Notes and Editorial Reviews
Joshua Bell's THE ROMANTIC VIOLIN is a "greatest hits" of sorts, a retrospective steeped in core repertoire where the heartthrob violinist can apply his lush tone and soulful phrasing to optimal effect. The collected recordings find Bell in peak form, offering some of the most expressive playing imaginable in the slow movements from the great concertos of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Barber, as well as Wieniawski's Second Concerto and Bruch's beloved Concerto in G Minor. Bell demonstrates his knack for wringing every bit of lyricism from a melody in his graceful performances of Paganini's "Cantabile" and Massenet's "Méditation de Thaïs." He shows that he's got technique to spare in scintillating readings of the Rondo from Lalo's 'Symphonie
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Espagnole' and Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 1.
Bell is a throwback to a bygone era, rooted in the style of past masters like Pablo Sarasate, Eugene Ysaÿe, Fritz Kreisler, and Jascha Heifetz. His "old school" connection is never more apparent than in his elegant account of four selections by Kreisler including the beautiful "Liebesfreud" and "Liebesleid." THE ROMANTIC VIOLIN provides a fine overview of Bell's early career, as well as an informed introduction to an honored tradition of performance style. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Violin no 1 in G minor, Op. 26: 2nd movement, Adagio by Max Bruch
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868; Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1986
Venue: EMI Abbey Road Stduios, London, England
Length: 9 Minutes 29 Secs.
2.
Concerto for Violin, Op. 14: 2nd movement, Andante by Samuel Barber
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
David Zinman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939; USA
Date of Recording: 01/1996
Venue: Joseph Meyerhoff Hall, Baltimore, MD
Length: 8 Minutes 49 Secs.
3.
Schön Rosmarin by Fritz Kreisler
Performer:
Paul Coker (Piano),
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Date of Recording: 07/1995
Venue: St. George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol
Length: 1 Minutes 58 Secs.
4.
Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 by Fritz Kreisler
Performer:
Paul Coker (Piano),
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Date of Recording: 04/1995
Venue: St. George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol
Length: 3 Minutes 34 Secs.
5.
Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 77: 2nd movement, Adagio by Johannes Brahms
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Christoph von Dohnányi
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878; Austria
Date of Recording: 05/1994
Venue: Severence Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 9 Minutes 9 Secs.
7.
Concerto for Violin no 2 in D minor, Op. 22: 2nd movement, Romance by Henri Wieniawski
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862; St. Petersburg, Russ
Date of Recording: 04/1988
Venue: Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 4 Minutes 53 Secs.
8.
Transcription of Kreisler's "Liebesfreud" for piano by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:
Paul Coker (Piano),
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Period: Post-Romantic
Written: 1921; Austria
Date of Recording: 07/1995
Venue: St. George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol
Length: 3 Minutes 46 Secs.
9.
Liebesleid by Fritz Kreisler
Performer:
Paul Coker (Piano),
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
Date of Recording: 07/1995
Venue: St. George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol
Length: 3 Minutes 42 Secs.
10.
Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 35: 2nd movement, Canzonetta by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878; Russia
Date of Recording: 04/1988
Venue: Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 6 Minutes 53 Secs.
11.
Thaïs: Meditation by Jules Massenet
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Andrew Litton
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894; France
Date of Recording: 03/1991
Venue: Town Hall, Watford, England
Length: 5 Minutes 13 Secs.
12.
Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21: 5th movement, Rondo - Allegro by Edouard Lalo
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin)
Conductor:
Charles Dutoit
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1873; France
Date of Recording: 09/1988
Venue: St. Eustache, Montréal
Length: 8 Minutes 7 Secs.
14.
Cantabile for Violin and Piano in D major by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Joshua Bell (Violin),
Samuel Sanders (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: ?1824
Date of Recording: 12/1986
Venue: St. Barnabas Church, London, England
Length: 4 Minutes 8 Secs.
Sound Samples
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor - Transcr. Joseph Joachim
Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.26: 2. Adagio
Concerto for Violin & Orchestra, Op.14: 2. Andante
Violin Concerto in D, Op.77: 2. Adagio
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A: 1. Allegretto ben moderato
Romance from Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.22: 2. Romance
Violin Concerto in D, Op.35: 2. Canzonetta (Andante)
Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op.21: 5. Rondo (Allegro)
Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op.21: 5. Rondo (Allegro)
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