Two violins are better than one: Candida Thompson, Simone Lamsma and Amsterdam Sinfonietta perform Bach

The Amsterdam Sinfonietta presents a music video performance of Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C BWV 1060r. This version sees two violinists at the helm; artistic director Candida Thompson and Simone Lamsma.

The video was made by Maarten Corbijn and Georgios Rietveld in black-and-white, characteristic of their style, with audio by Guido Tichelman. Amsterdam Sinfonietta aims to make classical music more appealing and accessible to a wider and younger audience. As a result, the orchestra has produced eight music films and video clips in collaboration with filmmakers Rietveld and Corbijn, visual artist Gideon van der Stelt, and the Flemish director Hans Pannecoucke.

Bach’s BWV 1060r was composed around 1720 at the request of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen for his ‘divertissement et le plaisir’. The version for two violins was arranged in 1920 by Max Schneider and fits within the tradition of adaptations from Bach’s era—he himself also made such revisions.

Find out more about Amsterdam Sinfonietta here.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.