Giordano's articles for "the Strad" magazine
A selection of Alberto's articles and interviews for "The Strad" magazine.
Gaetano Gadda
Gaetano Gadda was born in Sorgŕ, a small village near Mantua, in 1900. He began violin making seriously in 1919, in Stefano Scarampella’s workshop, and his apprenticeship lasted until Scarampella’s death in 1925.
The Strad, august 2008
Ettore Soffritti
Maker Ettore Soffritti was born in 1877 in Ferrara, a town not far from Bologna in northern Italy. His mother died when he was three.
The Strad, december 2008
Romeo Antoniazzi
Romeo Antoniazzi (b.Cremona, 1862; d.Milan, 1925) was the youngest son of Gaetano Antoniazzi, an outstanding Italian violin maker of the second half of the 19th century.
The Strad, febraury 2008
A rare cello by Augusto Pollastri
Maker Augusto Pollastri (1877 - 1927) is considered one of the best makers in the Bologna school and an outstanding 20th-century Italian luthier.
The Strad, may 2007
Small Change
It's unusual to find an old instrument that has suffered minimal tampering over its lifetime. Alberto examines one such rarity.
The Strad, november 2006
Francesco Toto
Francesco Toto at the age of 18 decided to move from his beautiful home town, Lecce, to Cremona to seek his fortune in lutherie.
The Strad, may 2006
The Genoese line
Violin making in Genoa has had its highs and lows, but there's a common thread running through its history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Strad, april 2006
Cesare Candi's viola d'amore
Alberto examines a Cesare Candi's Viola d’amore.
The Strad, october 2005 - in Focus on
A fitting conclusion
Paganini's violin now boasts replicas of master's pegs, tailpiece, fingerboard and strings. Alberto Giordano examines the real one.
The Strad, october 2004
Pastures new
Alberto Giordano examines a late c. 1845 violin of Giovanni Francesco Pressenda.
The Strad, april 2004 - in Focus on
Nicolò Bianchi
Nicolò Bianchi, a maker with a strong and creative personality and one of the few italian makers of the nineteenth century to make antiqued violins.
The Strad, july 2002 - in Focus on