AfriClassical reports on Juliet White-Smith, DMA, professor of viola at the University of Northern Colorado, who is the new president of the American Viola Society. The piece notes her first CD Fashionably Late: Juliet White-Smith Debuts!, Centaur 2982 (2009), and her involvement with the 37th International Viola Congress in Stellenbosch, South Africa, as well as a forthcoming premiere with Tim Deighton.
The Nash Ensemble, formed by Amelia Freedman, is highlighted for its excellence in British chamber music. The article discusses Hyperion's Beethoven release featuring members of The Nash Ensemble in a string quintet and piano quartet, including a viola and cello duo, and notes historical details about Beethoven works Op 104 and related compositions.
The article discusses a pilot project by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben where graduate stipend holders receive a new high-quality instrument in addition to their historic loan. Tanja Becker-Bender is highlighted as the first fellow, with her new violin built by Stephan von Baehr, modeled after the Guarneri del Gesù Lord Wilton from 1742. The program aims to create a dialogue between violin makers and young musicians by pairing established luthiers with the Stiftung’s fellows.
The Luis & Clark carbon fiber viola is presented as the world’s finest, with a cornice-less design, weighing 1 pound 4 ounces and 16 3/16 inches in length. It emphasizes ease of handling, reduced muscle strain, and a warm, deep tone across registers, touting benefits for players and injuries commonly associated with viola playing.
The article discusses Jacques Thibaud plays French Music, featuring Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole in D Minor, Chausson Poeme, Saint-Saens Havanaise in E Major, and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, performed with conductors Ansermet, Bigot, and Monteux. It notes the Opus Kura release (2082, 64:11) distributed by Albany, the historical recordings from 1939-1947, and the tragic fate of Thibaud (1880-1953).
The article reports that Anthony Eugene Notarstefano, a 45-year-old Long Beach man, pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of attempting to sell stolen violins. Prosecutors allege he traveled from Los Angeles to Europe in 2007 to sell stolen instruments taken from a Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist, including a Carlo Tononi violin valued at about $225,000 and a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin valued at $65,000, plus a Tourte bow valued at $30,000; the items were stolen from Mark Kashper in Hollywood in December 2006.