All Fine-Contemporary articles – Page 17
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FocusFrom the archive: The tale of the King of Spain Strads
The set of decorated Stradivari instruments housed at the Royal Palace of Madrid made news recently when they received their first public performance, by the Quiroga Quartet from Spain (see link below). The stringed instruments have an eccentric history, shrouded in mystery and conflicting views. Stradivari made them for the Spanish ...
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ArticleAmati first online auction top ten sales
Eleven weeks after launching its online auction division, Amati has announced the results of its first sale. Among the highlights was the sale of a cello (pictured) by Carlo Giuseppe Testore, c.1820, which sold for £124,000, just above its estimate. A silver-mounted cello bow by Nicolas Simon, presented to Amati ...
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ArticleTop lots from London and New York October sales
Bonhams, Brompton’s, Ingles & Hayday and Tarisio have released the results of their October auctions. At Ingles & Hayday’s London sale a violin owned by the violinist Leila Josefovicz and catalogued as ‘probably by Michele Angelo Bergonzi’ fetched £156,000, and a Storioni viola with an estimate of £100,000–£150,000 ...
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FocusThe stolen instruments of the Third Reich
In an article from 2009, Carla Shapreau exposes the systematic theft of stringed instruments under Hitler's rule, and today's efforts to locate them
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FocusHow to market yourself as a string player
You need flexibility and business acumen as well as talent to stand out from the crowd in today's rapidly changing music world, argues double bassist-turned-agent Corrado Canonici
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FocusWhat competition success did for my career – by six prize-winners
Seasoned competition goer Heather Kurzbauer considers the place of competitions today, and violin laureates discuss how their wins have helped their careers
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FocusFrom the archive: classic and modern violins compared
A report and subsequent correspondence in The Strad, 1935, show that instrument blind tests offered provocative results even then
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ArticleRoyal Palace of Madrid decorated Stradivari quartet receives first public performance
The musicians of the Quiroga Quartet from Spain have been named the first artists in residence of the Royal Palace of Madrid, allowing them access to the unique set of decorated Stradivari instruments on display as part of the Royal Collection exhibition.The residency, instigated by the Patrimonio Nacional, which owns ...
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FocusFrom the archive: Teachers to Avoid
In this opinion piece from The Strad August 1935 our writer offers cautionary – and controversial – advice on choosing a teacher
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ArticleViolinist Min-Jin Kym's 'stolen and recovered' Stradivarius to be sold at auction
The Stradivarius violin belonging to the violinist Min-Jin Kym that was stolen at a Pret a Manger sandwich bar in London’s Euston Station in November 2010 and later recovered by police, is to be sold at auction on 18 December 2013.The theft of the 1696 Strad, which at the time of ...
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ArticleThe Strad November 2013 issue is on sale now
Our North America issue stars Joshua Bell and his 1713 'Huberman' Stradivari violin
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ArticleGuarneri 'del Gesù' copy breaks auction record for contemporary maker
A copy of the c.1731 'Gibson', 'Huberman' Guarneri 'del Gesù' violin has set a new world auction record for an instrument by a living maker. The copy (pictured), made by US luthiers Joseph Curtin and Gregg Alf in 1985 for Ruggiero Ricci, sold at Tarisio in New ...
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BlogsA twist on tradition
Peter Somerford visits Cremona's new Museo del Violino to see if rare violins and state-of-the-art technology make a welcoming combination
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ArticleMedical scans reveal secrets of world's oldest cello
Researchers at the National Music Museum in South Dakota, US, have used hospital scanning equipment to gather information on the construction of what is thought to be the oldest surviving cello, the 'King', made by the 16th-century Cremonese luthier Andrea Amati (c.1505–1577).Matthew Zeller, a graduate research assistant at the museum ...
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FocusWhat happened at the 2013 China International Violin and Bow Making Competition
With an array of experts in attendance, Beijing's international violin and bow making competition was an engrossing affair. Nancy Pellegrini hears a range of views on the industry, and China's growing position within it
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FocusWhy I became a musician, by Bronislaw Huberman
In this article from the May 1911 issue of The Strad, the great violinist, who is featured in our October special edition, explains his musical background and practical approaches
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ArticleCould Mittenwald be sitting on a fortune in Nazi treasure?
Mittenwald, the violin making hub in southern Germany, could be the last resting place of a cache of gold and diamonds belonging to Adolf Hitler, according to a Dutch film-maker. Leon Giesen, 51, has carried out three excavations in the Bavarian town and is seeking funding for a fourth, using ...
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ArticleChina's international lutherie competition announces results
The results are in from the second China International Violin Making and Bow Making Competition, held in Beijing. In the violin division, the gold medal and 120,000 yuan (€14,500) prize went to Xiangwei Chen from China. Chen also won the silver medal. Bronze went to Min Sung Kim from Italy. ...
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ArticleJetstar to allow violins and violas on flights
Australian budget airline Jetstar is set to amend its cabin baggage policy regarding musical instruments. The new policy will allow instruments up to 81cm long as carry-on baggage, which will include violin and viola cases. Jetstar, a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas Airways, currently allows baggage of up to 56cm in ...
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ArticleFuturistic cello projects videos and lighting displays
High-tech polymer manufacturer Bayer MaterialScience has developed a prototype interactive cello. The instrument's polyurethane body can display videos or graphics, tell you when you’re out of tune, and keep you in time using a flashing metronome beat.The idea for Cello 2.0 emerged when Bayer MaterialScience asked its design partner, Teams ...
