Monthly Archives: January 2012
Violinspirations No.4: Fritz Kreisler Plays Fritz Kreisler
I’ve been listening non-stop this week to Fritz Kreisler. Famous for his rich, warm sound, and for his ‘rediscovery’ of hundreds of old pieces (which he later admitted were his own work!). He’s one of the greatest violinists of all … Continue reading
Violin Lessons in London
For a while now, I’ve given occasional violin masterclasses and workshops in London, and there seems to be such an enormous demand that I’ve decided to offer them regularly. If you’re in London, UK and you want to learn the … Continue reading
Violinspirations No.3: Willie Hall
For someone who’s actually a trombonist, you don’t get much better violin playing than this… Incredible, no? OK, it’s not the most refined playing (indeed, it’s a ‘vaudeville’ act), but the level of virtuosity is quite extraordinary. Apparently this was … Continue reading
Classical Revolution London
When I was studying in Berlin, I came across a group of renegade classical musicians who used to borrow a space at a local cafe every Sunday evening, and read chamber music together. They called it ‘Classical Revolution’. It soon … Continue reading
Violinspirations No.2: Bruce Dukov
So far as I know, Dukov is one of Hollywood’s legendary session violinists – one of the most experienced studio concertmasters and soloists in the world. But that’s not why I’m celebrating him here. He’s a ‘Violinspiration’ to me because of … Continue reading
Maybe ‘classical’ isn’t actually a genre, but a way of thinking.
Of course, we all know that big-C Classical was a period from 16whatever to 17whatever. But the term which noone seems to be able to provide a satisfactory definition for is little-c classical. Apparently, I’m a ‘classical musician’. I’m trained … Continue reading
Violinspirations No.1: Mischa Elman
Mischa Elman has always been one of my greatest violin heros, which is strange, as I don’t like a lot of his recordings. Other violinists can be more implicitly expressive and more sophisticated with their use of musical phrases; other … Continue reading