Biography
Born: December 9, 1967Country: USA
Joshua Bell, one of the top young violinists of our time, was born in 1967, in Bloomington, Indiana. Fortuitously, the small city in the limestone district of Indiana is the home of the Indiana University School of Music, which eventually assumed a decisive role in Bell’s musical development. Bell was exposed to music from an early age and began his violin studies with Mimi Zweig. Bell’s talents developed rapidly; he made his debut as a soloist in performance with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra at the age of seven. The eminent violin teacher Josef Gingold, a member of Indiana University’s music faculty, took an interest in him and became his teacher; eventually Bell entered the University as a student. Bell’s studies with Gingold were supplemented by additional studies and master classes with Ivan Galamian and Henryk Szeryng. Bell came to wide national attention as a grand prize winner in the first annual Seventeen Magazine/General Motors National Concerto Competition in Rochester, NY. He soon appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti on September 24, 1982 — the youngest person ever to appear with the orchestra as a soloist on a subscription concert. Bell’s 1985 Carnegie Hall debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra was greeted with the kind of enthusiastic reviews that were a bellwether of his successful concert and recording career.
By the mid-’90s, Bell had recorded much of the standard violin repertoire, exhibiting a musically informed and winning personal style. His playing is lyrical and bright, marked by a high-minded approach and a smooth, silvery tone. In the late ’90s, Bell’s eclectic tastes and multifaceted talents found voice in a wide range of projects outside the realm of the traditional violin repertoire. Bell’s playing on John Corigliano’s score to The Red Violin (1998) was singled out as one of the film’s more memorable elements, while in 1999 he collaborated on a well-received CD of bluegrass-influenced music by composer Edgar Meyer. By the early 2000s, Bell was seen on numerous television programs and was even named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People.” He continued to work with musicians outside the classical realm, such as Chick Corea and James Taylor, meanwhile performing with the world’s top orchestras and conductors. Other collaborations led to Bell’s establishing chamber music recital series in both London and Paris. Artists such as Steven Isserlis, Pamela Frank, Jean-Yves Thibaudet are his partners in these recitals and in recordings.
Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American grammy award-winning violinist and conductor.
Childhood
Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. His mother, Shirley, was a therapist. His father, Alan P. Bell, was a psychologist, Professor Emeritus of Indiana University, in Bloomington, and a former Kinsey researcher. His father is of Scottish descent, and his mother is Jewish (his maternal grandfather was born in Israel and his maternal grandmother was from Minsk). Bell told The Jewish Journal, “I identify myself as being Jewish”.
Bell began taking violin lessons at the age of four after his mother discovered that her son had taken rubber bands from around the house and stretched them across the handles of his nine dresser drawers to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano. His parents got a scaled-to-size violin for their then five-year-old son and started giving him lessons. A bright student, Bell took to the instrument but lived an otherwise normal midwest Indiana life playing video games and excelling at sports, namely tennis and bowling, even placing in a national tennis tournament at the age of ten.[5]
Bell studied as a child first under Donna Bricht, widow of Indiana University music faculty member Walter Bricht. His second teacher was Mimi Zweig, and then he switched to the violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold after Bell’s parents assured Gingold that they were not interested in pushing their son in the study of the violin but simply wanted him to have the best teacher for his abilities. Satisfied that the boy was living a normal life, Gingold took Bell on as his student. By age 12, Bell was serious about the instrument, thanks in large part to Gingold’s inspiration.
At the age of 14, Bell appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and graduated from Bloomington High School North in 1984. In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University. His alma mater also honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award only two years after his graduation. He has been named an “Indiana Living Legend” and received the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award.
Career
Bell made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985, at age 17, with the St. Louis Symphony. He has since performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and conductors. As well as the standard concerto repertoire, Bell has performed new works. Nicholas Maw’s violin concerto is dedicated to Bell, who premiered it in 1993 and won a Grammy Award for his recording of the piece. He performed the solo part on John Corigliano’s Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film The Red Violin and was also featured in Ladies in Lavender. Bell made an appearance in the movie Music of the Heart, a story about the power of music, with other notable violinists.
Bell’s instrument is a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin called the Gibson ex Huberman, which was made in 1713 during what is known as Antonio Stradivari’s “Golden Era.” This violin had been stolen twice from the previous owner, Bronisław Huberman; the last time the thief confessed to the act on his deathbed. Bell had held and played the violin, and its owner at the time, violinist Norbert Brainin, jokingly told Bell that the violin could be his for four million dollars. On 3 August 2001, Bell was in London to perform at The Proms, and stopped by J & A Beare before the concert. There, he learned that the violin was there, and about to be sold to a German industrialist to become part of a collection. Bell played this violin at that Proms concert that same evening. He later sold his previous violin, the Tom Taylor Stradivarius, for a little more than two million dollars and made the purchase of the Gibson ex Huberman for a little under the four million dollar asking price. The story of the theft, return, and subsequent acquisition by Bell is told in the 2013 documentary The Return of the Violin, directed by Haim Hecht. Bell’s first recording made with the Gibson ex Huberman was Romance of the Violin (for Sony Classical Records) in 2003.
Bell has served an artistic partner for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra from 2004 until 2007, and as a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also serves on the artists’ selection committee for the Kennedy Center Honors and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bell was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize on April 10, 2007, at Lincoln Center in New York City. The prize is given once every few years to classical instrumentalists for outstanding achievement. On May 3, 2007, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced that Bell had joined the faculty as a senior lecturer.
Bell collaborated with film composer Hans Zimmer by providing violin solos for the soundtrack of the 2009 film Angels & Demons, based on Dan Brown’s 2000 novel of the same name.
In May 2011, Bell was named the new Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF). Bell has recorded commercially with the ASMF for the Sony Classical label.[18] In July 2017, the ASMF announced the extension of Bell’s contract through 2020, an additional three years from his previous contract extension. Bell and the orchestra won the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Individual Classical Music Performance.
In 2013, Bell accompanied Scarlett Johansson in the song “Before My Time”. Written by J. Ralph for the documentary Chasing Ice, the song received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In other media, Bell played himself in three episodes of Mozart in the Jungle in 2014, 2015, and 2016: the pilot episode, Touché Maestro, Touché, and Creative Solutions for Creative Lives. In 2016, he played a cameo role on the penultimate musical episode of Royal Pains. He also appeared as himself in episode 8 (“Quacktice Makes Perfect”) of the 2017 Netflix original series Julie’s Greenroom.
