No. 330, May/June 2026

In our cover story this issue, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt talks about his influences and why he chose to center his new album Blackbirds—Music of the 1960s around a little-known concerto. “Coming across Grażyna Bacewicz’s Cello Concerto No. 2 was like meeting another mother tongue,” explains Altstaedt.

Elsewhere, you’ll find a special section focusing on string pioneers (Marie Soldat-Roeger, Eddie South, Panna Czinka, and Giovanni Bottesini), a master class in approaching Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps, a new way to think about Pachelbel’s Cannon in D, and a glimpse into Stephen Upshaw’s instrument case (where you’ll find a 300-year-old Daniel Parker viola).

Also in this issue:

• London’s historic Wigmore Hall celebrates 125 years
• Composers and players who are responding musically to the climate crisis
• A Met exhibition correlating instruments to the human body
• Newberry & Verch’s new heartfelt album
• What governs an orchestra’s relationship with its venue
  

And more . . .