Printer-friendly version

The best magazine to keep you informed about the violin?

From Brian Sura
Posted January 29, 2006 at 11:12 PM

Anyone here subscribed to a violin magazine? What are the best violin magazines out there? Thanks again!

http://magazine-directory.com/Strings.htm

There are articles on music from Classical, to contemporary, to fiddle, .... everything! Historical stories, samples of pieces, practice tips, etc, etc, etc... :)

I get both Strings and The Strad and while The Strad is significantly more expensive for those of us here in the US/Canada, it's IMHO infinitely better. I'll stress that that is just my opinion, but I find it a much classier, more all-encompassing, significantly better written magazine.

Neil

The strad looks much better to me, and it's been around for an eternity (no joke)

Strad Magazine, hands down.

Cheers!

Marty - LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!

I no longer subscribe to Strad, because of the cost, but it is in a different league from Strings. Excellent, meaty, challenging articles - not much fluff - and I always feel like I've learned something after reading an article. Plus, it's beautiful.

P.S. thanks for the help marty

Way to go with ordering The Strad, Brian.

Neil

Got to be The Strad. All the way. My mum posts it on to me in a care package whilst I'm at uni!

Well, I don't want to burst my own bubble, so to speak, but I publish a magazine completely, 100 percent violin stuff. I have interviewed Anne Sophie Mutter, Joshua Bell, Vadim Repin, Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefowicz, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Christian Tetzlaff, violin maker Joseph Curtin, and many, many more. Each issue also has tons of practice tips, reviews of concerts and CDs and DVDs, and much more.

For more information you can email me at violonetto@yahoo.com

Other than that, I really prefer the Strad over Strings,although Strings is much more affordable.

I subscribe to both The Strad and Strings and enjoy reading both of them.  The Strad is more restricted to European classical music (although they've been trying to expand their coverage recently, probably in response to competition from Strings).  The Strad has more pictures of handsome violins.  They're fun to read but both are mainly vehicles to sell advertising.

The magazines can inform you about the "violin world," by offering reviews of concerts you didn't hear and recordings, competitions, gushing articles about famous violinists, and brief interviews with some of them, as well as some pointers on technique, but these won't contribute to your knowledge or mastery of the instrument in any significant way.  You'll learn who the most admired contemporary violinists are and a smattering of history, but nothing really substantial.  The interviews all say the same thing--which is, in a word, nothing.  They're full of misleading and inane statements such as "You must always remain faithful to the composer's intentions."

To learn more about the history of the violin and the full range of music written for it, you'll have to read books voraciously and listen to music--live music to the extent you can and recorded music to the extent that price or geography are obstacles to hearing live music.

Personally, I can't afford the Strad, and I subscribe to Strings when I get a lowball offer, but I find that the main violin websites, of which this is certainly one, are far more interesting, timely and informative than any magazine.

Plus I can reach out and annoy someone from the comforts of home. The entertainment value is enormous.

Bill, I often find this too!

Imagine for the poor soloists who had been ask 350 times why they like composer x, why did they record concerto x, how do they like conductor or partener x, what will be the next album, and a few more personnal questions such as how is it to travel all the time etc.  They must get boared even if they are (I suppose) happy to be asked in interview.  So, I think they try to say the best answer they can find. (We wouldn't do better) And what about all the things they cannot say because it isn't politically correct.  They must hate some conductors/partners/concertos(especially modern ones (JOKE!!!!!!!!!) this issue as a whole discussion on it already!)

I don't have anything more to say about this... but I'm not saying the content is no good and it can be interesting to read I just felt sorry for those whe were interviewed!

Anne-Marie

I subscribe to teen strings, as i am a teen, but sometimes i buy strings magaine aswell. Both keep me informed nicely :)

strad does look very good, and so does strings.

i think it's like choosing between food and wine, bon apetit or gourmet.

where can you buy just individual issues?