Washington Post experiment
In an experiment initiated by The Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten, Bell donned a baseball cap and played as an incognito busker at the Metro subway station L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. on January 12, 2007. The experiment was videotaped on hidden camera; of the 1,097 people who passed by, only seven stopped to listen to him, and only one recognized him. For his nearly 45-minute performance, Bell collected $32.17 from 27 passersby (excluding $20 from the passerby who recognized him). Three days before, he earned considerably more playing the same repertoire at a concert. Weingarten won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for his article on the experiment. The Washington Post posted the video on YouTube and a feature-length documentary, Find Your Way: A Busker’s Documentary, chronicled Bell’s experience.
Personal life
Bell resides in the Gramercy Park neighborhood in Manhattan, New York. He has three sisters. Bell and a former girlfriend, Lisa Matricardi, have a son, Josef, born in 2007. They also have twin sons born in 2010. As of 2017, he is in a relationship with opera singer Larisa Martinez.
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Born: December 9, 1967 – Bloomington, Indiana, USA |
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The Americn violinist and conductor, Joshua David Bell, was born in Bloomington, Indiana. His mother, Shirley, was a therapist. His father, Alan P. Bell, was a psychologist, Professor Emeritus of Indiana University, in Bloomington, and a former Kinsey researcher. His father is of Scottish descent, and his mother is Jewish (his maternal grandfather was born in Israel and his maternal grandmother was from Minsk). Bell told The Jewish Journal, “I identify myself as being Jewish”. Bell began taking violin lessons at the age of 4 after his mother discovered that her son had taken rubber bands from around the house and stretched them across the handles of his dresser drawer to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano. His parents got a scaled-to-size violin for their then 5-year-old son and started giving him lessons. A bright student, Bell took to the instrument but lived an otherwise normal midwest Indiana life playing video games and excelling at sports, namely tennis and bowling, even placing in a national tennis tournament at the age of 10. Bell studied as a boy first under Donna Bricht, widow of Indiana University music faculty member Walter Bricht. His second teacher was Mimi Zweig, and then he switched to the violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold after Bell’s parents assured Gingold that they were not interested in pushing their son in the study of the violin but simply wanted him to have the best teacher for his abilities. Satisfied that the boy was living a normal life, Gingold took Bell on as his student. By age 12, Bell was serious about the instrument, thanks in large part to Gingold’s inspiration. At the age of 14, Joshua Bell came to national attention in debut with as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestraconducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and graduated from Bloomington High School North in 1984, In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University. His alma mater also honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award only two years after his graduation. In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University. Joshua Bell made his Carnegie Hall debut as violinist in 1985, at age 17, with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has made himself a name as one of the most celebrated violinists of his era. His restless curiosity, passion, and multi-faceted musical interests have earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.” Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and orchestra leader. He has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and conductors. As well as the standard concerto repertoire, Joshua Bell, seeking opportunities to increase the violin repertoire, has premiered new works by Nicholas Maw, John Corigliano, Aaron Jay Kernis, Edgar Meyer, Behzad Ranjbaran and Jay Greenberg. Bell also performs and has recorded his own cadenzas to most of the major violin concertos. Nicholas Maw’s Violin Concerto is dedicated to Bell, who premiered it in 1993 and won a Grammy Award for his recording of the piece. He performed the solo part on John Corigliano’s Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film The Red Violin and was also featured in Ladies in Lavender. Bell made an appearance in the movie Music of the Heart, a story about the power of music, with other notable violinists. Joshua Bell is an artistic partner for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (starting in the 2004-2005 season). On May 26, 2011, he was named Music Director of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. He is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Joshua Bell’s 2014 summer highlights include performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. Appearances at Aspen, Festival del Sole Napa, Ravinia, Verbier, Salzburg, Mostly Mozart and Tanglewood and two concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York’s Central and the Bronx’s Van Cortland Parks round out the summer. Bell kicks off the new season at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and National National Symphony Orchestra galas. A USA and European recital tour with pianist Alessio Bax, a week with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and a European tour with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields are just some of this year’s highlights. The year 2015 commences with European tours with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe as well as a USA and Canadian recital tour with pianist Sam Haywood. Spring guest soloist performances with orchestras include The Münchner Philharmoniker and Ochestra Nacional d’Espana and three Czech chamber music concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall with cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Jeremy Denk. Joshua Bell is a visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also serves on the artists selection committee for the Kennedy Center Honors and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On May 3, 2007, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced that Bell had joined the faculty as a senior lecturer. Joshua Bell serves on the artist committee of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Board of Directors of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed three times under the patronage of President and Mrs. Obama and returned to the Capital to perform for Vice President Biden and President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. Joshua Bell collaborated with film composer Hans Zimmer by providing violin solos for the soundtrack of the 2009 film Angels & Demons, based on Dan Brown’s 2000 novel of the same name. In 2013, Bell performed the song “Before My Time”, alongside Scarlett Johansson. Written by J. Ralph for the documentary Chasing Ice, the song received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In an experiment initiated by The Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten, Joshua Bell donned a baseball cap and played as an incognito busker at the Metro subway station L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. on January 12, 2007. The experiment was videotaped on hidden camera; of the 1,097 people who passed by, only seven stopped to listen to him, and only one recognized him. For his nearly 45-minute performance, Bell collected $32.17 from 27 passersby (excluding $20 from the passerby who recognized him). Three days before, he earned considerably more playing the same repertoire at a concert. Weingarten won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for his article on the experiment. The Washington Post posted the video on YouTube and a feature-length documentary, Find Your Way: A Busker’s Documentary, chronicled Bell’s experience. In 2007, Bell performed incognito in a Washington, DC subway station for a Washington Post story by Gene Weingarten examining art and context. The story earned Weingarten a Pulitzer Prize and sparked an international firestorm of discussion. The conversation continues to this day, thanks in part to the September 2013 publication of the illustrated children’s book, The Man the Violin