All Fine-Contemporary articles – Page 18
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FocusEleven great performances of Bach's Chaconne
Over the last few weeks we’ve been posting videos of some of the finest performances of Bach’s Chaconne available on YouTube. And a distinguished playlist it is, stretching back from Arthur Grumiaux and Nathan Milstein to Viktoria Mullova and Gil Shaham. Each performer has a different style, mood, conception – ...
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FocusThe special art of decorated instruments
The Strad Calendar 2014 features beautifully decorated instruments by some of the finest makers of all time. John Dilworth tracks the history of the noble tradition, through the makers featured
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ArticleEau de violin shop: luthier launches workplace-inspired fragrance
Cremona luthier Edgar Russ has a new and unusual product sideline: perfume. The violin maker is launching a scent that he says is inspired by the aromas of a luthier's workshop. Russ's fiancée came up with the idea four years ago, and the violin maker collaborated with Guy Bouchara, a ...
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ArticleNew York dealer to pay $325,000 to settle legal dispute with violinist
New York violin dealer Emmanuel Gradoux-Matt has agreed to pay $325,000 to a violinist who sued him for allegedly losing her instrument while it was on consignment. South Korean violinist Kyung-Ah Yang had been seeking $400,000 in damages to compensate for the loss of her 1837 J.F. Pressenda, as well ...
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FocusWhy beginners deserve the best
As the new school year beckons, an article from The Strad, August 1905, offers some sage advice to parents thinking of violin lessons for their children
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BlogsRemembering London orchestral players of the 1950s
Ariane Todes's chance discovery of a box of old concert programmes led to an outpouring of tributes to a golden generation of string players
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ArticleUS violin dealer Charles Magby charged with first-degree larceny
American instrument dealer Charles Magby was arrested on 23 August on charges of first-degree larceny. According to police in Guilford, Connecticut, several complaints have been made against the 63-year-old owner of Charles H. Magby Fine Violins Ltd, regarding his selling of high-end custom instruments, including violins, cellos, bows, on consignment. ...
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BlogsDo violin competitions face extinction?
A day trip to Switzerland yielded some provocative conversations about the future of string music contests for Ariane Todes
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ArticleArgentina's first stringed-instrument gallery set for opening
A museum in Buenos Aires is to open a new permanent exhibition hall dedicated to stringed instruments in October. Officials at the Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum of Spanish–American Art believe that the new gallery will be the first such exhibition space in Argentina. Among the instruments to be displayed is ...
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ArticleStolen £1.2m Stradivarius violin recovered
UK police have recovered a 1696 Stradivarius violin, more than two and half years after it was stolen from Korean violinist Min-Jin Kym. The instrument, discovered intact with some very minor damage including a small crack on the front, was recovered in its case on 18 July, along with a ...
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DebateEmbrace the difference
Luthiers often have more experience than players of Baroque instruments and bows. So, says US bow maker David Hawthorne, they should be fearless in producing authentic equipment to enlighten and inform
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FocusWhat happens when a stolen Strad is recovered?
Violin dealers and musicians are not alone in following the auction performance of rare musical instruments. The spectacular saleroom prices realised by the finest violins have also attracted thieves in search of fresh goods for the illicit art market. While post-theft claims for insured instruments are often quickly settled, the ...
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ArticleHospital CT scan reveals more on so-called 'Titanic violin'
A violin thought to have been played during the sinking of the RMS Titanic has undergone a hospital CT scan to determine its age and condition. The research, commissioned by auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, showed that the instrument had been damaged and restored. Radiographer Astrid ...
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BlogsFeel the power
Peter Somerford reflects on measuring violin projection at the Paris blind-test
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DebateLock up the valuables
Should the world's top violins, violas and cellos always be available for playing? No, says Philip Kass. Some are simply too precious to be exposed to destructive human hands
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DebateCareless talk costs lives
Nigel Kennedy used his recent BBC Prom to issue a condemnation of period performance. But, says Ariane Todes, he should get his facts right, and spare a thought for those colleagues whose reputations he's belittling
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Article
Min-Jin Kym's 1696 Stradivarius violin is taken from a sandwich bar
A £15,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the recovery of a Stradivarius violin stolen in London. The 1696 instrument, valued at around £1.2m, was stolen along with two bows from a branch of Pret a Manger outside Euston Station on 29 November. The victim of the theft ...
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BlogsThe advantages of modern instruments
Ariane Todes chairs a panel discussion in which luthiers shed light on the process of commissioning
