Comments

What an awesome awesome masterclass--thank you Laurie!!!!!!!! Laurie-

This is incredible! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!

Sam

Congratulations, Mr. Ricci, and best wishes.

I should have mentioned this before. It might have been an interesting sidebar. He's the only famous violinist I know of with a patent.

Wow what an honor to just sit there and interact with a legend. Very interesting about the chin rest. Congratulations on a fascinating interview! Hard to believe Prof. Ricci is 89 - hope I am in such great shape at that age. Absolutely fascinating!
Thank you, Laurie. Thank You Laurie for posting this interview with one of the greatest vioinist!. "To get a lot of technique, it's rather unpleasant".

That is one powerful sentence. What a nice interview.

Also, I recommend the Decca set "Ruggiero Ricci, Decca Recordings 1950-1960".

ANNE- I'm with you. It brought back to mind another proverb, "Calm seas a good seaman not make!" Wonderful interview! He speaks with real substance and knowledge about the violin and technique.

I enjoyed hearing Mr. Ricci play in Lake Placid, NY in the 1970's. It was stunning and very original. He had (and has) much to say.

Thank you for creating such an excellent interview,Laurie.

Thanks so much for this - it is awesome! Well done, Laurie - very inspirational! I've already begun working on exercises from the new book. A very thorough interview Laurie.Bravo!!!! Ricci is a great pedagogue as well as a great violinist. It's fascinating to hear how he thinks about violin playing. Great stuff!!! Agree with all of the above. Good job. Great interview. Thanks Laurie! Thank you! It was great interview! Thanks so much for posting this interview, Laurie. I especially like the multiple clips of Mr. Ricci playing and talking. Fascinating story! Thanks so much for the interview, Laurie! What a wonderful interview Laurie. It so reminds me of the interview of Nathan Milstein by Christopher Nupen. You have provided something unique for all to see--some special insight into this legend's view of violin play, something we all benefit from. And to think he now lives only 100 miles from me! Thanks again. Ricci was an amazing performer. Hees done great service to future generations of violinists by passing on his wisdom. I remember listening to a recording of a Paganini Caprice on the radio during a break at the IVCI 2006 that really blew me away. It was by Ricci! Thank you very much for this wonderful posting... what a sublime moment to realise that all this is a fingertip away. Also, to see my absolute hero Heifetz... wow... how much 'old fashioned' teaching is out there and just how much essential stuff is missing nowadays... I am one of the 'old school' and am very happy that this is the case... wonderful to see and hear Ricci... thank you again
Luv Cath x Excellent interview. I have been stewing on Ricci's comments on glissando since I read the book. I think he is fundamentally correct but the book just doesn't go far enough to help us adapt these methods to modern playing. I am going to post my own blog entry on this soon. I haven't read his book yet but am excited about his ideas. I know that Ricci is not advocating ditching the chinrest and shoulder rest, but I do think that the idea of doing so will eventually catch on amongst a minority of modern (not baroque) violinists. I'm not dreaming when I say that going without has done a lot for my playing. It doesn't suit many players though, from feedback I get.

I wonder how the glissando technique would work for bar 125 and onwards of the Bach A minor concerto first movement. It would seem that you would have to be using 1 2 in half position there for good articulation.

Ricci! What a hero and iconoclast for people who 'type' students into one kind of suitable instrument over another, considering his hands. Thank you. Another hero of mind of the violin world is Roman Totenburg--how about an interview with him? (Nina Totenburg of NPR is his daughter.) Roman was on one of my first violin juries early in my college days. Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. Thanks also to Robert, who took the video, and to Julia Ricci, who was very helpful in arranging for the interview and making it happen. It was a pleasure to put this together! Laurie, that was a fantastic interview and I want to thank you and maestro Ricci. I teach everything he says. I was wondering as a next project if Violinist.com would interview another violinist before ... Mr. Ivry Gitlis. I would look forward to that too.
Walter Olivares - Prof. of Violin University of Alaska, Anchorage