In this issue:
- Füssen, Germany’s first lutherie capital, began as a hotbed of lute making – and its influence extended as far as Venice and Cremona
- Violinist Carolin Widmann on teaching, recordings, and branching out into early music
- The Casals Quartet on Beethoven’s towering contribution to the repertoire
- In the studio with cellist Gabriel Schwabe as he finds his love for Schumann
- Spectrum Concerts Berlin: 30th anniversary
- The forgotten legacy of Franjo Kresnik, ‘the man who read violins’
In Focus features one of the few remaining violas made by Jacob Stainer, dated to 1660; Michael Köberling explains his method for cleaning brushes after varnishing in Trade Secrets; My Space features workshop of Leipzig-based luthier Jürgen Manthey; and in Making Matters we ask if the old Italians played their instruments in the white before varnishing.
In our monthly Masterclass, Baiba Skride gives her thoughts on the first movement of Berg’s Violin Concerto; Minna Rose Chung on Tartini tones, produced when playing double-stops in Technique; Noah Bendix-Balgley, first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, tells us his Life Lessons; plus Christian Tetzlaff explains why he loves Beethoven’s Seventh Violin Sonata in Sentimental Work.
We also bring you news of the latest competitions, products and auctions, and comprehensive reviews of concerts, CDs and books.