Glenn Dicterow has been a concertmaster or associate concertmaster in major symphony orchestras for nearly forty years, thirty of which have been at the New York Philharmonic. He talks with Jeff Spurgeon about the job.

In the mid-1990s violinist Hilary Hahn hit it off with Jennifer Higdon, a composer and the instructor of her 20th-century music course at the Curtis Institute of Music. Both went on to major careers and Higdon eventually wrote a concerto for Hahn. Earlier this year that piece won the Pulitzer Prize For Music.

Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler, two of the 20th century's great violinists, were the subject of special birthday tributes on WQXR. For our series ViolinFest, we've scoured the vaults to offer these special archival recordings.

New recordings offer two different approaches to Paganini’s fiendishly difficult Caprices  – one by the young German violinist Julia Fischer, and the other by the New York violnist Philippe Quint. This week’s Full Rotation presents both versions, side by side.

In this 1999 interview on WNYC's New York & Company, Stern talks with Leonard Lopate about his autobiography, My First 79 Years.

Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù built creations that can eclipse their fiddlers in sheer stardom. Men will scheme, steal and pay large fortunes to behold these violins’ aural fruits.

Why does the violin world provide such rich fodder for crime writers? Behind the fictional world of legendary instruments and the characters who deal them, steal them, and even kill for them.

Even people who know nothing about the violin know the name of its most famous maker: Stradivarius. But don't count out the Guarneri family. Violinist Renaud Capuçon tells Jeff Spurgeon about the differences.

As our month-long ViolinFest proceeds on WQXR, I’ve been reading about the violin, and talking with some violinists and other violin experts. Curiously for me, though, learning about the violin has not made me interested in the slightest in learning to play the thing.  I say “curiously” because usually when I study something, I feel an urge, however small, to experience it. But for some reason, the violin hasn’t grabbed me in the least. It looks not only difficult to learn, but uncomfortable, too.  I love listening to it, and deeply admire the people who study it, play it expertly, and understand it.  But it’s not for me. 

If I were to study a string instrument, it would be the cello.  There’s something about its tone quality, its warmth, and the intimacy of holding it in an embrace – as opposed to tucking the violin under the chin, as if it were napkin – that draws me to it.  There’s nothing rational about any of this, of course. Speaking of irrational, I also have long had a desire to play the accordion. I love the sweet rusticity of the French bal-musette sound.  But the accordion instead of the violin – what’s wrong with me? Please don’t answer that, but do answer this: What musical instrument have you always wanted to play, and why?  If you’ve fulfilled your ambition, what was it like to meet the object of your musical desire?

This week's Full Rotation highlights "Seasons…dreams," violinist Anne Akiko Meyers's new collection of seasonal and dream-related pieces by Debussy, Faure, Wagner, Gershwin and others. To whet your appetite, WQXR offers a free download.