by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Dušan Petričić from Annick Press. An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Joshua Bell has recorded more than 40 CD’s since his first LP recording at age 18 on the Decca Label. In October, 2014 HBO will air the documentary special “Joshua Bell: A YoungArts MasterClass” to coincide with the eagerly anticipated release of his Bach album recorded with The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Bell and Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields’ previous release of the L.v. Beethoven’s Symphines Nos, 4 & 7 debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. Recent releases include Bell’s holiday CD, “Musical Gifts” From Joshua Bell and Friends, featuring collaborations with Chris Botti, Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, Renée Fleming, Plácido Domingo, Alison Krauss and others. Other releases include “French Impressions” with pianist Jeremy Denk, featuring sonatas by Camille Saint-Saëns, Ravel and César Franck, “At Home With Friends”, Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, The Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker, as well as “The Red Violin Concerto”, “The Essential Joshua Bell”, “Voice of the Violin”, and “Romance of the Violin” which Billboard named the 2004 Classical CD of the Year, and Bell the Classical Artist of the Year. Bell received critical acclaim for his concerto recordings of Sibelius and Goldmark, L.v. Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn, and the Grammy Award winning Nicholas Maw concerto. His Grammy-nominated Gershwin Fantasy premiered a new work for violin and orchestra based on themes from Porgy and Bess. Its success led to a Grammy-nominated Leonard Bernstein recording that included the premiere of the West Side Story Suite as well as the composer’s Serenade. Bell appeared on the Grammy-nominated crossover recording “Short Trip Home” with composer and double-bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, as well as a recording with Meyer of the Bottesini Gran Duo Concertante. Bell also collaborated with Wynton Marsalis on the Grammy-winning spoken word children’s album “Listen to the Storyteller” and Béla Fleck’s Grammy Award winning recording, “Perpetual Motion”. Highlights of the Sony Classical film soundtracks on which Bell has performed include The Red Violin which won the Oscar for Best Original Score, the Classical Brit-nominated Ladies in Lavender, and the films, Iris and Defiance. Joshua Bell has been embraced by a wide television audience with appearances ranging from The Tonight Show, Tavis Smiley, Charlie Rose, and CBS Sunday Morning to Sesame Street. In 2012 Bell starred in his sixth Live From Lincoln Center Presents broadcast titled: One Singular Sensation: Celebrating Marvin Hamlisch. Other PBS shows include Joshua Bell with Friends @ The Penthouse, Great Performances – Joshua Bell: West Side Story Suite from Central Park, Memorial Day Concert performed on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and A&E’s Biography. He has twice performed on the Grammy Awards telecast, performing music from Short Trip Home and West Side Story Suite. He was one of the first classical artists to have a music video on VH1 and he was the subject of a BBC Omnibus documentary. Bell has appeared in publications ranging from The Strad and Gramophone to Time, The New York Times, People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, Vogue and Reader’s Digest among many. Joshua Bell Bell has received many accolades. He has been honored by Indian University with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award (1991), he was named an “Indiana Living Legend” and received the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005. He was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize on April 10, 2007, at Lincoln Center in New York City. The prize is given once every few years to classical instrumentalists for outstanding achievement. In 2007 he was also recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He received the Academy of Achievement Award in 2008, and in In 2009 he was honored by Education Through Music. Bell was named “Instrumentalist of the Year, 2010” by Musical America and received the Humanitarian Award from Seton Hall University. In 2011 he received the Paul Newman Award from Arts Horizons and the Huberman Award from Moment Magazine. In 2012 he was honored by the National YoungArts Foundation, and in 2013 by the New York Chapter, The Recording Academy. Joshua Bell’s instrument is a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin called the Gibson ex Huberman, which was made in 1713 during what is known as Antonio Stradivari’s “Golden Era.” This violin had been stolen twice from the previous owner, Bronisław Huberman; the last time the thief confessed to the act on his deathbed. Bell had held and played the violin, and its owner at the time jokingly told Bell that the violin could be his for four million dollars. Shortly thereafter, by chance, Bell came across the violin again and discovered it was about to be sold to a German industrialist to become part of a collection. According to Bell’s website, Bell “was practically in tears.” Bell then sold his previous violin, the Tom Taylor Stradivarius, for a little more than two million dollars and made the purchase of the Gibson ex Huberman for a little under the four million dollar asking price. As with his previous Stradivarius violin, Bell entrusts the upkeep of the Gibson ex Huberman to expert luthier Emmanuel Gradoux-Matt. The story of the theft, return, and subsequent acquisition by Bell is told in the 2013 documentary The Return of the Violin, directed by Haim Hecht. Bell’s first recording made with the Gibson ex Huberman was “Romance of the Violin” (for Sony Classical Records) in 2003. Bell uses a late 18th century French bow by François Tourte. Joshua Bell resides in Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York. He has three sisters. A son, Josef, was born to Bell and Lisa Matricardi, his ex-girlfriend, in 2007. A few years later they had twins born in 2010. |
From waking up to Mozart’s Requiem to braving blizzards and blackouts to perform, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields music director tells us about his musical life
Vinyl or digital?
Vinyl. I love technology, and I’m always buying the latest computers and gadgets, but I don’t consider myself an audiophile. Perhaps it’s just nostalgia, but I enjoy the warmer sound you get from old records. Occasionally, I bring out my 78 record player and listen to the crackly records of Caruso and Fritz Kreisler that my teacher Josef Gingold gave me when I was a kid.
What was the first record you bought?
The first recording I remember buying was a cassette tape of Jascha Heifetzplaying the Wieniawski second violin concerto. I would listen to it at summer camp under my bedcovers after lights out. The first CD I bought was Mozart’s Requiem performed by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (with Ileana Cotrubaș, Helen Watts, Robert Tear and John Shirley-Quirk). My first CD player had an alarm clock, and I set it to wake me up every day to this recording. My family thought it was a bit morbid, but I found it an inspiring way to start the morning!
What was the last piece of music you bought?
Last week I saw Hamilton on Broadway – the tickets were a birthday present. I was sceptical about it because of all the hype, and felt sure it must be overrated. But I was blown away by the music, the choreography, the story, and I was amazed by the originality of the production. I had to buy a CD of the cast recording.
What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
Genesis – my favourite rock band as a teenager. When I’m in my car, I love cranking up the volume to Supper’s Ready, or Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with Peter Gabriel. Come to think of it, why should I feel guilty about this? It’s great music!
If you had time learn a new instrument, what would it be?
The piano. I am still annoyed with my parents for not giving me piano lessons when I was a child. I guess because my sister played the piano they thought it was only right to let that be her thing.
Did you ever consider a career outside of music?
I love science, particularly physics, and I am also fascinated with molecular biology. I can imagine being some sort of scientist or medical researcher, and I’d crave something that involves discovery and invention. Luckily for me, music, in its own way, has both of those things.
