August 2023
£5.95Nicola Benedetti talks about becoming director of the Edinburgh International Festival, and there’s a look at the life of luthier Marino Capicchioni. We ask what Stradivari used as a pre-varnish preparation layer, and Julian Rachlin gives his Sentimental Work. Plus a Dvořák Masterclass with Pavel Šporcl.
Read more in The Strad
Brothers Amati cello c.1600 poster
£22.95Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
BUNDLE-The Best of Trade Secrets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Original price was: £204.85.£170.00Current price is: £170.00.Bundle contains:
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets 2
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets 3
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets 4
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets 5
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1 x The Best of Trade Secrets 6
June 2023
£5.95British cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson discusses her influences and we report on the efforts to help young displaced musicians from Ukraine. There’s a Masterclass on Fauré and we mark the 100th anniversary of Ligeti’s birth. Plus Francesca Dego’s Sentimental Work.
Read more in The Strad
Violin Bundle – Violin Concertos
Original price was: £90.00.£65.00Current price is: £65.00.
** SAVE OVER 25% **
For string players and teachers, The Strad’s Masterclass and Technique sections are a treasure trove of knowledge, information and playing advice. Some of the world’s best-known teachers and soloists have given their top tips on how to get the best out of your instrument, and perform some of the greatest works in the repertoire.
‘Kochanski’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin 1741 poster
£22.95One of The Strad’s most popular posters is now available with brand new artwork showing the 1741 ‘Kochanski’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ in all its glory.
Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
Cello Heroes
£9.95Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, Mischa Maisky and Natalia Gutman are among the cellists featured in this special publication from The Strad. It also includes a selection of historic articles from the magazine’s archives on Pierre Fournier, Daniil Shafran, Pablo Casals, Emanuel Feuermann, Jacqueline du Pré, Gregor Piatigorsky and others.
Carlo Bergonzi ‘Salabue, Martzy’ violin 1733 poster
£22.95This stunning instrument, still in immaculate condition, bears all the hallmarks of the luthier Carlo Bergonzi, who moved into Antonio Stradivari’s workshop following the latter’s death. The famed instrument collector Count Cozio di Salabue called it ‘my largest and most beautiful Bergonzi’. It was later used as the principal performing instrument of Hungarian virtuoso Johanna Martzy (1924–79).
‘The f-holes of the ‘Salabue, Martzy’ are bold and distinctive. In concept, they derive from a Stradivari model but the stems are more angled and the wings are broader’ – Jason Price in the July 2024 edition of The Strad.
Our rolled posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
BUNDLE – In Focus and In Focus 2
Original price was: £75.00.£60.00Current price is: £60.00.The In Focus anthologies brings together many of the world’s most fascinating stringed instruments, with commentaries by today’s top instrument experts.
Both books feature exceptional high-quality photographs for every featured instrument – front, back and scroll – and will provide inspiration for today’s makers and anyone who enjoys the beauty and variety of stringed instruments.
This bundle includes:
- In Focus (with new limited edition cover)
- In Focus 2
February 2025
£5.95We talk to the members of the Attacca Quartet, while Nigel Kennedy discusses his latest foray into composition. There’s a look at the work of Polish luthier Ladislaus Baczyński and the bows of Charles Nicolas Bazin. Plus David Finckel’s views on teaching chamber music and Glenn Dicterow’s Sentimental Work.
Read more in The Strad
December 2024
£5.95We examine the early years of lutherie in Venice and talk to Chinese violinist Ning Feng about his latest projects. There’s a look back at the life of violinist Ivan Mane Jarnović and a Schubert Masterclass with violist William Coleman of the Kuss Quartet. Plus Harriet Krijgh’s Sentimental Work.
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March 2025
£5.95We talk to Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes and pay tribute to the work of British bow maker James Tubbs. There’s a retrospective of Zara Nelsova’s career and a Masterclass on the first of Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style. Plus Julia Fischer’s Life Lessons and Fabio Biondi’s Sentimental Work.
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April 2024
£5.95We talk to superstar violinist Joshua Bell and report on an innovative ‘improvised’ concerto. There’s a look at the career of bow maker Richard Otto Gläsel and Elena Urioste reveals her Sentimental Work. Plus a Beethoven Masterclass courtesy of cellist Gary Hoffman.
Read more in The Strad
Antonio Stradivari ‘Harrison’ violin 1693 poster
£22.95A perfect example of Stradivari’s Long Pattern, the ‘Harrison’ was for many years the principal performing instrument of Kyung Wha Chung. It is now part of the collection of the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, US.
Read more in The Strad
Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
August 2024
£5.95We talk to Baroque violinist Rachel Podger and examine a bow that might possibly have come from Stradivari’s workshop. There’s a focus on the new generation of double bass players and a look back at the career of cello pedagogue Christopher Bunting. Plus Tasmin Little’s Life Lessons and Simone Lamsma’s Sentimental Work.
Read more in The Strad
Great Instruments 3
£25.00This third volume in The Strad’s Great Instruments series brings together the finest scholarship, research and analysis by some of the world’s leading experts on stringed instruments. Among the highlights are a detailed look at the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ violin by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, including an acoustic analysis by Joseph Curtin and an interview with its player, Anne Akiko Meyers. There’s also a rare examination of the ‘Boissier, Sarasate’, one of two Stradivari violins formerly owned by Pablo Sarasate, which rarely leaves its current home, the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. And we examine some of the most extraordinary restoration jobs on fine instruments in history: the ‘Mara’ Stradivari cello, almost consigned to a watery grave, and the ‘Paravicini’ Stradivari, which took more than a year to restore to its former glory.
