Editorís letterANGELA LYONS S ince Japanese violinist and pedagogue

ContributorsPABLO ALFARO (Trade Secrets, page 82), originally from

NEW DISCOVERIESLETTER of the MONTH I am astonished.

SUSTAINABLE SOUNDSI second the request of Brendon Mezzetti (Soundpost,

Cloud coverageOnline-only competitions have become ubiquitous in the past year, and competitors have had to adjust quickly to this new way of assessment. Where does the future lie?

NEWS IN BRIEFPhilharmonie de Paris announces lutherie competition bit.ly/2Ter3xc

OBITUARIESALLAN STEPHENSON South African cellist, conductor and composer

Force of naturePREMIERE of the MONTH

COMPETITIONS1 Eva Rabchevska RABCHEVSKA PHOTO MARTÍNEZ DE ALBORNOZ.

Signs of recoveryThe June auctions in the UK capital brought together a number of interesting bows and instruments, with signs that the market is on the up and up, writes Kevin MacDonald

Gut reactionVIOLIN STRINGS

IN SAFE HANDSCremonese case manufacturer Musafia has designed a fourth

ALL IN ONEThe Revoluthier ‘Basic’ violin workstation from Hubert Lutherie

Life lessonsThe Latvian violinist recalls growing up in a musical family, and stresses the importance of hard work

Every child canSince Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki founded his method of bowed string tuition in 1945, it has been adopted and embraced by countries around the world. Samara Ginsberg talks to teachers and students, past and present, about their experiences of Suzuki teaching and its enduring popularity

‘Every tone has a living soul’ – Shinichi SuzukiSuzuki’s study of violin tone was his lifetime’s work. Here violinist and teacher Helen Brunner shares personal reminiscences of working with him

BAROQUE REVOLUTIONHistorically informed performance requires no secret code, argues Baroque violin professor Walter S. Reiter. The information is out there for the taking, and modern music colleges need to get ahead of the game

The art… of deception?Making a new instrument look old is a painstaking craft that requires skill, patience and imagination. But why do luthiers spend their time creating an unreal effect? Peter Somerford speaks to both advocates and critics of the process

CLASSICAL CRUSADERFrench cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca’s Wonderful World recording project highlights the environmental challenges facing humanity – and musicians really can make a difference, he tells Tom Stewart

INTELLIGENT DESIGNThe science of violin acoustics has encompassed 3D scanning, CNC technology and good old-fashioned tap tones – so why not AI software? Sebastian Gonzalez presents the results of a project that could help predict an instrument’s tone qualities even before it’s made

THE UNSUNG HEROThe Soviet cellist Daniil Shafran was a unique performer with a highly individual technique and sense of interpretation. He deserves to be recognised as one of the 20th century’s great instrumentalists, writes Oskar Falta

SIZE DOES MATTERViola players everywhere know the difficulty in finding the perfect instrument – but how many realise the differences that size, shape and weight can make to playability and tone? William Castle gives a step-by-step guide to finding the one that’s right for you

ANATOLY LEMANIN FOCUS A close look at the work

Varnish crackle effectsAn easy approach to varnish crackle and faux crackle techniques that could be applied to restoration and antiquing

MY SPACEA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Historically informed?Are the gut strings used in HIP really true to those used by 18th- and 19th-century players? Kai Köpp examines the technical reasons why today’s strings might sound quite different from their predecessors

HAYDN CELLO CONCERTO IN D MAJORMASTERCLASS

Overcoming common misconceptions in Suzuki teachingTECHNIQUE

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

THIS MONTH’S RECOMMENDED RECORDINGSOur pick of the new releases

RECORDINGSBACH Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin BWV1001–1006

BOOKSSight Reading Strings: A progressive method Naomi Yandell,

From the ARCHIVEThe Strad ’s regular correspondent ‘Lancastrian’ (Dr William Hardman) gives his impressions of Eugène Ysaÿe, then at the height of his powers

IN THE NEXT ISSUEJanine Jansen The Dutch violinist talks about

MATT HAIMOVITZFor the cellist, Ligeti’s Sonata for Solo Cello was the doorway into the complex world of modern and non-classical music – with a little help from the composer himself