The Strad’s editor Emma Baker introduces the US-themed November 2024 issue, which features US violinist Rachel Barton Pine, string players in the US military, luthier Nicola Giorgis and his daughter Francesca Maria and the centenary of Leonid Kogan
Our cover star this November is the great US violinist Rachel Barton Pine, who has enjoyed a long and eclectic career so far and, as she tells Ariane Todes, is looking forward to the future with enthusiasm. She speaks about the multiple strands of her musicianship, from her love of the big crowd-pulling Romantic concertos to her own take on Baroque period performance (she has just released a new album of Corelli violin sonatas), as well her lifelong love of heavy metal. Pine’s pioneering spirit meant she was one of the first mainstream artists to record and champion music by Black composers, back in the late 1990s; she also set up her Rachel Barton Pine Foundation to support young string players from diverse backgrounds. Our cover photo shows her in her element, surrounded by her instruments.
Did you know that the US military is the largest employer of musicians in the US? Central to the thousands of professionals in musical service of the army, air force and marines is a core of string players; Rita Fernandes visited some of them at their home base in Washington DC to find out more about their lives and work. November’s American theme continues with interviews with cellists Astrid Schween and Alisa Weilerstein, and advice on technique from violist Jordan Bak.
In lutherie, we travel to Hawai‘i’s Big Island for a peek into the workshop of luthier Yam Uri Raz . And in the spirit of international cooperation, Christian Lloyd explores how ten luthiers from nine different countries spent a year collaborating on creating one violin, inspired by their meeting at the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop in Ohio.
Emma Baker editor
Email me at thestrad@thestrad.com or tweet @TheStradMag
Issue summary
We talk to US violinist Rachel Barton Pine and explore the world of string groups in the US military. There’s a retrospective of Leonid Kogan and a Saint-Saëns Masterclass with Max Baillie. Plus interviews with US cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Astrid Schween.
Contents
RACHEL BARTON PINE The American violinist talks to Ariane Todes about her eclectic playing career, ranging from heavy metal to her new recording of Corelli violin sonatas
STRING GROUPS IN THE US MILITARY The US Air Force, Army and Marines are the largest employers of musicians in America. String players tell Rita Fernandes about their experiences in the forces
GIORGIS FAMILY Claudio Amighetti explores the lives of Nicola Giorgis and his daughter Francesca Maria – possibly the first female luthier to run her own business
SESSION REPORT Violinist Fenella Humphreys and composer Adrian Sutton talk to Michael White about the inspiration, genesis and recording of Sutton’s Violin Concerto
LEONID KOGAN CENTENARY Marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian violinist’s birth, Tully Potter looks back at his life and talks to former student Isabelle Flory about his teaching style
DOUBLE BASS REPAIR The size of the bass can be off-putting to luthiers working alone. Nick Lloyd describes his one-person method for re-fitting a bass top after a repair job.
IN FOCUS A 1740 violin by J.C. Hoffmann
TRADE SECRETS Luthier Renate Fink presents her method for making a peg shaper
MY SPACE Hawai‘i-based luthier Yam Uri Raz
MAKING MATTERS How ten luthiers in nine countries collaborated on a single violin
MASTERCLASS Violinist Max Baillie gives his thoughts on the Havanaise by Saint-Saëns
TECHNIQUE US violist Jordan Bak gives tips on how to find flexibility in the left hand
LIFE LESSONS The memories and opinions of American cellist Alisa Weilerstein
OPINION The importance of studying scales, arpeggios and etudes
POSTCARD FROM SWITZERLAND A report from the 2024 Gstaad Menuhin Festival
FROM THE ARCHIVE The teaching styles of Vieuxtemps and Joachim, from November 1894
SENTIMENTAL WORK Cellist Astrid Schween explains her love for Dvořák’s Waldesruhe
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