What single thing would improve the classical concert?
I like it when there is less of a barrier between the artist and the audience. That’s why I enjoy performing or listening to chamber music in someone’s home. Performers could speak to audiences more, perhaps explain his or her unique take on the music – particularly if it’s a work the audience might not be familiar with. Presenters should keep experimenting with new ways to reach younger people – shorter concerts, “jeans concerts”, unconventional venues, etc – without diluting or dumbing down the music.
If you had to pick one work to introduce someone to classical music, what would it be?
Just one? There are so many pieces that would hook someone who is unfamiliar with classical music. The most obvious answer might be the best: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. It grabs you from the opening bar and never lets go. It may be the most popular piece of classical music ever, but the last time I directed the piece with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, I thought afterwards that it is actually underrated.
What’s the most overrated classical work?
Although Ravel is one of my favourite composers, and the piece is a masterful exercise in orchestration, I could live the rest of my life without hearing the Bolero again.
Which non-classical musician would you like to work with?
Well, since I’m fresh off of seeing Hamilton on Broadway, I’m wondering if there is some way I could collaborate with Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is a genius.
What or where is the most unusual place or venue you’ve performed?
I was scheduled to play a recital in Washington DC, but a blizzard caused a power outage in the concert hall and the show was cancelled. I had been at the venue practising. I left the building, thinking that I now had the night off, and encountered about 50 people in the lobby who had made it there through two feet of snow. One lady walked for three hours only to find out the concert was cancelled. So I played for them right there in the dark, just on violin because there was no piano in the lobby. It was my most appreciative audience ever.
We’re giving you a time machine: which period or moment in musical history would you travel to and why?
My first idea would be to travel to ancient Rome. We know that they had music then, but what exactly did it sound like? Today we can only speculate. Or, if I had to choose a particular day, perhaps I would travel to 22 December 1808. I would get to hear, in a single concert, the premieres of Beethoven’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies with the composer himself conducting. (Did he really follow his metronome markings?) As a bonus, I would get to hear a solo improvisation by Beethoven and also witness him play his Fourth Piano Concerto – my favourite – in its first public performance. Apparently, many in attendance that night did think that the four-hour concert was too long, but I wouldn’t mind.
Video: Joshua Bell on why Beethoven’s 4th and 7th symphonies just don’t get old.
Few new recordings of such canonical works as Beethoven symphonies can claim status as true events these days, but Joshua Bell’s first recording as Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is just that. He is the first American and first person to hold the title of Music Director since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Bell both conducts and plays from the concertmaster chair, sometimes contributing to the fabric of sound with his instrument, other times lifting his bow to exhort and emphasize. The Washington Post says it best: “Bell alternated playing along with the first violins and conducting (with great physical animation) from his seat, sculpting the air expressively with his bow to bring forth a wealth of interpretive detail from the musicians. This was as superb a Beethoven Fourth as I’ve heard, delivered by a conductor of tremendous promise and genuine ideas who also happens to be one heck of a violinist.”
| GTIN13: | 0887654488121 |
| Verschijningsdatum: | 26. maart 2013 |
| Aantal discs | 1 |
| Aantal tracks: | 8 |
| Speelduur: | 72:18 |
Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 in 1812, a half dozen years after the Fourth. Critics often associate it with elements of the dance (“The apotheosis of the dance,” as Wagner remarked), and it possesses a sprightly charm. The ASMF, always a refined ensemble, plays with commendable precision and grace, throwing a bit more verve and vivacity into things under Bell, who leads them in a spirited interpretation. He never hurries the rhythms in the opening movement, while making them all come alive in sprightly fashion. In addition, Bell points up the contrasts smoothly, almost effortlessly, giving the music less of the stop-and-go feeling some conductors impose upon it.
From September, 2011 Joshua Bell has served as music director of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. He is the first musician to hold that title since the orchestra’s founding in 1958 by Sir Neville Marriner, who is now life president of this London-based chamber ensemble. Bell, as his admirers are well aware, first established himself as a world-class violinist. He still performs in that role and when he leads the Academy he typically does so from the concertmaster’s chair. That’s how he conducts these Beethoven performances. And how are those performances, you ask?
Well, I can say that both are astonishingly superb. The Fourth crackles with energy and is rich in meaningful detail and nuance. Everything is well balanced in the sound field and the sound reproduction is vivid and powerful. In fact, both in this symphony and #7, Sony provides sound so lifelike you’d be hard pressed to find more realistic sonics on any competing versions.
Bell’s Seventh exudes the essence of Beethoven’s purpose: rhythms are propulsive and infectious, the music seeming to dance right out of the speakers at you. The playing here, and in the Fourth for that matter, is accurate, with attacks crisp and articulation seemingly faultless. What is impressive about Bell throughout the symphonies is his attention to detail: dynamics exhibit all manner of gradations in both works and everything is spirited. There isn’t a weak or pedestrian moment in either performance. Bell sees Beethoven here as lean and Classically-oriented, not as a Romantic or angst-obsessed composer. In short, he favors the more modern approach to his music, with brisk introductions in both symphonies’ opening movements, fleet but not rushed tempos, and less use of legato than employed by many past conductors.
There are of course many fine versions of these symphonies by such conductors as Jochum, Szell, Toscanini, Abbado, Harnoncourt, Thielemann and countless others (forget Karajan, at least his later legato-laden renditions). But, while it’s also true that few listeners are clamoring for more recordings of this repertory, these performances are nevertheless very welcome additions to the catalog. In fact, I would hope to see the other seven symphonies in the canon to complete Bell’s cycle. Highest recommendations!
It is nothing if not a bold move for violinist Joshua Bell to have chosen two such familiar masterpieces for his debut recording as music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF), but it has come off triumphantly. These are splendidly alert performances, responding to every nuance in the music, and they made me listen to Beethoven with fresh ears. Particularly impressive is the pianissimo playing Bell obtains from the orchestra, for instance in the approach to the recapitulation in the first movement of Symphony No. 4. It’s a point in his Symphonies where Beethoven often liked to create a sense of hushed expectancy, but never did he conceive a longer or more tense stretch of pianissimo than here. Bell maintains the atmosphere of mystery admirably, before whipping up a last-moment crescendo that leads in to the explosive reprise of the main theme with tremendous force.
