All Focus articles – Page 16
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FocusLeonard Bernstein centenary: his contribution to string playing
In this extract from an article exploring the great composer and conductor’s string legacy, Tully Potter takes a close look at the creation of his violin concerto in all but name, the Serenade after Plato’s Symposium
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Blogs7 tips for breaking free from the classical treadmill
The London-based Phaedra Ensemble explores the spaces between classical, experimental and contemporary music, taking the string quartet as a starting point. Here the members share some ideas on how to start your own explorations
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FocusIn focus: The ‘Carrodus’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
In this article from the April 2007 issue, John Dilworth takes a close look at a violin made when ‘del Gesù’ was at his most imaginative and creative
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FocusMakers reveal their favourite technical solutions to common lutherie problems
Although new items for luthiers are always appearing on the market, violin making involves many tasks for which there is no perfect tool. Here, six makers describe the devices they’ve created for themselves
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FocusLife lessons: Julian Lloyd Webber
The British cellist and now conservatoire principal talks about the challenges facing music education, and his adventures in finding new repertoire
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BlogsPutting students and professors in chamber music groups together is invigorating for both
In the run-up to the Guildhall School’s first chamber music festival, cello professor Ursula Smith reflects on the mutual benefits of its unique approach
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GalleryIn focus: violin by G.B. Rogeri
In this article from the October 2009 issue, Philip Kass untangles Rogeri, Rugeri and the last Amati in taking a closer look at a late 17th-century violin by the first
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FocusMaxim Vengerov: Me and my Strads
In conversation with Sota Nakazawa, Russian virtuoso Maxim Vengerov explains his love for Stradivari instruments, and his long relationship with them
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FocusAn introduction to Joseph White and his six etudes
Joseph White, who died 100 years ago this year, was one of very few musicians of African descent to achieve international renown in the 19th century as a composer and performer. Yavet Boyadjiev introduces his Six etudes op.13 as works of considerable pedagogical value
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FocusAsk the experts: choosing, changing and caring for your strings
String makers receive all kinds of questions from players about their products. Chloe Cutts explores their responses to the most common queries
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FocusAnalysing the surprisingly complex geometry of the fingerboard
M.J. Kwan discovers how luthiers prefer to tackle the many questions of curvature and ‘scoop’ involved in creating a violin fingerboard
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FocusIndependence and flexibility in the left-hand thumb
The first in a two-part article on techniques and tricks to loosen your hands and free up your instrument hold by Gwen Thompson-Robinow
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FocusIt’s so important for Prokofiev's concerto not to become just a showpiece for the soloist
Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto provides myriad possibilities for interpretation – and Pekka Kuusisto takes inspiration from dreams, diamonds, the Beach Boys and Romeo and Juliet to find them. From the June 2018 issue
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FocusFrom the archive: Violin by Santo Serafin c.1740
In the January 2013 issue, John Dilworth examined this fine example of the great Venetian craftsman’s work [click + to zoom in]
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Premium ❘ FeatureLeopold Auer profiled in the July 1907 issue of The Strad
This article by B. Herderson was published in the July 1907 edition of The Strad, when Auer was 62 years old. Zoom in to the pages by clicking the + symbol and click the arrows to navigate
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FocusTitanium: the perfect material for instrument fittings?
Tough and light, titanium is thought to be the leading material for stringed instrument adjusters and fixtures, but does the metal have acoustic benefits too? Peter Somerford investigates
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FocusLife Lessons: Kyung Wha Chung
Take a leaf out of Brahms’s book, says the South Korean violinist, who also explains why perseverance is so important
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FocusPlaying outside: a worthwhile struggle but a struggle nevertheless
In the face of bugs, bad weather and worse acoustics, Pauline Harding goes on a quest to discover why musicians ever agree to play outside
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FocusFrom the archive: a 1717 Brescian cello by Pietro Giacomo Rogeri
Marked forever by Paganini and nearly lost in the snow by Piatti, this 1717 cello by Pietro Giacomo Rogeri has had a colourful history. Article by John Dilworth from the July 2009 issue
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