ContributorsRAINERBEILHARZ (Making Matters, page 68) is a violin

SOUNDPOSTLetters, emails, online comments

Editor’s letterAs violin making dynasties go, the Cremonese Amati

Beyond pricelessNews and events from around the world this month

OBITUARIESJEAN-PHILIPPE VASSEUR The French violist Jean-Philippe Vasseur died

DaPonte Quartet fired by its boardThe US’ Friends of the DaPonte String Quartet

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

COMPETITIONS2 Leonkoro Quartet 3 Terra Quartet 4 Yo-Yo

NEW PRODUCTSFEATURED PRODUCT VIOLIN BRIDGE Holding up A

Life lessonsHsin-Yun Huang

Music by the seaThe 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 LEASTGirolamo 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 ADVENTUREThe 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 JOURNEYSara 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 PASTDid 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 GAGLIANOA close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Designing and making a ferrule Makers reveal their special techniques

MY SPACEA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Set the records straightPoints 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-crossingsHow to anticipate and execute string-crossings with maximum fluidity and control

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

RECORDINGSRHYTHM AND THE BORROWED PAST AUERBACH Violin Sonata

BOOKSNigel Kennedy Uncensored! Nigel Kennedy 320PP ISBN 9781781558560

From the ARCHIVEThe 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 ISSUEPekka Kuusisto The Finnish violinist has recently

KENNETH SILLITOPerforming 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