No less successful is the tip-toeing fugato passage in the famous second movement of Symphony No. 7, though here, perhaps more than anywhere else, I became aware of the fact that first and second violins don’t answer each other from opposite sides as they would have done in Beethoven’s day but are bunched together on the left. No doubt, in directing from the leader’s chair, as Bell does, it’s more practical for him to have all his colleagues close at hand. But it’s a small point, particularly since Sony’s recording is exemplary, and the ASMF’s playing is admirable throughout. This recording is a real pleasure.
You could easily argue that the world doesn’t need any more recordings of Beethoven symphonies. But violinist Joshua Bell successfully argues otherwise in his new album with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
To be sure, this is not a world-changing recording of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and No. 7 just released on the Sony Masterworks label.
Rather, Bell as leader of the small modern-instrument orchestra presents fresh and compelling interpretations that put the emphasis on grace and clarity, thanks to some techniques borrowed from historically informed performances.
As music director, Bell takes the 38 London musicians through these symphonies briskly, but never too quickly. It sounds like Bell has a very clear idea of what he wants from his collaborators, starting with short strokes of the bow and a near absence of vibrato, which gives the strings a light, lithe, sound.
Beethoven loved dynamic contrasts, something Bell emphasizes — always in good taste. The orchestral balance is superb.
Bell has clearly not only absorbed a lot of skill and wisdom in leading an orchestra over his three decades as a violin soloist, but he has a remarkable vision of how to make an ensemble sound greater than the sum of its parts.
If I have one complaint with the recording, it’s in the recorded sound. This studio recording tends toward a boomy bass, which takes away from the otherwise limpid audio.
That touch of sighing desolation in the introductory Adagio of No 4 eludes Joshua Bell, ensemble too loud for pianissimo, direction too literal to conjure a ‘catch your breath’ awe that Frans Brüggen weaves from microscopic rubatos and changes of tension within phrases. Bell offers an objective representation of the notes; and does further on too, most noticeably in the slow movement, where he doesn’t yield to the fine layers of implied feeling.
Bell’s interpretative reach isn’t long but nothing is out of place. Readers who like music ‘played straight’ may be very satisfied. For those who believe an orchestral score ought to be relived through the penetrating vision of a single mind, whose listening ear is able to illuminate the many wonders that make up the wonderful whole – ‘encompass the mosaic’ if you like – there are other options.
Violinist Joshua Bell has followed the lead of symphony orchestra conductors since he turned 7 and made his orchestra debut. But now he’s the one waving the baton — or at least waving his violin bow. Bell recently took over the music directorship of the venerable Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
On his new album, Bell conducts Beethoven’s Fourth and Seventh Symphonies from the chair of the first violinist (concertmaster). He spoke with NPR’s Melissa Block about his new role with the orchestra, how he’s often wanted to grab the baton out of a conductor’s hand, and why there are never enough good recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies. Hear the radio version at the audio link on this page, and read excerpts from their conversation below.
MELISSA BLOCK: Let’s talk first about the mechanics of conducting from the concertmaster’s chair. Describe what you’re doing.
I do basically what a conductor does with a baton except I also play along with the orchestra. So I have to juggle the roles of playing the concertmaster; sometimes I drop the violin and wave my arms.
It’s different for people who have not seen a symphony conductor conduct from a chair. I feel very connected to the orchestra in a way that a conductor sometimes does not feel. I think it’s more visceral. And it gives more responsibility to the players to play like chamber music, which is really what it should be anyway. I really find there are a lot of advantages to leading in this way.
You say you feel connected to the orchestra in a different way because you’re seated there within the group.
I’m making a sound along with them, and so when I draw my bow it’s something very natural, watching the way one attacks the instrument. They can feel it in a way that’s not always so easy when one is waving a stick at an imaginary downbeat. Of course, a great conductor is an amazing thing, and I respect that role as well. But when you are playing along with them, something special happens.
My whole life I’ve been watching conductors. I was 7 the first time I played with a conductor. Seeing the ones that do it well, it’s an amazing thing. And seeing the ones where it doesn’t work, I actually have learned quite a lot from them as well.
It’s something I’m starting to do more myself, not having the violin in my hand, and I’m feeling more and more comfortable with that. But in the meantime, this recording of the Beethoven symphonies — there aren’t many out there, I think, that are led in this way.
What do you think it is about this recording and conducting these symphonies from the chair that makes it special — that you hear a difference?
[In] the feedback I’ve gotten from people, they’re surprised just how visceral and exciting it is, even a little rough at times. You feel like you are right in the middle of the orchestra when you hear it, and that is something I was striving for because when I’m playing with them I feel this amazing excitement and energy that these symphonies certainly should have. The Fourth and Seventh are incredibly heroic, triumphant and energetic pieces. There’s so much of the dance element to it as well, and you feel these rhythms in this recording. These players are really on the edge of their seat. There’s never a feeling of complacency. Sometimes I play with orchestras and I see a few in the back that are kind of sitting in the back of their chair — and there’s nothing more frustrating than that. With this orchestra there’s never that feeling. Everyone gives their fullest at all times.
I love the description by Robert Schumann of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony as “a slender Greek maiden between two Norse giants.” How would you describe the Fourth, and do you think it’s overlooked?
The only problem the Fourth has is its location between the Third and the Fifth, as far as its being overlooked. And it shouldn’t be compared. Sometimes people say it’s not as great as the Fifth or the Third. It is what it is. And what it is is something incredibly special, and you wouldn’t want to change a single note of it.
The Third changed the world with those opening chords; nothing had ever been written like it. The Fourth? I think Beethoven had to write it at that point. He needed to take a break, and in the Fourth he looks back a little bit, although there are always innovations. It’s pure joy. It starts out with a mysterious opening, which sort of psyches you out — you think it’s going into that dark Beethoven, and it turns into the most glorious, joyful piece that I can think of.
Is there a part of the Fourth Symphony that you especially love to play, when you are in the orchestra conducting from the chair, that just feels fantastic?
The last movement is just an incredible romp that’s sort of almost looking back to the fun that Haydn would have with a last movement, although still it’s got the mark of Beethoven. The first movement, in the recapitulation, they way it builds, nobody could do it like Beethoven. The way the instruments start layering on top of each other and building, it just bursts into this incredible joy when it recaps.
You’ve been a soloist for so long — 30 years. Did you always have in the back of your mind, “I’d like to conduct,” just like actors will tell you, “I always wanted to direct?”
