Concerto is your luxurious, super-premium rosin for intense soloistic playing. Designed for the soloist, power, focus and projection are prominent with minimal dust and sound deterioration.
After years of rosin recipe refinement for string players all over the world, the Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin team have worked to create the ultimate rosin recipe for the Concerto Soloist and International Competition Performer.
When performing in these settings, there are even more demands on the rosin such as projecting the sound to all corners of the concert hall, conveying warmth of sound up close and far away, and the ability of the rosin to endure a long performance with minimal deterioration to the sound quality right through to the last note!
The result is a rosin that offers a very powerful and clear attack on the string, with the string vibrating at it’s maximum capability from the very beginning of the bow movement. This rosin improves sound endurance, overall projection, power, with a warm undertone.
This rosin is created for:
- Concerto repertoire - late classical period and beyond
- Performance in large concert halls and large scale concerts
- Performance in International Competitions and Auditions
- Strong projection of clarity, warmth, and nuance of tone colour
- Reducing sound deterioration through rosin build up
Our rosin makers have spent years refining sound and response characteristics through our Bespoke Range, string players have been able to adjust the Attack, Clarity, Traction, Texture to suit their playing.
To create Concerto, we searched, experimented, examined, and found new and unique combination of resins and waxes. We have worked to maximise the sound potential of this rosin with our partners in Japan, including renowned soloists Mayu Kishima (laureate Isaac Stern,Cologne, Queen Elizabeth, Wieniawski Competitions) and Minami Yoshida (laureate of Joachim, Sibelius and Montréal Competitions).
FAQ: How is CONCERTO different to Leatherwood's other rosins:
Concerto rosin deserves no less than the most luxurious materials, craftsmanship and presentation. Having developed this recipe with a team of Japanese soloists, we have been inspired to weave artistic Japanese styles into the presentation of this rosin, including the burnt timber technique of Yakisugi, or Shou Sugi Ban.
Leather: Deep Charcoal Premium Australian Leather
Wood: Yakisugi - Australian Cypress Pine
Rosin: Concerto - Soloistic Intensity
Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin is grateful to the support and input from our Japanese Partner Hiroaki Yura, who collaborated with us to produce this rosin.
"The concerto was designed for performing solo concertos and large recital repertoire in large performing spaces. This can also include auditions, recitals and college exams.
The first experience of Concerto rosin is the extremely strong attack on the string, allowing powerful double and triple stopping. This also helps with bright and clear spiccato and sautille.
Overall, the sound of the recipe is on the bright and crisp side, however we tried to allow nuance and depth of sound colour, particularly in soft playing, to be conveyed clearly to the back of the concert hall. We achieved this by discovering ingredients that allowed a crisp and focused recipe that wasn't narrow in colour, and offered strong brilliance with without too narrow a focus.
The sound becomes rounder and clearer the further back you go in the concert hall. It has a deep colour range and a strong traction to the string but with a smooth, gliding feel.
I hope all our clients can enjoy Concerto, in all playing situations. I am very proud of what we have created!"
- From Andrew Baker, Director and Founder.
The new Concerto rosin from Leatherwood is always in my case - it produces a warm sound, yet has a great grip on the strings, and without a lot of dust.
Violin: Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, 1744, “Leduc, ex Szeryng”
Image © Suxiao Yang
Augustin Hadelich - International Soloist
I used the rosin both in a recital and concerto settings.My impression of it was that this rosin makes my violin sound richer: almost as if the sound can carve through the air. It’s perfectly suited for a soloist, giving your sound almost a Guarneri-like, thick, strong, and fast-spinning quality. It helps not only to make you sound stronger, but it gives your sound more dimension, and with very little effort on your end. I used the word ‘rich’ before, but that’s the best descriptor for it: it truly does make you sound full-bodied.This rosin gives me the grip I’d been looking for. Usually, I’m afraid that a rosin like this would ruin my sound if I apply too much of it, but this rosin took away all of those fears. It makes me sound more powerful, allows me to project farther, and the sound remains grounded and echoes more powerfully through the space. It does require practice and skill to be able to play to the caliber of this rosin, but it gives the same kind of excitement I’d feel when I have a beautiful Stradivarius or Guarneri in my hands. The rosin also feels quite stable when I bring it with me on-stage. It’s difficult to explain, but since rosin is very delicate, I think having something that feels stable and steadfast takes a lot of stress off of the soloist.I’ll definitely be using this in the future! Thank you so much.
Violin: Antonio Stradivari, 1699
Mayu Kishima - International Violin Soloist
Concerto by Leatherwood Bespoke Rosin is truly extraordinary; I’ve never used anything like it! So potent but also refined, so pure. Just a little bit of touch up every morning makes the hair feel renewed. It has been a real joy using it, and I highly recommend it!” The Rosin for the Soloist
Violin: “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.
Image © Benjamin Ealovega
James Ehnes - International Violin Soloist
The Leatherwood Concerto Rosin is absolutely fantastic, a great balance between really catching the string and giving a smooth clean sound.
Viola: Peregrino di Zanetto c.1565 – 75
Timothy Ridout - International Viola Soloist
To quote Oscar WILDE, "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." That's why I am very happy to use wonderful CONCERTO by Leatherwood rosin!"
Cello: Domenico Montagnana, 1720
Mischa Maisky - International Cello Soloist