Full list of featured instruments
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Antonio Stradivari ‘Mara’ cello, 1711
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Antonio Stradivari ‘Cecil’ violin, 1724
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violin, 1732
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Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ ‘Paravicini’ violin, 1734
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Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume ‘Evangelists’ quartet, 1863
July 2024
£5.95We examine the 1733 ‘Salabue, Martzy’ violin by Carlo Bergonzi, and violinist Daniel Rowland reflects on his multifaceted career. There’s a look at the life of bassist Serge Koussevitzky and the results of an investigation into the bass-bar. Plus Sarah Chang’s Life Lessons and the first of a two-part Schubert Masterclass.
Read more in The Strad
Buy Carlo Bergonzi ‘Salabue, Martzy’ violin 1733 poster here
Antonio Stradivari ‘Gustav Mahler’ viola 1672 poster
£22.95Currently played by Antoine Tamestit, the ‘Mahler’ is one of only ten surviving violas by Antonio Stradivari – and the earliest known viola he made. The instrument bears all the hallmarks of the Cremonese master, as well as some intriguing details that suggest the 28-year-old luthier was already experimenting with the form.
‘The more one looks into the “Mahler”, the more facets and curiosities reveal themselves. Like all great artworks it is a product of its time and circumstances, as well as a result of experiments to bring something totally new and unique into the world’
– Jonathan Marolle in the July 2019 issue
The poster includes full measurements, outlines of the back, scroll side, f-holes, and front and back archings and rib outline.
Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
Domenico Montagnana ‘Farina’ cello 1730 poster
£22.95Domenico Montagnana was possibly the greatest cello maker in history, and the 1730 ‘Farina’ was made during the period when he was at the height of his powers. Unlike most Montagnana cellos, it has never been cut down and retains its original proportions. Now owned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the instrument has a very powerful sound with a wide array of colours. Previous owners have included May Mukle, one of the first successful female cello soloists.
‘The abundant famous Venetian varnish is of a rich, dark red colour, with a fascinating array of textures and patinas. In the areas where the varnish has worn off, a beautiful golden amber ground is revealed. As with most uncut Montagnana cellos, the outline is wide in the upper bouts and corners, and deeply swept in at the C-bouts, with big, broad lower bouts.’ – John Waddle and Steve Sirr in the July 2025 edition of The Strad.
‘When making recordings, the sound engineer has to turn down my microphone because it sounds up to eight decibels louder than any other cello’ – Ilya Finkelshteyn, principal cellist, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Find out how more than 30 luthiers collaborated to build a copy of the c.1730 ‘Farina’ in the November 2023 Strad magazine article, “COPYING A MONTAGNANA CELLO – Robin Aitchison reports from the annual Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop”
***Don’t miss our Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
Girolamo Amati II violin 1671 poster
£22.95The son of Nicolò Amati, Girolamo Amati II was the last instrument maker of the illustrious Amati dynasty. Although he made fewer violins than his forebears, the ones that have survived show the work of a skilled luthier in his prime. This violin, made in the early part of his career, is a pristine example of his craftsmanship and shows many stylistic similarities to the work of his father. It is now housed in the Royal Academy of Music.
’The maple is delicately figured on the back and ribs, and plain for the neck-block. It has been perfectly quarter-cut. Unevenly scattered bearclaw figure ruffles the surface of the one-piece spruce front’ – Barbara Meyer in the July 2022 issue
Read more in The Strad
Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
Antonio Stradivari ‘King Carlos IV’ violin 1709 poster – FOLDED VERSION
£14.95FOLDED VERSION
The ‘King Carlos IV’ is one of the few instruments remaining from the collection of the Spanish king, who ruled from 1788 to 1808. Made during Stradivari’s ‘golden period’, it is one of the rare examples that is so well preserved that its sound is seldom matched by other violins of the era. The maple back has deep, wide flames descending slightly, which shimmer like water in the light. The scroll is incredibly round and bold, displaying an ultimate strength in making.
Florian Leonhard examines its history and present condition in The Strad magazine July 2023
Read the review in The Strad, June 2023
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
May 2023
£5.95Alina Ibragimova talks about her latest projects and we take a look at the work of Luthiers sans Frontières. Blind violist Myra Ross discusses her playing methods and we examine the various versions of Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata. Plus Antoine Tamestit’s Sentimental Work.
Carlo Bergonzi ‘Baron Knoop’ violin 1735 poster
£22.95This violin demonstrates all the hallmarks of Carlo Bergonzi’s mature style, as well as the influences of both Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri ‘del Gesù’. Made from top-quality spruce and maple, it shows the exquisite care with which Bergonzi prepared all his finest instruments.
‘Bergonzi’s varnish has a deep, subdued fire which doesn’t try to emulate the visual effects obtained by his competitors’ – Andrea Zanrè in the July 2021 edition of The Strad
Includes measurements, thickness and arching maps and life-size micro-CT scans.
Our posters are shipped separately from other products. One tube can hold up to 10 posters. Save on postage costs by purchasing up to 10 posters per tube today.
***Don’t miss our NEW Folded Poster Tailored Bundle. Choose any two or more of The Strad’s folded posters and pay just £9.99 for each. Watch a video of the selection here***