The term “soloist” — I guess that’s what I do much of the time, but I don’t think of myself as a soloist. I’m a musician. So that means doing a lot of things. Chamber music has been my great love all my life, and this is just an extension of that.
Certainly there are many times I’ve wanted to grab the stick out of a conductor’s hand and say, “Come on. They need a rhythmic impulse here. Don’t tell them to play softer and then make this huge gesture.” There are times like that when I think, “I want to give this a try.” And so this is a neat chance for me to have my say on these two amazing pieces, which are stories that can be told over and over again, and we really never tire of them.
This is your first recording with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields as music director, with these two symphonies of Beethoven. Did you wonder, “Aren’t there enough Beethoven symphony recordings out there?”
I would have to give up my career as a classical musician if I was worried about that. That’s what we do. Everything I’ve recorded in my life, pretty much — except for some of the new things commissioned — they’ve been done before. You have to have enough confidence in what you’re doing that you feel you have something to say, otherwise you shouldn’t be doing it. But I guess I’m conceited enough to think that there’s something new here to say, without trying to be new. I think that’s a mistake if you think, “There are a hundred recordings and I need to be doing something different, so let’s just do this extra fast or this extra loud.” That’s not the way to approach it.
Basically what you are trying to do is say what you think Beethoven wanted to say. It’s not me saying it. You want the star to be Beethoven. You want Beethoven to reach the listener.
De opnames voor deze cd vonden plaats in mei 2012, enkele maanden nadat de Amerikaanse violist Joshua Bell, met grote unanimiteit, door de leden van de Academy of St Martin in the Fields was verkozen als nieuwe muziekdirecteur. Hij volgt dus de grote Neville Marriner, oprichter en bezieler van het ensemble, op. Geen geringe taak, en met deze twee bekende symfonieën van Ludwig van Beethoven nam Joshua Bell toch wel een groot risico. Maar hij hoeft zich geen zorgen te maken: hier klinkt een erg dynamische, opwindende en levendige Beethoven. De opnamesessies volgden na een erg succesvolle tournee door de Verenigde Staten, die ook op enthousiaste kritieken kon rekenen: de woorden ‘energie’ en ‘dynamisch’ keerden daarin geregeld terug. Later dit jaar speelt de Academy tijdens een nieuwe concertreeks nog de symfonieën 1 en 5 van Beethoven, en Bell wil ook deze werken op cd zetten. Alvast iets om naar uit te kijken. Want de Academy of St Martin in the Fields is nog altijd een voortreffelijk ensemble, geen traditioneel symfonieorkest, maar een flexibele, beweeglijke groep van topmuzikanten, elk met solistische kwaliteiten. Joshua Bell probeert het beste van twee werelden met elkaar te verbinden, d.w.z. zijn eigen ervaring als solist in de grote romantische vioolconcerten met de verworvenheden van de oude muziekpraktijk. De bezetting is die van een fors kamerorkest, maar het gebruik van vibrato bijvoorbeeld wordt niet geschuwd. Met deze semi-historische aanpak, brengt Joshua Bell, die dirigeert vanuit zijn positie als concertmeester, hier vloeiende, krachtige uitvoeringen van deze twee meesterwerken. Het klankbeeld is helder, de tempi zijn behoorlijk snel. Het allegretto van de zevende symfonie mist misschien wat mysterie en dramatische impact, maar de laatste twee delen zijn dol en opwindend. Zijn dit dé uitvoeringen van de vierde en de zevende symfonie van Beethoven? Omdat ze vergeleken met de grootste versies (bijvoorbeeld die van Carlos Kleiber, bij Orfeo live en DG) persoonlijkheid en een grootse visie missen, wellicht niet. Maar ze zitten wel vol elan en goed humeur, er wordt met klasse en enthousiasme gemusiceerd en de opname is voortreffelijk. Uitstekende instapversies dus!
Beethoven Symphonies No. 4 & 7 is the highly celebrated first album recorded by Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields after Bell became only the second person to hold the post of Music Director after the Academy’s founder, Sir Neville Marriner. The first recording in a projected complete Beethoven symphony cycle, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart, receiving glowing reviews.
“With their very first recording together, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and its new music director Joshua Bell instantly establish themselves as leaders in their field and one of the top teams in the music business. It’s as blunt as that. No matter how well you think you know these two Beethoven symphonies, stand by for a fresh and exhilarating learning experience… Stunning and essential.”
Herald Scotland
About the album, Bell said: “The beauty of these pieces is that there are so many ways of doing them. My background is a mix of various elements: the Romantic violin tradition that came from my teacher and the influence of the early music movement from working with Roger Norrington and Steven Isserlis. It’s a unique take on all those things… With the Beethoven, I’m always trying to push this music to another level because it’s incredibly visceral and exciting.”
“Joshua Bell, conducting and leading, delivers performances of sublime grace and wit… It’s exquisite”
The Arts Desk
Watch the Academy performing the second and fourth movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 in concert
1 Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: I. Adagio – Allegro vivace
11:15
2 Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: II. Adagio
9:25
3 Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: III. Allegro molto e vivace
5:36
4 Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60: IV. Allegro ma non troppo
6:38
5 Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
14:18
6 Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto
8:07
7 Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: III. Presto – Assai meno presto (trio)
8:16
8
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: IV. Allegro con brio
8:40
JOSHUA BELL: I doubt the 9th Symphony will come any time soon. It is a formidable challenge, and it will definitely take a while. And for that immortal masterpiece, I may actually feel more comfortable standing on the podium.
| GTIN13: | 5099708950521 |
| Verschijningsdatum: | 13. mei 2002 |
| Aantal discs | 1 |
| Aantal tracks: | 10 |
| Speelduur: | 70:05 |
Joshua Bell’s first recordings of these warhorses stand apart from the hundreds of versions crowding the catalogs in at least one respect, namely his own cadenzas. Beethoven didn’t supply his own for the long first movement of his Violin Concerto, and Bell’s thoughtful, stylish emendation easily stands with the frequently played Kreisler and Joachim cadenzas as a viable option. His extroverted yet well-proportioned cadenza in the Mendelssohn may not match the original’s instant melodic appeal, but it certainly works. Elsewhere, Bell’s direct, clean-cut, utterly dependable virtuosity will not surprise his legions of fans, who won’t mind that the violin tends to dominate in the mix. Is that due to the engineering, or to Roger Norrington’s somewhat reticent accompaniments? You’d think a chamber orchestra would help the Mendelssohn’s bubbling woodwind licks emerge with greater clarity. Likewise, small forces are capable of richer, more tonally varied, and sustained string tone in the Beethoven’s slow movement, as one hears in the more confrontational and interesting Richard Kapp-Mela Tenenbaum collaboration.
| Artistic Quality: 9 Sound Quality: 9 |
Joshua Bell’s fresh approach to these violin warhorses makes for an unexpectedly inviting listening experience. In the Mendelssohn he marries his bright tone to forthright phrasing in a manner that communicates the music’s emotion without sliding into the gooey sweetness heard in some interpretations. There’s little if anything hackneyed about Bell’s reading, indicating he’s thought about the work anew, right through to the stylistically appropriate cadenza he composed himself (Bell cites research that suggests Mendelssohn’s friend Ferdinand David may have actually composed the original cadenza). Roger Norrington’s crisp, period-informed style, with its pointed accents and propulsive energy easily fits in with Bell’s conception.
