In this issue:
- The Arod Quartet discuss how making a successful career as a foursome takes more than first-rate playing
- Tourte the innovator seen through a detailed examination of one of his c.1790 bows
- Jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on improvisation, Stéphane Grappelli, and classical repertoire
- In the studio with Antoine Tamestit as he records works by Jörg Widmann
- Debussy’s five chamber works for strings through the eyes of top players
- The development of French maker Jean-François Aldric’s style across eight instruments
- A postcard from the inaugural Harmonia Nova festival in Avignon
- Classical music and sexism in France
Plus: In Focus features Guilhermina Suggia’s Stradivari cello; Christian Bayon explains how he adapted the bass-bar to improve tone quality in Trade Secrets; My Space features the workshop of Bulgarian luthier Petko Petkov; plus François Denis analyses the distance between an instrument’s strings in Making Matters.
In our monthly Masterclass, Arabella Steinbacher gives her thoughts on the opening of Ravel’s Tzigane; cellist Amit Peled creates emojis as an aid to practice in Technique; violinist Lisa Batiashvili tells us her Life Lessons; plus Gary Karr on his passion for Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto in Sentimental Work.
We also bring you news of the latest competitions, products and auctions, and comprehensive reviews of concerts, CDs and books.