All Features articles – Page 3
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Premium ❘ FeatureThree’s company: the rise of piano trios
Are piano trios having a sudden renaissance? Charlotte Gardner hears from industry professionals and from musicians who relish the repertoire offered by this flexible but underrated chamber grouping
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe luthier's guide to good customer relationships
As a general rule, luthiers tend to be better at making instruments than making friends. Violin maker Korinthia A. Klein gives some hints and tips on good customer relations – both for the people entering the workshop and for those running it
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Miró Quartet on recording new album ‘Home’
Their latest recording gathers new music and 20th-century works by US composers, but the Miró Quartet musicians are always mindful of melodic accessibility. Harry White hears from cellist Joshua Gindele about the group’s commissioning process and recording the album
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Premium ❘ FeatureTaking acoustic measurements from internal vibrations
Normally, acoustic measurements are taken from outside the instrument – but the internal vibrations can reveal even more. Colin Gough presents a method for listening inside the soundbox and demonstrates what it can tell us about the sound
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Premium ❘ FeatureCellist Laura van der Heijden: new ways of thinking
Although British cellist Laura van der Heijden is well versed in live performance and studio recording, she is still discovering new facets of her musical personality, as Toby Deller finds out
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Premium ❘ FeatureDecorating a bow frog: let the flowers bloom
A very specialist part of the bow maker’s craft is the addition of decorative inlay into a bow frog. Vladimiros Sorokin-Andreou presents his method for this intricate and delicate part of the process
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Premium ❘ FeatureGeminiani’s scales: a portal to the past
Geminiani’s scale exercises in his seminal 1751 treatise The Art of Playing on the Violin may look puzzlingly random to modern eyes, but violinist Benjamin Shute argues that they can reveal useful insights into the thinking behind performance practice of the time
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Premium ❘ FeatureA mystery unveiled: the makers of Ferrara
While scholars have scrutinised the making traditions of various Italian cities, the luthiers of Ferrara have been largely neglected – until now. Florian Leonhard presents the results of recent archival research into Alessandro Mezzadri and the Marconcini family, along with notes on their making styles
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Premium ❘ FeatureCreation and evolution: Manchester Collective
Manchester Collective is an ensemble that doesn’t shy away from either transporting its listeners to unexpected places, or embracing change within its own identity. Members including co‑founder and violinist Rakhi Singh talk to David Kettle about the group’s unique philosophy
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Premium ❘ FeatureA musical smorgasbord: violinist Fabio Biondi on recording Roman’s ‘Assaggi’
Italian violinist Fabio Biondi speaks to Robin Stowell about recording Swedish Baroque composer Johan Helmich Roman’s assaggi – solo musical morsels to whet the appetite
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Premium ❘ Article‘The most original musician I’ve ever met’: remembering violinist Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin’s extraordinarily multifaceted life and career more than surpassed the traditional role of the solo concert violinist. Here friends, family and colleagues who knew him, studied with him and worked alongside him describe their association with and memories of the great man
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking her mark: violinist María Dueñas
Although she’s only 21, the Spanish violinist María Dueñas is already a rapidly rising star in the musical world. Tom Stewart speaks to the young virtuoso about how she has created her own unique and distinctive voice on the instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe life and legacy of cellist Boris Pergamenschikow
Russian cellist Boris Pergamenschikow enjoyed an influential career both teaching and playing in Europe after leaving the Soviet Union, before his untimely death twenty years ago. Oskar Falta examines his legacy and hears from some of his former students
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Premium ❘ FeatureSession Report: the Carducci Quartet on recording Shostakovich
As the Carducci Quartet releases its third Shostakovich disc, Tom Stewart hears from the group’s violist and cellist about the extreme contrasts between the two featured pieces – the ninth and fifteenth string quartets
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Premium ❘ FeatureViolinist Augustin Hadelich: ‘Just let the music speak’
The virtuoso violinist Augustin Hadelich defies categorisation; he is the product of several cultures that he draws on to produce a sound that is distinctly his own. He talks to Ariane Todes about his influences and how he developed his unique musicianship
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Premium ❘ FeatureBow maker Richard Otto Gläsel: Parisian splendour
Having perfected his skills in the French capital, German bow maker Richard Otto Gläsel was much inspired by the work of his Gallic forebears, from Voirin to Vigneron. Gennady Filimonov tells his story and examines several of his finest works
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Premium ❘ FeatureCello bridge design: X marks the spot
For many years the design of the cello bridge has remained constant – but could it be improved? Sebastian Gonzalez presents the results of a comparison between the standard French bridge and a newly designed model, while Gaian Amorim tracks the development of the bridge
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Premium ❘ FeatureViolinist Joshua Bell: ‘Everybody’s playing like their life depends upon it’
Violinist Joshua Bell chats with Pauline Harding about transcending the pyrotechnics of Paganini, the inspiring ethos of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and celebrations to mark the centenary of the orchestra’s founder, Neville Marriner
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Premium ❘ Feature'Your own voice must be in charge': Creating an improvised violin concerto
Can a new work encourage young, classically trained string players to lose their fear of improvisation and find their individual voice? Violinist Christina Åstrand and composer Signe Lykke explain the concept to Andrew Mellor
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Premium ❘ FeatureDouble bass set-up: not a giant violin
The size and shape of the double bass mean its set-up differs greatly from the other bowed stringed instruments. Bass maker Arnold E. Schnitzer presents a comprehensive guide, designed for both luthiers and practically minded bassists
