Editor's letterCHARLOTTE SMITH Without question, lockdowns have presented multiple

CONTRIBUTORSALBERTO GIORDANO (1773 ‘Cozio’ Guadagnini viola, page 38)

SOUNDPOST Letters, emails, online comments

ANALYSISNews and events from around the world this month

NEWS IN BRIEFSpektral Quartet to disband after 2021/22 season bit.ly/3DaB1jY

OBITUARIESLUTHI PHOTO PHILIP IHLE TEPPO HAUTA-AHO Finnish double

NEWS/PREMIERE OF THE MONTHCLIMATIC FINALE: Performers at the Incheon Art Center

COMPETITIONS1 Michiaki Ueno UENO PHOTO ANNE-LAURE LECHAT. CHIU

AUCTION REPORTThe autumn sales saw a newcomer take the stage, in the form of Tarisio’s Berlin sale room. Kevin MacDonald reports on some of the highlights in London and Germany

PRODUCTS: ROSINROSIN A new ball of wax Violin and

PRODUCTS: CELLO STRINGSChinese manufacturer For-Tune Strings has completed its Opal

PRODUCTS: RULERSchilbach’s new flexible ruler, made from spring-tempered stainless

LIFE LESSONSThe Antipodean violinist on how chamber music and seizing opportunities made for a varied career in the New Zealand Quartet and as concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

POSTCARD FROM MUNICHHeld every three years, the Hindemith International Viola Competition moved beyond its local origins to become a truly world-class event in 2021 – and a fitting tribute to its namesake, as Carlos María Solare reports

INSTINCTIVE PERFORMERSteven Isserlis used the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 to work on a trio of projects: a companion to Bach’s Cello Suites, a new performing edition of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and a recording of British solo cello music – as the cellist tells Charlotte Smith

A SMALL BUT CRUCIAL OMISSIONThe final five bars of the Prelude to Bach’s Second Cello Suite are often misinterpreted by performers, argues Mats Lidström, Leo Stern Professor of Cello at London’s Royal Academy of Music. Here he traces the source of the problem back to the ink- and paper-saving abbreviations of Baroque composers

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGEThe commercial relationship between G.B. Guadagnini and Count Cozio di Salabue allowed the luthier greater freedom to experiment. Alberto Giordano and Barthelemy Garnier examine a 1773 viola to show how the 62-year-old maker continued to adopt new methods and ways of working in this period

THOUGHTS THAT COUNTViolinist and Alexander technique specialist Alun Thomas details pathways to effortless expression using three real-life student examples

FOCUSING THE LENSFor the LGT Young Soloists, recording a newly commissioned string symphony by Philip Glass provided ample opportunity for detailed and thoughtful music making – as the group’s artistic director, Alexander Gilman, tells Toby Deller

A STUDY IN SCARLETJesús Alejandro Torres reports on a study by the Violin Making School of Mexico, in which three copies of Stradivari’s ‘Titian’ violin were made using wood of varying densities, to examine their signature modes and player preferences

WHAT YOU MAKE OF ITThe lockdowns of the pandemic were particularly challenging for young artists looking to make a name for themselves, but providing support along the way were a number of schemes that ramped up their efforts accordingly. And, as Charlotte Gardner finds, for those musicians willing to take the initiative, the opportunities post-Covid are still out there

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

TRADE SECRETS Makers reveal their special techniques

MY SPACEA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

MAKING MATTERS Points of interest to violin and bow makers

MASTERCLASSViolinist Francesca Dego looks at how to play the final movement of this violin concerto with direction, musicality and a sense of fun

TECHNIQUEFingerings and tricks to reduce pain and over-exertion for petite musicians

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

RECORDINGSBACH Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin BWV1001–1006

BOOKSI Am Cellist Dave Loew 280PP ISBN 9781922527257

FROM THE ARCHIVEFROM THE STRAD JANUARY 1892 VOL.2 NO.21

IN THE NEXT ISSUEFRENCH FOCUS

SENTIMENTAL WORKThe Walton Cello Concerto brings back fond memories for the British cellist, from one of his first concerts to a recent performance by early mentor Steven Isserlis

START YOUR COURSE HUNTING HERE!Before you start combing through the string courses listed in this guide, take a look at these suggestions to help find the course that’s right for you

QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTEDMusic Without Borders (see page 19) TOP PHOTO

COURSES FOR PLAYERS AND TEACHERSPLAYERS KEY The young musicians from the 2021

COURSES FOR MAKERSViolin and cello making at Halsway Manor, UK