If sonic memories are embedded in the wood of old violins, then violinist Maria Ioudenitch may have been awakening the past as she made some history herself last month, performing the Brahms Concerto on the 1714 "ex-Joachim Ma" Strad - very same Strad violin on which the piece was premiered in 1879. Here is our interview with this year's winner of both the Joseph Joachim and Tibor Varga Violin Competitions.
"Practice makes perfect" - it's a lie! Sometimes we unwittingly "practice in" mistakes, so here's a method for finding and correcting those problem places. By Laurie Niles, from our archives.
How old were you when you started violin (or viola or cello)? How do you think your starting age played into those other factors like practicing and motivation? Did you need parental guidance, or was your playing self-driven?
Pirastro celebrates more than 20 years of the Evah Pirazzi string line. Since its launch at 2000 Musikmesse trade show in Frankfurt, Pirastro has steadily grown the Evah Pirazzi family of products which today also includes strings sets for violin, viola, cello and double bass.