Elliott Schwartz and Peter Sheppard Skaerved have been collaborating for over a decade-following a much earlier meeting. This collaboration has resulted in countlesss performances of classic Schwartz works, such as Memorial in Two Parts, which Peter has played worldwide with…
Opening the Salon Door Text of Talk given at SOUNDBOX,RAM 2008 It is perhaps appropriate that we discuss the question of the Salon here, in the surroundings of a Museum. It is a word that we have come to use…
George August Polgren Bridgetower and Bach On reading The Letters of Samuel Wesley/Professional and Social Correspondence 1797-1837. Philip Olleson. Oxford University Press. 2001. Samuel Wesley to George Bridgetower 29th March 1810 ‘Dear Sir/I much regret having been unable…
Library of Congress-Washington In November 2006, I was lucky enough to be invited to play a concert with Aaron Shorr, and members of the wonderful Cassatt Quartet, at the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress. Playing the Schubert Fantasie…
Elgar – A minor Etude Characteristique 1882 Peter Sheppard Skaerved – Violin (Stradivari 1698 ‘Joachim’) Bow – Tubbs (given to Elgar) Elgar Meets Heifetz On the 5th May 1920, George Bernard Shaw penned his by now legendary note to the…
A side look at Beethoven 9. Talk given as part of the ‘Barbirolli Lecture’ series at the Royal Academy of Music. 2008 On the 21st January 1825, the great double-bassist Domenico Dragonettti wrote to the Philharmonic Society: “I…
October 20th 2014. I have been asked to write a short piece talking about the experience of performing on Paganini’s wonderful violin on Gut strings. To date, I am the only person to have done this, it seems! Here is…