All Focus articles – Page 14
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FocusPostcard from Verbier Festival
Peter Quantrill reports from the 25th anniversary of the Verbier Festival, where a wealth of A-list musicians rubbed shoulders with enthusiastic younger players from the Festival Academy and Orchestra
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FocusIn focus: a 1927 'Stroh' violin by Buffa Baretti
In this article from the January 2012 issue of The Strad, Christopher Germain examines the history and construction of an unusual horn violin made in Trieste
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FocusDo string players who refuse to embrace popular music face extinction?
String players must embrace the vernacular of today’s popular music or risk being consigned to a bygone era, writes electric violinist Tracy Silverman
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FocusHow do you copy a Kittel?
Nikolai Kittel remains one of the most enigmatic bow makers, so when the assembled talents at this year’s Oberlin workshop set about making copies, they uncovered a host of interesting points, as Robert Ray explains
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FocusHilary Hahn on recording a second instalment of solo Bach – 20 years after the first
The violinist recorded her first disc of Bach when she was a teenager. Now, two decades on, she returns to complete the set. Pauline Harding talks to her about constancy and change, and new meanings given to music through experience and memory
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Focus10 ways to avoid tension in your playing
Advice on how to be flexible and relaxed as a string player from 120 years of The Strad
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FocusPostcard from Yerevan: the Khachaturian International Competition
Cellists from around the world descended on the Armenian capital in June for the Khachaturian International Competition. Tom Stewart reports from its thought-provoking final round
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FocusPiecing together the history of the
'Mara' Stradivari celloIts fate was almost to be consigned to the murky depths of an Uruguayan river but it continues to delight and inspire audiences of the present day. Alessandra Barabaschi delves into the dramatic life of the ‘Mara’ Strad
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FocusThe gift of studying with Josef Gingold
Josef Gingold was as big-hearted a teacher as he was a violinist according to his former student Gwen Thompson-Robinow
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FocusRenaud Capuçon, Leila Josefowicz and Carolin Widmann on 21st-century concertos
The combination of violin and orchestra has in recent years inspired a proliferation of diverse new works. Here three top soloists discuss giving their premieres
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FocusHow do you get into a conservatoire?
Mark Messenger, head of strings at the Royal College of Music, reveals what conservatoire audition panels are looking for
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FocusPostcard from Dresden Music Festival
Jan Vogler’s Dresden Music Festival this year included Cellomania, a celebration of the cello, in which great artists of all generations shared the stage. Tim Homfray reports on a wealth of outstanding performances
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Premium ❘ FeatureAsk the Experts: How to look after your bow
Four bow makers advise on how best to look after a new bow to maintain both its performance and potential resale value
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FocusThe darker side of Heifetz the autocratic teacher
The great violinist was an inspirational teacher but not always kind or reasonable, remembers former student Gwen Thompson-Robinow
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FocusThe Strad Quiz: Know your cellists
Test your knowledge of 20th- and 21st-century cello players with our latest photo quiz
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Premium ❘ FeatureAntonio Pappano: What conductors want from their string sections
A regular, nice, beautiful sound doesn’t interest the music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, he told The Strad in this interview from 2008
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FocusWhy are female composers still markedly behind in terms of prominence?
Are quotas the solution, or do public attitudes still need to change, asks Peter Somerford
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FocusAsk the Experts: minimising excessive body movements
We asked four string pedagogues to give their thoughts on eliminating or cutting down on excessive body movements when playing
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FocusLife Lessons: Aldo Parisot
The venerable cello teacher, who celebrates his 100th birthday in September, recently announced his retirement from the Yale School of Music. He shares his insights and looks back at the beginnings of his distinguished career
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FocusNurturing limb-differences in students
The benefits of accommodating and encouraging limb-different string students far outweigh the challenges for teachers, says University of North Texas lecturer Elizabeth Chappell
