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How Sheila Nelson made me love the violin
You probably didn’t know that my mother was also a journalist – the apple never falls far from the tree, as they say. She was the...
Aug 3, 2014


A world without musical borders at Ronnie Scott’s
One of my aims with this website is to be a non-denominational space where all forms of string music are equally respected and...
Aug 1, 2014


Are music competitions really so bad?
Julian Lloyd-Webber has come out in The Times against competitions, and accused them of being corrupt. That’s quite a broad brush with...
Jul 28, 2014


Swedish cellist and Tunisian violinist are among Womad highlights
I’m just back from Womad: three days of camping in a field and listening to music from all over the world. I’m sunburnt and have sore...
Jul 28, 2014


Fritz Kreisler: a violinist at war
The First World War began 100 years ago, on 28 July 2014, with Austria–Hungary declaring war on Serbia, a month after the assassination...
Jul 25, 2014


My latest folk fiddle discovery
I heard this band on in the background playlist at the Green Note in Camden last week and had to stop my conversation, I was so...
Jul 20, 2014


Violin practice is so over-rated
If you've been trying to notch up 10,000 hours of practice in the hope of being deemed talented, spurred on by Malcolm Gladwell's rule...
Jul 17, 2014


Ivry Gitlis charms in the streets of Paris
I don't speak French well but it doesn't matter when watching this video. It's worth it just to see a young Ivry Gitlis play, talk,...
Jul 16, 2014


The future of music?
I just came across this lovely interview with mandolin super-hero Chris Thile. Thile came to fame as a Bluegrass player but in recent...
Jul 15, 2014
Celebrating Carlos Kleiber
I came late to the Kleiber party – I was introduced to him only recently by Burton Kaplan while I was on his Magic Mountain music course....
Jul 12, 2014


Tough decisions about violinists
Research has begun on my list of top 20 violinists for Sinfini Music. Now I’m not a big fan of definitive lists of anything, as I once...
Jul 11, 2014
Kopelman Quartet offers lesson in chamber music playing
I'm just back from Wigmore Hall, where I watched the Kopelman Quartet demonstrate chamber music playing at its best: exquisite...
Jun 30, 2014
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