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Sfz_02_Cover 3/3/06 4:52 pm Page 1 WIN > GIG BAG FROM RITTER SSffA forcez forz young string players CARBON-FIBRE BOW FROM ARCUS WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? six suggestions for a fantastic career after college GIG BAG ROUND-UP the convenient way to travel with strings ClaudioBohórquez South America's super-cool cellist meditates on his rise to stardom CHRISTIAN STELLING supplement to April 2006 issue theStrad Sfz_02_Contents 3/3/06 4:09 pm Page 3 If you’re into meditation and music, then you'll love this issue’s cover star – Claudio Bohórquez, J. HENRY FAIR who has thought much about the connection between them. The South American cellist defines himself as a Buddhist and has a laid-back approach that’s refreshing in today’s frenetic musical world. It also seems to have Contents helped him to cope with his busy schedule, no bad thing. Meanwhile fellow cellist [3] KNOW IT ALL? Test your string Denise Djokic found a different way to knowledge with our quiz 4 create space for herself and took a month [ ] NEWS it’s all change for the Australian String Quartet, while out of her schedule to learn Prokofiev’s two youth orchestras hit trouble Symphony-Concerto, as she describes [6] COVER STORY CLAUDIO BOHÓRQUEZ on our back page – a great idea if you the South American cellist with a can afford the time. charmingly laid-back attitude Elsewhere we’re in the thick of things, [12] CAREER MOVES finding the perfect with a feature on today’s young stars job after college who have plugged in their instruments to [16] PUMP UP THE VOLUME find out forge a music career. With rock, hip-hop who’s making waves in the world and jazz all featured, they’re really taking of electric strings electric strings in a dynamic new direction. [18] WIN a top-of-the-range Ritter gig bag And while we’re on the subject of careers, [20] ON THE MOVE a round-up of padded don’t miss our feature on page 12, gig bags for all stringed instruments which shows just how many options [24] MY MONTH young Canadian cellist there are out there for bright young Denise Djokic music graduates. [25] WIN a fine Arcus carbon-fibre bow Naomi Sadler Editor-in-Chief Sfz> Editor-in-chief Naomi Sadler Editor Amanda Holloway Sfz, The Strad,Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd, 30 Cannon Street, Design & Art Direction Kelly Al-Saleh & Alex Cameron London EC4M 6YJ, UK email [email protected] tel +44 (0)20 7618 3456 tel +44 (0)20 7618 3095 fax +44 (0)20 7618 3483 Advertising Gordana Kalli, Duncan Brown, Tom Byford, www.thestrad.com/sfz Emma Newton © Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd 2006. Published by the Email [email protected] Orpheus portfolio at Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd, Tel +44 (0)20 7618 3474 part of Newsquest Media Group – a Gannett company. Publisher Hannah Pilgrim Morris The Strad is a registered trademark Production Nikki Easton, Evelina Beckers [1] Sfz> APRIL 2006 Sfz_02_Quiz 3/3/06 4:07 pm Page 3 SOYOU THINKYOU KNOWYOURSTUFF… How much do you know about your instrument and the people who play it? Test your string knowledge with our quiz QThere’s rosin dust caked under &The highest price ever paid for AOn what part of your instrument or 1 the strings of your instrument. 3 a violin at auction is: 8 bow would you find a ‘ferrule’? What’s the best way to get rid of it? a) $4,000,550 a) frog a) white spirit on a soft cloth b) $950,300 b) tailpiece b) don’t do it yourself – take it to c) $2,032,000 c) pegbox aprofessional d) $1,704,000 c) chip it off gently with a palette knife How many performances on average d) don’t let it build up in the first place, always How do you tell a Stradivari from 9 does Nikolaj Znaider play each year? wipe gently before putting instrument away 4 a Guarneri ‘del Gesù’? a) 60 a) the scroll b) 150 Can you match the famous faces b) the f-holes c) 90 2 to the hands? c) the arching How often should you have your a 1 Which violinist below gave the 10 bow rehaired? 5 premiere of which violin concerto? a) every month or two 1) Brahms b) twice a year 2) Beethoven c) every two years 3) Tchaikovsky 4) Sibelius HOW DID YOU DO? Give yourself a point b 2 5) Elgar for every correct answer [11–18] Well done! You know all about a) Viktor Novácek your instrument. But maybe you should b) Franz Clement get out more c) Adolf Brodsky [5–10] Pretty darned clever, and not c 3 d) Fritz Kreisler too nerdy e) Joseph Joachim [0–4] Hmm, hope you can actually play your instrument – you don’t seem to How many works did Beethoven know much about it 6 compose for string quartet? d 4 a) 15 [a] player professional a for but use, on 10 depends [c] [c] 9 b) 19 frog the from out passes [a] – it’s the metal band that clamps the hair as it it as hair the clamps that band metal the it’s – [a] c) 17 8 can’t agree! can’t could be any of them, musicologists simply simply musicologists them, of any be could 7 [b] What was the name of the 6 [1e] [2b] [3c] [4a] [5d] [4a] [3c] [2b] [1e] 7 medieval ‘ancestor’ to the violin? 