Bell’s Beethoven is of a similar stripe. There’s a youthful whimsy to his reading, although it’s tempered by an awareness of the work’s graceful majesty. Again, Bell supplies a cadenza of his own devising, which cleverly makes references to the Moonlight Sonata before carrying on in the discursive manner of Beethoven’s late string quartets. Norrington accompanies in the aggressive Beethoven style familiar from his symphony recordings. Sony’s recording slightly favors the soloist, but not to an unnatural degree as orchestral detail can be heard clearly, even in the soft passages. The CD booklet notes are evidently aimed at the newcomer to these works, and Bell’s performances do make for fine introductions. But seasoned listeners can enjoy them as well for their unique insights–a rare occurrence in today’s glutted CD catalog.
It is fascinating to speculate how far Joshua Bell’s readings of these two warhorse violin concertos have been affected by having a chamber group – the Camerata Salzburg under their periodinfluenced conductor‚ Sir Roger Norrington – as partners. The opening tutti of the Beethoven is clean and crisp rather than powerful‚ and the opening of the slow movement brings minimal use of vibrato by the strings‚ echoing period practice‚ giving an ethereal quality. As for the soloist‚ his tone seems sparer than in his earlier Decca recordings‚ clean and bright rather than warmly romantic‚ but that‚ I suspect‚ has much to do with the recording quality‚ which is relatively dry‚ so giving less bloom to the violin tone.
Not that the power of the Beethoven or the mercurial energy of the Mendelssohn are in short supply. The Beethoven may seem to be conceived on a smaller scale than usual‚ but clarity goes with concentration‚ and a speed rather faster than usual in this long first movement brings an extra tautness to its structure. Whether or not helped by the scale‚ Bell’s reading has plenty of light and shade‚ bringing mystery in the central development section. After his own impressive cadenza‚ just as long and demanding as the regular Kreisler one‚ Bell (or Norrington) then refuses to linger over the coda in a Romantic way‚ consistent with their whole approach.
The slow movement‚ after its ‘period’ start‚ is relatively light and delicate‚ with clean‚ pure tone from Bell‚ and the relative intimacy of the reading comes out more clearly than ever in the finale‚ with crisp timpani. There‚ too‚ Bell plays his own cadenza with plentiful doublestopping immaculately performed.
That he uses his own cadenza in the first movement of the Mendelssohn is rather more controversial when one is provided in the published score. In his thoughtful note Bell claims authority for his departure by suggesting that the published cadenza was mainly by Mendelssohn’s friend‚ Ferdinand David‚ not the composer. As in the Beethoven‚ he revels in exploiting the material. Evidently‚ he started writing his cadenza as a challenge to himself‚ ‘an amusing exercise’‚ but after much thought decided to include it in his recording as a ‘personal touch’‚ hoping it will not be seen as an insult to a masterpiece.
Perhaps more controversial is the coolness of the slow movement‚ very simple‚ pure and direct‚ totally avoiding sentimentality‚ though missing some of the warmth Bell brought to this movement in his earlier Decca version of the Concerto‚ a reading a shade more expansive in all three movements. The finale this time is very fast‚ light and sparkling‚ but with plenty of detail‚ again in a performance smaller in scale than even Kennedy’s with the ECO – one of his finest discs – let alone Perlman’s with the Concertgebouw‚ both of them warmer too. Yet Bell’s readings of both works are strong and distinctive‚ making up what he feels is an ideal coupling.
There are performances of great concertos that leave you admiring the soloist, and others that leave you admiring the composer. The ideal should be a mixture of both, which makes Joshua Bell’s Beethoven close to ideal and his Mendelssohn even closer. As for Anne-Sophie Mutter’s Beethoven, the playing is, as ever, technically and stylishly stunning. She has the kind of tone that forces you to listen – no remission for good behaviour. But it’s a long time since I’ve felt such a negative reaction to a recording of this concerto. Where Bell’s playing often draws the ear to felicities in the writing (as does Roger Norrington’s conducting), Mutter strikes me as intent on making Beethoven dance to her tune. The mysterious lead-back to the first movement recapitulation is weighed down with heavy, overly ‘meaningful’ phrasing; the frail-as-ghost-gossamer pianissimo after the cadenza is even more showily theatrical. Recent articles and letters in BBC Music Magazine are useful reminders that many people love this kind of over-the-top ‘interpretation’. If you are one of them, I wish you joy. But for me it’s Bell who sounds as though he has entered into a true creative relationship with the music, despite his lighter, less commanding tone. Of recent versions only the stunning Zehetmair/Brüggen period-instrument version of the Beethoven on Philips has more to reveal. And in the Mendelssohn, Bell is at least as convincing as any other modern performer on disc. Incidentally, Bell provides his own cadenzas in both concertos, interesting in the Mendelssohn, and a considerable improvement on the tradition-honoured Kreisler showpieces in the Beethoven.
4 Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61: I. Allegro ma non troppo
by Joshua Bell;Sir Roger Norrington;Camerata Salzburg
23:49
5 Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61: II. Larghetto
by Joshua Bell
9:07
6 Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 (Highlights): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61: III. Rondo, Allegro
by Joshua Bell
9:21
| GTIN13: | 0889853952021 |
| Verschijningsdatum: | 18. augustus 2017 |
| Aantal discs | 14 |
| Aantal tracks: | 134 |
| Speelduur: | 851:20 |
Sony Classical announces the release of Joshua Bell – The Classical Collection, a 14-CD set of albums of classical repertoire that the internationally acclaimed, Grammy® Award winning violinist has recorded for the label over the past twenty years. The collection is available worldwide on August 18th, 2017. Displaying the unique breadth, versatility and breathtaking virtuosity, beguiling sensitivity and sheer tonal beauty that has made Bell an icon for audiences of all ages and musical tastes throughout the world, this new collection showcases Joshua Bellin cornerstones of the violin concerto repertoire, chamber music and concert pieces.
