6+ day, 13+ hour ago  (459+ words) Tom's Cotik performs Alb'niz's Asturias in a transcription for solo violin and discusses some of the technical challenges of bringing this guitar classic to the violin, reflecting on his personal connection to Spanish music, shaped in part by his Fulbright…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago  (129+ words) The Strad Making Matters: How to make a lighter viola For some violists, playing on a lighter instrument is their holy grail. Laurent Zakowsky describes his methods to accomplish this, from thinning the back to changing the chinrest I enrolled…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago  (1566+ words) Ensemble Diderot's upcoming Wigmore Hall debut explores the trio sonata's cosmopolitan peak, uniting French, Italian and German influences through works from Bach to Vivaldi. Artistic director and violinist Johannes Pramsohler shares insights on the programme When I first envisioned the…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago  (475+ words) Davide Botto, who acquired the Pressenda bass in 2017, describes the tone quality of the instrument Double bassist Davide Botto This is an excerpt from'The Strad'March 2026'feature, "Making history: Pressenda double bass".'Read the full article here I bought this double…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago  (515+ words) Our April 2026 cover star discusses the tools of his trade This is an excerpt from'The Strad'April 2025'feature, "Frank Peter Zimmermann: "Music that possesses you.'Read the full article here Nathan Milstein once told me that it took him five years…...

1+ mon, 1+ day ago  (512+ words) By Robin Stowell13 March 2026 The Strad Issue: March 2026 Description: Music of galant charm undermined by technical issues Musicians: I Solisti Ambrosiani Works: Giardini: Six Sonatas for violin and continuo op. 1 Felice Giardini's op. 1 Sonatas each comprise three movements and combine mostly…...

1+ mon, 1+ day ago  (504+ words) Janet Banks reads Edward Klorman's analysis of the six legendary solo works for cello by Johann Sebastian Bach Bach: The Cello Suites Cambridge University Press "18" Do we need another book on Bach's Cello Suites? It didn't take long for Edward…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago  (777+ words) Prompted by Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexandre Tharaud and guided by a revelation from Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, the composer charts the evolution of a five'movement work where orchestra and soloists blur, collide and ultimately redefine each other (l-r) Composer Oscar Strasnoy,…...

2+ mon, 1+ day ago  (577+ words) By Robin Stowell13 February 2026 Robin Stowell reads composer Robin Holloway's colossal survey of the whole Western classical music tradition, replete with the author's own reflections and opinions Music's Odyssey: An Invitation to Western Classical Music "Drunk on Debussy, Mahler and modernism…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago  (309+ words) Jamie Walton, the current custodian of the'Amati cello, reflects on its sound and projection This is an excerpt from'The Strad'February 2026'feature, "Seven, they are seven: Nicol" Amati cello 1642".'Read the full article here The low E on the C string…...