5 all three are correct are three all e 5 4 a) viola da braccio 2005 April York, New c], for the ‘Lady Tennant’ Strad, at Christie’s Christie’s at Strad, Tennant’ ‘Lady the for c], b) vielle 3[ [a3] [b4] [c2] [d5] [ e1] [ [d5] [c2] [b4] [a3] 2 [d], but if it needs more help, definitely [b] definitely help, more needs it if but [d], c) rebec 1 MARK WOHLRAB, AKIRA KINOSHITA, STRINGS IN THE MOUNTAINS, ALEXANDRA VOSDING, SHEILA ROCK, THOMAS MULLER/WARNER CLASSICS ANSWERS QUIZ [3] Sfz> APRIL 2006 Sfz_02_News 3/3/06 4:47 pm Page 4 N EWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS.. TANKSTREAM TO BECOME LIVING AUSTRALIA’S OFFICIAL THE STRING QUARTET FANTASY All-female quartet steps into shoes of disgruntled ASQ members. Amanda Holloway reports BENJAMIN EALOVEGA ASPIRING SOLOISTS ARE always longing for a major new concerto to show off their talents. Mats Lidström is producing just the thing for cellists with attitude. Inspired by Sarasate’s ‘Carmen’ Fantasy for violin, Lidström is writing a 30-minute Fantasy for cello and orchestra, based on COURTESY KATIE HARLEY Verdi’s Rigoletto. He’s dedicating it to his cello students at the Royal Academy of Music. Lidström has happy THE AWARD-WINNING YOUNG we couldn’t sustain the ASQ to continue, ‘and then out of the memories of playing in the Tankstream Quartet has been as a business. And the ASQ looks blue this came up. It’s made opera as principal cellist in named as Australia’s national after its players – they stay in things a whole lot easier!’ Stockholm’s Royal Opera chamber ensemble. From 2007 five-star hotels nearly every- The Tankstream players, Orchestra. At first he hesitated it will take on the title the where, and there are always who won first prize in the Eighth to tinker with a masterpiece. Australian String Quartet (ASQ). gaps between tours for rest International String Quartet ‘Then I thought of the The Tankstream players, and relaxation.’ Competition in Cremona and countless others writing Rowell and Anne Horton,violins, Tankstream leader, violinist second prize in the Premio Paolo paraphrases on Donizetti, Sally Boud, viola, and Rachel Sophie Rowell, describes it as Borciano Competition in June, Weber or Bellini,’ he said. Johnston, cello, will be the ‘a fabulous opportunity. This is are currently based in Cologne, Lidström hasn’t modified ninth incarnation of the ASQ, like a dream come true for us, to where they are being mentored Verdi’s tonal language. which was founded in 1985 and be a full-time string quartet and by the Alban Berg Quartet at ‘The only major changes, is still Australia’s only full-time to make a living out of it.’ She the Hochschule für Musik. Two besides my introduction, nationally touring string quartet. said they’d reached the stage of recordings on ABC Classics are are that I’ve made one of The former members of the wondering how they were going due to be released this year. the arias into a cello sextet ASQ resigned last year, after and incorporated Liszt’s complaints about the gruelling Rigoletto paraphrase!’ schedule. Violinists Natsuko NEW USE FOR BAD VIOLINISTS? He’s not sure how many Yoshimoto and James Cuddeford POLICE FORCES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANIES ALL of his students will be rushing and violist Jeremy Williams also over England are adopting a new deterrent for teenage gangs – to play it. ‘My wife asked me criticised the ‘management’s a black box which sounds like a badly played violin. Adult ears can at an early stage not to make continued reluctance to barely detect the high-pitched noise emitted by the Sonic the cello part too difficult. implement the clear artistic Teenager Deterrent, but youths find it so painful that they have But I’m not one to take the direction shown by us’. to leave the area immediately. Shop owners can control the easy option!’ Now Lidström But manager Stephen Block signal strength as the problem of loitering youth ebbs and flows. has to finish composing the says it’s an economic necessity With so many musicians out of work, however, why not music and learn it himself, to tour the cities and rural areas employ a soloist or a whole string section to play badly? in time for the premiere of Australia.