The repertoire in this career-spanning edition includes Bell’s 2008 recording of the Vivaldi Four Seasons with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (for which Bell has served since 2011 as Music Director), the 2014 Bach release, also with the ASMF, and two of Joshua’s most popular albums Romance of the Violin and Voice of the Violin, where the violinist regales us with arrangements from Monteverdi, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Bellini to Dvo?ák, Debussy and Orff.
Other highlights from the collection include British composer Nicholas Maw’s Grammy® Award winning Violin Concerto , a work written for Bell in 1993, featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Sir Roger Norrington, conductor; The Red Violin Concerto based on themes from John Corigliano’s score to the film The Red Violin, with the Philharmonia Orchestra London and Esa-Pekka Salonen and Leonard Bernstein’s cherished West Side Story Suite, also performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra London and David Zinman.
Rounding out this boxed set are Bell’s recordings of treasured masterpieces by Beethoven, Mendelssohn,Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Gershwin, Ravel, and Sibelius – accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic and Michael Tilson Thomas, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Salzburg Camerata with Sir Roger Norrington and Bell’s close friends and regular chamber music partners, cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Jeremy Denk. Bell is also featured as Music Director in riveting performances of Beethoven’s Fourth and Seventh Symphonies with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
Joshua Bell Socials
Website: http://www.joshuabell.com/
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Twitter: @joshuabellmusic
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Album Buy Link
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ACCENTUS Music is proud to present this year’s official Nobel Prize Concert from Stockholm, Sweden. This event of world class is produced by ACCENTUS Music for Nobel Media AB. American star violinist Joshua Bell and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra performed works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius. As part of the official Nobel Week, the worlds most renowned artists are gathering each year to pay tribute to the Nobel Laureates. This years concert promises to become a special highlight in the series with the young and brilliant world famous American violinist Joshua Bell performing Tchaikovskys Violin Concerto in D major under Sakari Oramo, the Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The evening starts with Beethovens Leonore Ouverture and ends with Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E flat major. BONUS: Interviews with Joshua Bell, Sakari Oramo and Mario Vargas Llosa, the 2010 Nobel Laureate in Literature
| GTIN13: | 4260234830095 |
| Verschijningsdatum: | 09. mei 2011 |
| Aantal discs | 1 |
Joshua Bell: 15 facts about the great violinist
From his debut at Carnegie Hall at 17, to some incognito busking on the Washington D.C. subway, Joshua Bell is one of today’s great stars of the violin, a best-selling recording artist and now a conductor.
1. A child prodigy
Joshua Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on 9 December 1967. He began taking violin lessons at the age of four after his mother discovered that he had stretched rubber bands across the handles of his dresser drawer to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano.
2. Soloist at 14
At the age of 14, Bell appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and went on to receive an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University in 1989.
3. Carnegie Hall debut
At 17, Bell made his Carnegie Hall debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and conductors.
4. Best-selling recording artist
An exclusive recording artist for Sony Classical, Joshua Bell has recorded more than 40 CDs since his first LP was made at the age of 18 on the Decca label.
5. Champion of new works
As well as playing the standard repertoire, Bell has performed many new works. Nicholas Maw’s violin concerto is dedicated to Bell, who premiered it in 1993 and won a Grammy Award for his recording.
6. Award-winning instrumentalist
Bell has won numerous awards including a Gramophone Award in 1998 for his recording of the Barber and Walton violin concertos. He is pictured here performing during the Classical BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in 2007.
7. A 300-year old Stradivarius
Joshua Bell’s instrument is a 300-year old Stradivarius violin called the ‘Gibson ex Huberman’, which was made in 1713 during what is known as Stradivari’s Golden Era. The violin had been stolen twice from the previous owner, Bronisław Huberman; the final time the thief confessed to the act on his deathbed.
8. Performer of film scores
Bell performed the violin solo for the Oscar-winning soundtrack for ‘The Red Violin’ and was also featured in the scores for ‘Ladies in Lavender’, ‘Angels & Demons’, ‘Iris’ and ‘Defiance’. He is pictured here with singer Michael Buble at the after party following the New York premiere of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’.
9. Tribute to Bernstein
Joshua Bell’s Grammy-nominated Bernstein recording included the premiere of the ‘West Side Story Suite’ as well as the composer’s ‘Serenade’. Bell is pictured here rehearsing a tribute to Bernstein for the 2002 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
10. Supporter of charity
Bell is involved with the The Painted Turtle charity where children with serious medical conditions have fun and are given support. He is pictured here with actor Jack Nicholson at the dedication of The Painted Turtle Camp on 22 May 2004 in Lake Hughes, California.
11. The anonymous busker
In an experiment conducted by ‘The Washington Post’, Bell performed as an incognito busker at a metro station in Washington D.C. on 12 January 2007. Of the more than 1000 people who passed by, only seven stopped to listen, and only one recognised him. He collected just $32.17 from 27 people (excluding $20 from the woman who recognised him).
12. Performing for the First Lady
Joshua Bell shakes hands with the U.S.A.’s First Lady Michelle Obama after performing at a classical music student workshop concert on 4 November 2009 in the East Room of the White House. The event was part of a series created by Mrs. Obama to highlight the importance of the arts and arts education.
13. Encouraging young talent
In 2007 Bell commissioned a violin concerto from the 15-year old composing prodigy Jay Greenberg. Bell gave the premiere with the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, New York, on 28 October of that year.
14. Performer and lecturer
Bell was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize on 10 April 2007 at the Lincoln Centre in New York City. The prize is given once every few years to classical instrumentalists for outstanding achievement. On 3 May 2007, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced that Bell had joined the faculty as a senior lecturer.
15. Succeeding Sir Neville Marriner
On May 26, 2011, Bell was named Music Director of the British music ensemble, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He is the first and only other person to hold this post after the great conductor Sir Neville Marriner who founded the orchestra in 1958.
Beethoven - Zijn Meest Aanbevolen Uitvoeringen - Zijn Complete Oeuvre 