Editorís letterAs if sustaining the levels of excellence needed

ContributorsMATTHIEU BESSELING (In Focus, page 59) has been

KonzertVioline

COME FLY WITH MELETTER of the MONTH A lesson learned? Frontier

SPY STRENGTHWhile the instrument cases endorsed by Francesca Dego,

TALES OF OLDNorman Werbner posits an intriguing theory as to

REVEALED AT LASTThe twelve Stradivaris played by Janine Jansen on

TOP 3 ONLINE POSTSwww.thestrad.com 1 Cellist Rick Mooney (below) has

Late arrivalsNews and events from around the world this month

NEWS IN BRIEFChaos Quartet among BBC’s 2023 New Generation Artists

OBITUARIESRICK MOONEY Cellist and pedagogue Rick Mooney has

Gently does itPREMIERE of the MONTH

COMPETITIONSYeyeong Jenny Jin Emad Zolfaghari Sterling Elliott JIN

Hatching healthy habitsPRACTICE BOW FROGS

TO THE POINTLarsen Strings has released a ‘Direct & Focused’

CARBON COPYCodaBow has released a new carbon-fibre double bass

Life lessonsRachel Barton Pine

Serving the musicTechnical level was higher than ever before at the 2023 Montreal International Music Competition, but it was musicianship that really took centre stage, finds Rita Fernandes

‘I CAN’T HELP HAVING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE’Only 36, Nicola Benedetti is making her much-anticipated debut as director of the Edinburgh International Festival this year – the first Scot, woman and violinist to occupy the position. She speaks to Rebecca Franks about her plans

ONE OF A KINDDespite being self-taught and living far away from any centres of lutherie, Marino Capicchioni became famous in his time for the superb quality of his instruments, which remain sought after today. Lorenzo Frignani looks back at his life and legacy

THE ART OF CHANGEA successful string quartet combines four individuals into a single ‘identity’. But how does a group cope when its members change? Peter Quantrill speaks to players who have survived, and even thrived on the experience

FINDING THE POWER WITHINEscher Quartet cellist Brook Speltz talks to David Kettle about the foursome’s original interpretations of Janáček and Haas quartets, and how the recording had an unusually tempestuous start

GRACE, CHARM AND EFFORTLESS ELEGANCETo mark the 70th anniversary of the death of the great French violinist Jacques Thibaud, Tully Potter looks back at the life of one of the 20th century’s most influential musicians

DOWN TO THE GROUNDWhile much attention has been paid to the varnish used by Antonio Stradivari, there has been comparatively little research into the initial preparation layers. Giacomo Fiocco presents the results of a study using innovative spectroscopic techniques to examine two of the master’s finest instruments

FRANTISEK ZIVECIN FOCUS A close look at the work of great and unusual makers

A platform for gluing a broken buttonTRADE SECRETS Makers reveal their special techniques

MY SPACE A peek into lutherie workshops around the worldLUTHIER DAVID SEGAL LOCATION New York, NY, US

Prime examplesMAKING MATTERS Points of interest to violin and bow makers

DVOŘÁK VIOLIN CONCERTO, FIRST MOVEMENT MASTERCLASS

The big release TECHNIQUE

CONCERTSYour monthly critical round-up of performances, recordings and publications

RECORDINGSTo browse through more than a decade of

BOOKSGETTY The Cello, How It Works: A practical

From the ARCHIVEFROM THE STRAD AUGUST 1923 VOL.34 NO.400

IN THE NEXT ISSUEEDUCATION FOCUS

JULIAN RACHLINFor the Lithuanian violinist, the haunting musical language of Shostakovich’s String Quartet no.8 brings back treasured memories of working with Mstislav Rostropovich