Editor's letter

The art of improvisation can seem like an

SOUNDPOST

Letters, emails, online comments

TOP 3 ONLINE POSTS

www.thestrad.com 1 Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina (below)

Bright young things

News and events from around the world this month

OBITUARIES

CHRISTOPHER REX American cellist Christopher Rex died on

Back to nature

PREMIERE of the MONTH

COMPETITIONS

Paddington Trio Lionel Martin Anastasia Kobekina PADDINGTON TRIO

At what price?

CELLO STRINGS

COMBATING CALLUSES

FINGER PRACTICE STRAP

ON YOUR TAIL

TAILPIECE WEIGHTS

Life lessons

The Juilliard Quartet cellist recalls her many tutors and stresses the importance of staying curious

A NEW DEAL FOR EARLY MUSIC

Covid-19 has highlighted the economic inequalities that divide musicians who perform on period instruments from the majority of today’s string players, says Andrew Mellor

Cello explorations

Adrian Smith spent a weekend in Dublin exploring the delights of Spike Cello Festival, a vibrant ‘alt-cello’ weekend that celebrates the versatility of the instrument beyond the core classical repertoire

HER INFINITE VARIETY

Violinist Viktoria Mullova talks to Toby Deller about her eclectic musical collaborations, mastering the art of improvisation, experimenting with technique, and her new Schubert recording with pianist Alasdair Beatson

FROM PRODIGY TO PEDAGOGUE

Swedish-born violinist Paul Makanowitzky ultimately helped create the American school of violin playing. David Hays explores his life and multifaceted career

GANGNAM STYLE

Over the past decade, a wide community of violin and bow makers has grown up in the Seocho district of Seoul. Luthier Hagit Gili Gluska speaks to colleagues young and old, both local and from overseas, who have made this area their home

A ROYAL CONSORT

Richard Boothby of Fretwork speaks to Robin Stowell about the ensemble’s recording of fantasias for viol consort by Thomas Lupo, the Italian who made a name for himself at Queen Elizabeth I’s court

RESURRECTING A BAROQUE MAVERICK

When Gerald Elias unearthed music by the little-known London-based 18th-century composer and virtuoso violinist Pietro Castrucci, he discovered a unique and independent musical voice

THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialisation, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship. Gennady Filimonov tells the story of his long career and examines several examples of his work

RAU’S SONS

How two of August Rau’s three boys went into the instrument trade, although two met a tragic end in World War I

CAMILLO MANDELLI

IN FOCUS

Carving a ‘Hill-style’ saddle

TRADE SECRETS

MY SPACE

A peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Hidden in plain sight

MAKING MATTERS

BRUCH’S KOL NIDREI OP.47

MASTERCLASS

Kol Nidrei

Robert Hausmann gewidmet Erschienen 1881

Developing bow control for improved tone

TECHNIQUE

Reviews

Your monthly critical round-up of performances, recordings and publications

RECORDINGS

BACH Solo Sonatas & Partitas Vol.1: Partitas: no.2

BOOKS

GÜNTER KÜHNEL/SEBASTIAN KIRSCH Joachim Tielke: Kunstvolle Musikinstrumente des

From the ARCHIVE

US violin maker Edward Hellier-Collens gives readers of The Strad the benefit of his expertise: good violin tone lies not in the varnish after all, but in the ‘filler’ (ground coat)

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Pavel Haas Quartet The Czech foursome

RENAUD CAPUÇON

Despite being a ‘non-violinistic’ piece, the Brahms Violin Sonata no.1 stands out for the French violinist as the work that helped him discover the wonders of chamber music

Welcome

Welcome to Degrees 2022–232022–23Welcome to Degrees 2022–23 –

CHECKLIST

Questions to help you find the right course and to prepare you for life as a student

INSPIRED TO SUCCEED

Find out where you can study with some of the string world’s most in-demand pedagogues

COURSE LISTINGS

ARGENTINA Taller Escuela de Música y Artes (TEMA),

Mia Stanton, violin

Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne

Matej Mijalić, violin

University of Zagreb Academy of Music

Adalberto Ambotta, double bass

Conservatorio Giuseppe Tartini, Trieste

Inés Issel, violin

Reina Sofía School of Music, Madrid

Sagnick Mukherjee, viola

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow I was drawn

Maya Anjali Buchanan, violin

Curtis Institute of Music, Pennsylvania