacher and conductor, interviewed for The Strad shortly before his death in 1998
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Sentimental Work: Barry Guy
The British double bassist recalls his first encounters with Iannis Xenakis’s solo work Theraps – including some frank exchanges with the composer himself
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6 ways to avoid an angry soloist
Growing numbers of musicians are speaking out against bad audience behaviour, finds Charlotte Smith
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Me and my teacher: violist Toby Appel and Max Aronoff
A year spent studying nothing but technique with Curtis Institute teacher Aronoff gave future Juilliard School viola professor Appel total musical freedom
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8 ways to make music lessons interesting
Violinist Sid G Hedges gives advice to teachers on how to inspire enthusiasm in The Strad's June 1923 issue
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Can you tell a fake instrument from the genuine article?
With more and more instrument forgeries finding their way on to the market, how do experts, dealers and buyers stay wise to deception? Femke Colborne finds out
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How to be a successful busker
Summer provides the richest time for musicians to make money from impromptu outdoor performance. Experienced buskers tell David Kettle how they go about it, and why the rewards can be greater than you might expect
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None of my teachers were any good at explaining technique - Ruggiero Ricci
Celebrating his 90th birthday in July 2008, the legendary violinist looked back at his teaching influences and revealed that he was largely self-taught
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Passing the Torch
Expert encouragement in their early years helped turn the Belcea Quartet into one of today’s most formidable chamber ensembles. Twenty-five years after they started out, they talk to Tom Stewart about passing on their experience to the next generation – as well as continuing to gain knowledge themselves
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History is now
Growing numbers of young musicians are incorporating elements of historically informed performance into their playing. Charlotte Gardner investigates the reasons behind this phenomenon, explores the options for aspiring period artists and receives advice from both fledgling and long-standing practitioners
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Life out of balance
While many luthiers are happy making stringed instruments to the standard form, others are keen to explore the possibilities of alternative patterns. Peter Somerford discovers how asymmetric designs can affect tone quality, projection, acoustics and player comfort
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Session Report: Christian Tetzlaff on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto
At the end of last year violinist Christian Tetzlaff made his second official recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in two live performances, resulting in an interpretation much more in keeping with his own personal understanding of the work
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An unexpected twist
The few remaining guitars by Antonio Stradivari have distinctive characteristics – which proved useful when another example came to light recently in a museum collection. Emiliano Marinucci and Lorenzo Frignani tell the story
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The Jewel of Taiwan: The Strad Calendar 2020
The Chimei Museum in Taiwan houses the largest collection of stringed instruments in the world.The Strad Calendar 2020 marks 30 years since its founding, as Dai-Ting Chung and Andrew Guan highlight some of the remarkable treasures within its walls
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Making Matters: Shaping the head
Violin makers have always been aware of physical issues like repetitive strain injury – but it’s just as important to take care of their mental health and wellbeing. John Beames examines some of the most common problems, and suggests some ways to combat them
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Masterclass: Esther Yoo on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto Third Movement
Esther Yoo imagines a ballroom of swirling summer dancers and secret trysts as she talks through the sparkling third movement of this magical work
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Technique: the importance of practising in 5ths
How the ability to play in perfect 5ths can help you to hone your position, intonation and vibrato
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Should violin makers embrace cutting edge computer analysis?
Violin maker Sam Zygmuntowicz explores how high-tech ways of analysing violins and their sound could help makers and even influence the future forms of instruments
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From the Archive: October 1959
Violin teacher Noel Hale introduces Kató Havas’s New Approach to the world. This article prompted a huge correspondence in The Strad , reproduced in Havas’s 1968 autobiography
