Joshua Bell - Voice of the Violin

Constantly exhorted to "sing," string players naturally try to emulate that most beautiful musical instrument, the human voice; no wonder they literally want to get their fingers on the treasures of the vocal repertoire. Joshua Bell has appropriated some of its best-loved songs and operatic arias, from Mozart through the romantics to Orff. Slow, sustained, lovely and yes, singing, these beguiling melodies and wide emotional range are eminently well suited to the violin. Credit for most of the arrangements is given to J.A.C. Redford, a well-known film and television composer, and indeed the throbbing strings and jarring modulations typical of sound-tracks invade his orchestrations, in startling contrast to the composers' own. In Debussy's "Beau soir," pianist Frederic Chiu partners Bell so beautifully that one wishes he had supplanted the orchestra in all the songs with piano accompaniment. The violin transcriptions of the vocal line closely follow the originals, except for Redford's compulsive habit of adding octaves in the repeats and jumping from the lowest to the highest register. Of course, Bell is very good at all this, and it's the playing that's really the thing. His tone is ravishingly beautiful, warm on the G-string, radiant up high, and always deeply expressive. His love and innate feeling for the music---its inward simplicity, romantic yearning and passionate ardor---speak straight to the heart. In the only authentic violin part, the obbligato of Richard Strauss' "Morgen!" he is joined by the golden-voiced soprano Anna Netrebko; at first overly intense, she relaxes into a blissful, magical ending. --Edith Eisler Amazon.com

The Captivating Voice of Joshua Bell's 1713 Stradivarius Violin

"Choosing the works for this album was a delightful journey, a wonderful excuse to immerse myself in the rich treasury of music written for the voice....I hope many listeners will appreciate this tribute to the voice and get a kick out of hearing my take on these timeless classics." ~ Joshua Bell ~

At the Opening Night for Concert Season at Hollywood Bowl a few years back, Joshua Bell was one of the featured guests where he performed a piece from the soundtrack of Ladies in Lavender where he is the featured violinist, and another performance where he shared the spotlight with Josh Groban. I was in awe and it was great seeing them perform before a live audience. My first exposure to Mr. Bell's artistry is his Grammy-nominated tribute album in honor of the timeless music of George Gershwin, Gershwin Fantasy. Listening to his recorded performances is such a delight, but seeing him perform live made me appreciate his flawless violin artistry even more.

Joshua Bell's mastery in violin, Maestro Michael Stern's outstanding orchestration of 52-piece Orchestra of St. Luke's plus the music of classical masters such as Debussy, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Fauré, Bizet, Dvorak, Strauss, as well as De Falla, Ponce, Orff and Donizetti are all packaged beautifully in this remarkable album, "Voice of the Violin."

The Grammy-Award winning violinist's virtuosic takes on these timeless classical pieces are elegantly unflawed and breathtaking. He plays with utmost care and passion as heard in all the tracks, but my top choices include Schubert's "Ave Maria," Debussy's "Beau Soir," Fauré's "Après Un Rêve," Tchaikovsky's "None But The Lonely Heart," Dvorak's "Song To The Moon," Mozart's "Laudete Dominum" and Ponce's "Estrellita." The notable finale is a classical aria originally composed by Richard Strauss for voice and piano, "Morgen!" but with voice and violin, it is simply remarkable. It features soprano Anna Netrebko.

The informative Liner Notes written by Mr. Bell show his love of poetry and his romantic side. On track listings, he referenced some lines of poetry and quotations related to the composers' feelings and sentiments behind their masterpieces.

An example is Tchaikovsky's "None But The Lonely Heart." He alluded to Tchaikovsky's emotional and personal life and quoted the composer when he said..."No one who has not been lonely can understand my endless suffering."

Another example is his description on "Beau Soir" in which he transcribed a few lines from a poem by Paul Bourget, a French critic and man of letters who "provoked the humorous wrath of Mark Twain with a series of lectures in the USA in 1893." Here goes...

"When the waters are pink in the setting sun
And a warm wave sweeps through the fields of grain
All things bid our troubled hearts to be happy."

One more example is Dvorak's "Song To The Moon" - On his notes, the melody was taken from the composer's opera, "Rusalka," a tale of "an immortal nymph who fell in love with a handsome prince and calls upon the moon to help her dream come true."

"You peek into all the world's windows
Find the one I love and tell him
My heart is his
Perhaps he will remember me."

Lastly, I can say that long after you've listened to this album, the captivating voice of Joshua Bell's 1713 Stradivarius violin will still be ringing in your ears so you must give it another listen. It is the kind of music that reaches the heart and caresses the soul of a listener with its soothing and endless beauty.

With my heartfelt recommendation. September 16, 2008

Enjoying the violin

After I bought the Ladies in Lavender I had to buy Johuas Bell music.
I heard him play the Brahms violinconcert april 2003 and became a fan.
One period in my life I almost hated violin music maybe because I was
playing the piano with my brother violin. Later I heard the Busch quartet
play , and later I heard Isac Stern and Menuhin play in concerts.
The music Johua plays in wonderful and he plays beutifully. February 23, 2008

A splendid piece of work...

I am a classical singer, my mother plays the violin, so I know how closely they are related. Joshua Bell has chosen some beautifu selections. Some of my favorite pieces on this compilation are pieces I have actually sung. One of the most beautiful is Dvorak's Song To the Moon, the way he plays it is so warm and elegant, it is one of the most beautiful pieces ever written and with him playing it, it sounds even better. Estrellita is another song that I have sung, and I absolutely love , the same with Mozart's Laudate Dominum.His violin gives the music such a soul that it almost is better the hearing someone sing it. The only regret I have about this CD is it does not have him playing O mio Babbino caro, guess I will have to buy his other CD for that. January 8, 2008

Joshua Bell

What a master on the violin!!! I appreciate being able to get this CD quickly at an affordable price. It is a treasure. November 10, 2007

Voice of the Violin

This CD has brought a lot of enjoyment to me and my family. I play this for background music and never grow tired of it. It is so relaxing. And since my father was called "the String Man" where we live, and he hand- made violins, guitars, mandolins, banjos, and other instruments, I have been listening to violin music, and other stringed instruments, since my childhood days. This is one of my most loved CD's. September 17, 2007

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