This viola is a commission from America, from a player who does a lot of chamber music and who wants a small, manageable instrument that will hold its own. Abi and I have discussed what they are after, by Zoom and email, so I'm ready to start. The first choice is the wood. The front is a stunning piece of spruce from the Fiemme valley in northern Italy, the region where the classical Italian makers sourced their wood. Storm Vaia hit the region in October 2018 and felled a huge number of … [Read more...]
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Violas: sizes and proportions
Talk given at Viola Day for Teachers at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester in January 2004. It … Read More...