The Strad February 2018 issue is out now

The Strad February 2018 issue is out now, with a focus on French musicians and lutherie led by an interview with the Arod Quartet, in which the four young members reveal that making a successful career as a foursome takes more than just first-rate playing.

Legendary jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty talks about improvisation, Stéphane Grappelli, and his new-found love for classical repertoire; in our Session Report, Antoine Tamestit tells us about the gestation of his latest recording, comprising three works by Jörg Widmann; and we survey Debussy’s five chamber works for strings and talk to some of their top current exponents.

Matt Wehling presents a detailed examination of one of François Xavier Tourte’s c.1790 bows – and what it tells us about this transformative period in his life; Serge and Florent Boyer examine the development of Lupot contemporary Jean-François Aldric’s style across eight instruments; and our Postcard comes from the inaugural Harmonia Nova festival in Avignon.

In our regular sections:

In Focus features Guilhermina Suggia’s Stradivari cello; Christian Bayon explains how he adapted the bass-bar to improve tone quality in Trade Secrets; My Space features the workshop of Bulgarian luthier Petko Petkov; plus François Denis analyses the distance between an instrument’s strings in Making Matters.

In our monthly Masterclass, Arabella Steinbacher gives her thoughts on the opening of Ravel’s Tzigane; cellist Amit Peled creates emojis as an aid to practice in Technique; violinist Lisa Batiashvili tells us her Life Lessons; plus Gary Karr on his passion for Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto in Sentimental Work.

We also bring you news of the latest competitions, products and auctions, and comprehensive reviews of concerts, CDs and books.

The digital magazine and print edition are on sale now.

Do YOU have something to say about the new issue – or about the strings world generally? If so, why not email thestrad@thestrad.com with a Letter to the Editor? Don’t forget, our Letter of the Month always receives a full set of Thomastik-Infeld violin, viola or cello strings – your choice!