What Vadim Gluzman Plays

Vadim Gluzman plays the 1690 ex-Leopold Auer Stradivari on a loan arranged by the Stradivari Society of Chicago. "It is extraordinary," he says. "I've had it for 11 years. It's an early Strad, very dark in the low registers, where it almost sounds like a viola. And it has a very penetrating top. It's a powerful instrument.

"I use two bows, one a Dominique Peccatte that was once used by Ysaÿe and Szeryng. It's astonishing. I also have a German bow made four years ago by Daniel Schmidt. He knows my playing. The wood is 150 years old. It took him four years to find a piece of wood he found agreeable."

Further Resources

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35; Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 8 2 (Bis). Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton, cond. (2008)

Fireworks (Bis), with pianist Angela Yofee. (2008)

Auerbach: 24 Preludes for Violin & Piano (Bis), with pianist Angela Yofee. (2006)

Gluzman on Practice, Nerves & Experience:

"Practice slowly. It sounds trivial, but it's so important. There's no other way. If I had to pinpoint an issue in young players, there's a focus with the left hand and its speed and clarity, and less understanding of the ways of the right hand. Remember that the bow is your voice. Without it, you have no voice, so talk to your teachers about right-hand studies.

"And please stop taking the beta blockers. They're terrible. There's no cure for nervousness. It's good to be nervous. We're human, and we have emotions, and being nervous is an emotion. It comes through in your playing. With experience, you'll learn to transfer that nervousness into excitement and learn to control the physical manifestations of nervousness.

"Nothing can substitute for experience onstage, so get out there. Play in churches, schools, retirement homes. Do outreach before you're asked to do it."