Editor’s letterIs the viola limited by its repertoire? Certainly in

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On the beatNews and events from around the world this month

Moorish magicA tribute to an intoxicaing place

TurningtheadsAnother tech-based soluion to musicians’ everyday problems

Life lessons Natalie CleinThe British cellist recallsther time studying withtheinrich Schiff in Vienna, and the authors and recordings that still inspirether today

A royal occasionA castle seing, an enicing top prize and some highly promising string players were what Tom Stewart encountered at the Windsor Fesival Internaional String Compeiion inal in March

BACH RENEWEDFrench violist Antoine Tamestit releases not one but two albums of Bach arrangements in 2019: the viola da gamba sonatas and the Goldberg Variations for string trio.the reveals his innovatory and thoughtful approach to these challenging works in conversation with Carlos María Solare

Curiouser and curiouserWas the 1672 ‘Mahler’ the irst viola ever made by Antonio Stradivari? As Jonathan Marolle explains, this is just one of the unanswerable questions that arise when studying this fascinating instrument

POWER OF TWOIn early May, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and cellist Sol Gabetta premiered Akin, a new double concerto written for them by Michel van der Aa. Pwyll ap Siôn attended this performance, in Cologne, Germany, and spoke to composer and soloists about bringing the work to the stage

IN THE MIXThe Edinburgh Quartet recently selected its 2019 apprentice, following a round of public auditions featuring performances from nine young musicians. As the training programme enters its third session, Toby Deller discovers a unique opportunity for rehearsal and performance

A MEASURED APPROACHAlthough the many varied methods of stringed instrument making have been analysed countless times, the actual production process has hardly been questioned in its 450-year history. Luan Amorim and Amanda Schwegler use techniques taken from engineering to survey the time and cost factors – and come up with some unusual recommendations

Where there’s a will there’sa wayDuring two months in Uganda, Pauline Harding learns about the indigenous one-stringed endingidi, and discovers how dificult it can be to learn an instrument in a country whose education system lends little support for arts training

WILLIAM FORSTER IIA close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Regluing split corner-blocksA reliable method for rejoining blocks split for a restoraion, paricularly useful for cello repairs

MY SPACEA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Baroque to the futureLuthier Mathijstheyligers has recently completed a project to give the same Baroque set-up to a chamber orchestra’s entire string section. What happened – and how did it change the sound?

SAINT-SAËNS INTRODUCTION AND RONDO CAPRICCIOSOSpanish dance andtheifetz are two of Rodney Friend’s biggest inluences in this popular showpiece

ChordsHow to tackle muli-stopped passages with more conidence, musicality and alacrity

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

From the ARCHIVECellist Gregor Piatigorsky gives a irst-hand account of his light from Russia into Poland

GARY HOFFMANFor the American cellist, Brahms’s op.99 Sonata in F major is the alpha and omega of cello playing, allowing for every possible feeling and a vast array of interpretaions