Cello Focus
It was with great sadness that we at The Strad heard of the cancellation of the 2020 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, owing to uncertainly around the Covid-19 virus. As the event’s official media partner, The Strad has been closely involved with the festival since 2012 and we know the amount of effort that artistic director Ralph Kirshbaum and his team had put into this year's edition; it promised to be a truly magnificent celebration of the cello, featuring many of the world’s leading performers.
For this reason, The Strad has put together a digital tribute to the festival, including reports on previous Piatigorsky events and a selection of the best cello coverage from our extensive archive, in collaboration with our sponsors. Here, you will find articles on great cellists of the past, masterclasses by today’s leading performers on important cello repertoire, and some cello-related features (including some from our beloved In Focus series), all illustrated with high-quality photographs.
All content in this digital Cello Focus is free to view until 23 April 2020. We hope you enjoy!
Russian cellist Karine Georgian remembers lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich
An intense seven-year period of study at the Moscow Conservatoire was hugely influential
Julian Lloyd Webber curates online concert series in aid of NHS workers
‘Art Saves Us’ is an online concert series in support of NHS Workers, launching on Friday 3rd April
Instruments
Deconstructing the Andrea Amati ‘King’ cello
In an article from June 2015, Matthew Zeller examines five centuries of alterations made to the world’s oldest cello, housed at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, and asks what they reveal about the evolution and development of the standard cello form
In Focus: a 1786 cello by Jacques Pierre Michelot
John Dilworth examines a hastily built but robust 1786 French cello, with photos by Richard Valencia, in an article from September 2005
In Focus: a 1693 cello by Giovanni Grancino
Ed Keohane examines an instrument by the Milanese maker, with photos by Richard Valencia, in an article from January 2007
In Focus: an 1817 cello by Giacomo Rivolta
Christopher Reuning examines an insturment by the Novara-born maker, with photos by Matthew Tolzmann, in an article from February 2007
Playing
‘Begin with some finger push-ups’ - Technique: Left-hand finger independence
How to build strength and flexibility for a truly agile left hand with Adriana LaRosa Ransom, professor of cello and string project director at Illinois State University, US
Masterclass: Bach Cello Suite no.5, Prélude, by Jean-Guihen Queyras
Practical tips to help you master the challenges of this most fundamental of repertoire
'Popper's cello studies force you to know the fingerboard inside out'
The cellist and Boston Conservatory chair of strings considers the value of the composer's etudes
Cellist Laura van der Heijden talks about performance nerves
The British musician discusses how best to tackle and overcome a difficult issue for so many players
Working from home: Slovak cellist Jozef Lupták mixes Bach, improvisation and singing
The Slovak cellist Jozef Lupták, artistic director of the Konvergenice festival in Bratislava, blends Bach, improvisation and singing
Matthew Barley: How a skiing injury changed the way I play
The British cellist reveals how he overcame the shoulder complaint that threatened his career. From the January 2009 issue