George Eliot on violin-making obsession and the genius of Stradivarius
To mark the UK's National Poetry Day, 8th October, here's George Eliot's great poem about violin making and the obsession with which...
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Sep 4, 2015
Thomas Demenga: ‘Sometimes I think we’re producing too many musicians at conservatoires’
The Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga discusses the fierce competition in today’s music world, how students should spend less time online and...
Jun 11, 2015
Let’s show modern instruments some #love
The Elbow Music social media campaign puts modern instruments in the spotlight My recent article about Frank Peter Zimmermann’s dilemma...
May 25, 2015
Brave new violin world
A new collection of specially commissioned unantiqued instruments offers hope of a new Zeitgeist around modern violins. Will top soloists...
Apr 17, 2015
Wine and violins
Facebook just kindly reminded me that two years ago today I was in Sarasota, Florida, enjoying the La Musica Festival, and tasting wine –...
Apr 14, 2015
Pinchas Zukerman: violin geek
In honour of Pinchas Zukerman's performance tonight of the Elgar Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London's...
Feb 4, 2015
Spain’s Stradivarius quartet
A weekend in Madrid provided the perfect opportunity to view some unusual Stradivarius instruments There is a lot to do in Madrid –...
Aug 22, 2014
The real secret of Stradivarius?
I had a lovely morning yesterday talking to cellist Natalie Clein for two forthcoming articles – about her new Saint-Saëns disc, for...
Jul 23, 2014
Charles Beare – violin expertise ‘not the real thing’
At first I thought this New Yorker article about the Carpenter family by Rebecca Mead was going to be a puff piece, but it turns out to...
Jul 16, 2014
Ivry Gitlis charms in the streets of Paris
I don't speak French well but it doesn't matter when watching this video. It's worth it just to see a young Ivry Gitlis play, talk,...
Jul 15, 2014
Stradivarius violin blind tests – do they matter?
A really interesting article about wine in the New Yorker suggests striking parallels between how we choose wine and our attitudes to...
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