All Historical articles – Page 7
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1760 Nicolò Gagliano violin
‘It is incredible for me to draw out the richness in the lower strings, and the higher registers soar with remarkable clarity’ - Emily Sun
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Robert Max on playing the 1726 ‘Saveuse’ Stradivari cello
British cellist Robert Max, who has owned and performed on the ‘Saveuse’ for more than 20 years, gives his thoughts on the instrument’s sound and quality
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1726 ‘Saveuse’ Stradivari cello: Small is beautiful
The 1726 ‘Saveuse’ is one of the smallest cellos Antonio Stradivari ever produced. John Dilworth discovers the unique characteristics of this rare model
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1720 Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ violin
’I fell in love with the typical warm Guarneri sound, and after some restoration it also acquired a shine in the treble register’ - Dene Olding
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The most important violin in the world? - The 1716 ‘Messiah’ Stradivari violin
Stradivari’s 1716 ‘Messiah’ violin has beguiled with its pristine condition for 300 years, despite having remained mute for most of that time. John Dilworth examines the mystique surrounding this enigmatic instrument that still refuses to give up its secrets
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CT-Scanning the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari violin
In 2016 the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari was the subject of an extensive CT scanning project. Francesco Piasentini and Gregg Alf examine the resulting data, discovering repair work in the neck, and attempt to determine how it had originally been set
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The Strad Calendar 2023: c.1610 Maggini viola
This large and beautiful-sounding viola features a one-piece spruce front with unusually wide grain
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An outstanding piece of work: exploring the 1865 ‘Sheremetev’ Vuillaume cello
The sheer quantity of J.B. Vuillaume’s instruments has led to a certain prejudice against them. But as John Dilworth explains, his finest creations, such as this 1865 ‘Sheremetev’ cello, rank almost as high as those of the Cremonese masters
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Raphael Wallfisch on playing the ‘Sheremetev’ Vuillaume cello
‘It’s a very versatile instrument as well as a beautiful thing to look at,’ said the cellist in our June 2013 issue
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1859 Vuillaume violin
The violin is a very close copy of a ‘golden period’ Stradivari, possibly the 1715 ‘Alard’,
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The world’s most expensive violin: the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
Terry Borman discusses the ribs, purfling and scroll of this unique instrument in our June 2018 issue
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Anne Akiko Meyers on playing the ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
The US violinist, who has been loaned in perpetuity what is currently the world’s most expensive instrument, discusses its tone quality and projection
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Antonio Stradivari ‘Harrison’ violin 1693: The start of something big
Andrew Dipper shows how the 1693 ‘Harrison’ violin signifies the start of a critical phase in the master luthier’s career
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1743 ‘Ngeringa’ Guadagnini cello
The instrument is one of only 39 cellos known to have been made by Guadagnini
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‘It was like the earth moved beneath me’ - violinist Leonidas Kavakos on playing the ’Willemotte’ Stradivari
Kavakos describes his first encounter with the 1734 violin, made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old
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1734 Stradivari violin ‘Willemotte’: Late… but worth the wait
Made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old, the 1734 ‘Willemotte’ bears all his hallmarks including a deep, complex tone quality
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Europa Galante to play on matched string ensemble
The concert, taking place on 21 November, features eleven instruments all made by luthier Renato Scrollavezza
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Violin maker Tetsuo Matsuda dies aged 77
Born in Japan, the luthier lived in Chicago, US, for four decades
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1784 Guadagnini violin
One of the last instruments made by the luthier, who died in 1786, the violin has a miraculously intact varnish and an excellent soprano sound with great projection
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The thief, his wife and the ‘Huberman’ Strad
The ‘Gibson, Huberman’ Stradivari now owned by Joshua Bell has a history worthy of a blockbuster thriller