Editor’s letterTo mark a centenary is to celebrate the very great

Contributors(Technique, page 84) is a jazz violinist and tutor

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Welcome to CremonaMayor Gianluca Galimberti explains why the beating heart of the city is represented by its horde of talented luthiers

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RETURNING HEROESThe Museo del Violino is hosting a special exhibition of some of the National Music Museum’s finest Cremonese instruments while the US institution is closed for renovations

RARITIES from VENICEFausto Cacciatori reports on a Museo del Violino project to analyse and restore a unique collection of instruments from the Ospedale della Pietà, the Venetian orphanage where Vivaldi taught

Building bridges with violinsFausto Cacciatori previews an exhibition in Croatia that explores the doctor and luthier Franjo Kresnik’s deep connection with Cremona and its violin making tradition

UNITED WE STANDCremona’s Cultural District of Violin Making brings together violin makers and municipal, academic and scientific institutions to promote lutherie education and research, writes Chiara Bondioni

Six years of successMuseo del Violino general director Virginia Villa celebrates the museum’s latest anniversary, and introduces a newly acquired masterpiece by Lorenzo Storioni

FROM CREMONA TO MEXICOPaolo Bodini introduces an exhibition of Cremonese masterpieces in Puebla, the capital of Mexican Baroque

A DECADE OF friendshipThe Friends of Stradivari project celebrates ten years of hosting great instruments in Cremona

FESTIVAL of FIRSTSCremona’s STRADIVARI festival features debut performances by leading violinists as part of a two-week musical feast, writes Roberto Codazzi

All under one ROOFThe Cremona Musica exhibition, held every year in September, has become an unmissable showcase of contemporary lutherie from around the world

Deal or no dealWith the prospect of a no-deal Brexit looking increasingly likely, what are the real ramifications for musicians - and what steps can be taken to minimise the impact?

OBITUARIESDutch cellist Anner Bylsma died on 25 July at the age

Yehudi Menuhin School to set up new institution in ChinaThe UK’s Yehudi Menuhin School (YMS) is to set up its

Music of the spheresConjuring a puzzle out of thin air

Ready for boardingAn instrument with a detachable neck to make air travel easier

Life lessonsThe Australian violinist on Crowded House, ‘classical’ music and the importance of the Antipodean perspective

Double firstsAt this year’s quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition, the judges awarded the $30,000 first prize in both the violin and cello categories. Tim Homfray attended the violin section in Moscow, while Andrew Mellor visited St Petersburg to hear the cellists - and both were impressed by what they saw

Postcard from… ST PETERSBURGFour of the six finalists in the cello discipline of

A HUMAN HEARTTo mark the centenary of the completion and premiere of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, cellist Raphael Wallfisch reflects upon the period and circumstances surrounding the work’s creation and subsequent life

The classic interpretationJacqueline du Pré’s 1965 recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto set the benchmark for every cellist who followed her. Tully Potter explores the enduring popularity of her powerful and iconic performance

THE FAB FOURAt this year’s Suntory Hall Chamber Music Garden festival in Tokyo the Kuss Quartet performed a complete Beethoven cycle on the ‘Paganini’ quartet of Stradivaris, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. Gavin Dixon spoke to the players about this very special project – and learnt a little more about the Suntory phenomenon

A MASTER COPYISTGaetano Sgarabotto was renowned for making replicas of old Italian instruments – and left numerous records of his research on their makers’ styles. Focusing on his replica scrolls, Andrea Zanrè examines the secrets of Sgarabotto’s success

TASTE THE differenceBurgundy’s Musique & Vin festival has quickly grown from its humble origins to encompass a rich diversity of elements, not least first-rate performances from international artists and an instrument loan scheme for young musicians. Charlotte Gardner spoke to those involved in this unique project

ALL SET UP AND READY TO GOIn the first of two articles looking at instrument set-up, Joseph Curtin examines the acoustic roles played by the tailpiece and fingerboard in affecting vibration, frequency and resonance

PETTER HELLSTEDTA close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Recreating original purflingPrecision and care are prerequisites for this detailed restoration method

STEFANO CONIAA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Ten out of tenThe great 19th-century French bow makers had to produce a large amount of stock to make a living. Christophe Landon explores how their working methods differed from ours, as he makes ten simultaneous copies of one Peccatte bow

FRANCK VIOLIN SONATA (CELLO VERSION)Daniel Müller-Schott looks at the importance of connection, colour and line in the work’s third movement

Mapping out the fingerboardExercises to train your brain and fingers, to help you become a more fluent performer and improviser

CONCERTSNew York

RECORDINGSBACH Sonatas for viola and harpsichord BWV1027-1029;

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From the ARCHIVEThe Strad responds to the declaration of war on 3 September with advice on how cellists can do their bit by programming feel-good standards for troops and civilians

IN THE NEXT ISSUESarah Chang

BORIS KUSCHNIRFor the Austrian violinist, Mozart’s Violin Concerto no.4 in D major K218 brings back fond memories of David Oistrakh - and a less salubrious recollection of the Tibor Varga Competition