IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Editor’s letter
As violin making dynasties go, the Cremonese Amati

Contributors
RAINERBEILHARZ (Making Matters, page 68) is a violin

SOUNDPOST
Letters, emails, online comments

Beyond priceless
News and events from around the world this month

OBITUARIES
JEAN-PHILIPPE VASSEUR The French violist Jean-Philippe Vasseur died

DaPonte Quartet fired by its board
The US’ Friends of the DaPonte String Quartet

Far from home
A Greek folk song is the inspiration for a meditative viola concerto

COMPETITIONS
2 Leonkoro Quartet 3 Terra Quartet 4 Yo-Yo

NEW PRODUCTS
FEATURED PRODUCT VIOLIN BRIDGE Holding up A

Life lessons
Hsin-Yun Huang

Music by the sea
The annual series of masterclasses held in the spectacular setting of Cornwall’s Prussia Cove celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Rita Fernandes explores its welcoming and nurturing atmosphere

LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Girolamo Amati II was the final violin maker of the illustrious Amati dynasty – and possibly the most overlooked. Barbara Meyer examines a 1671 violin from his early career and contrasts it with another instrument he made 48 years later

LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE
The Brodsky Quartet is celebrating 50 years of pioneering music making that spans genres from Beethoven to Björk and beyond. Amanda Holloway catches up with the four musicians during their anniversary tour

WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT BACH’S CELLO SUITES?
Bach’s sublime Six Suites for solo cello are possibly the most frequently published works in western music history, yet their source editions are shrouded in mystery. Cellist and writer Jeffrey Solow puts forward an intriguing new theory as to their origins

SECOND VIENNESE JOURNEY
Sara Wolstenholme and Christopher Murray, both of the Heath Quartet, talk to Toby Deller about their pre-pandemic recording of intense Second Viennese School quartets – music from another time and place, in more ways than one

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE PAST
Did the great string players of old know something that we didn’t? Some of today’s virtuosos reveal to Charlotte Gardner the various technical and musical tools of the trade that are in danger of being lost in the current pursuit of perfection

THE SECOND TOURTE
The bows of François-Nicolas Voirin had more influence than those of any other bow maker after F.X. Tourte. In the first of two articles, Matt Wehling explores Voirin’s life and career, and examines why his bows were so successful with players

GENNARO GAGLIANO
A close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Designing and making a ferrule
Makers reveal their special techniques

MY SPACE
A peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Set the records straight
Points of interest to violin and bow makers

FRANCK VIOLIN SONATA (CELLO VERSION)
Preserving energy, planning ahead and prioritising phrasing in every line are key to cellist Antonio Meneses’s interpretation of the fourth movement

Smooth string-crossings
How to anticipate and execute string-crossings with maximum fluidity and control

Reviews
Your monthly critical round-up of performances, recordings and publications

RECORDINGS
RHYTHM AND THE BORROWED PAST AUERBACH Violin Sonata

BOOKS
Nigel Kennedy Uncensored! Nigel Kennedy 320PP ISBN 9781781558560

From the ARCHIVE
The great cellist and pedagogue Carl Fuchs (1865–1951) recalls some of the great players and composers seen during his time in Manchester – including the original Brodsky Quartet

IN THE NEXT ISSUE
Pekka Kuusisto The Finnish violinist has recently

KENNETH SILLITO
Performing Benjamin Britten’s 1931 String Quartet in D major for the composer was an eye-opening experience for the former leader of the Gabrieli Quartet