Saturday Matinee

I got another chance to see the amazing Joshua Bell. i saw him last year in a recital setting. this time, he was with the legendary Academy St. Martin in the Fields, where he led them in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

For quite a while, I’ve been trying to put my finger on the musical style of Joshua Bell. I know that he’s very musical, but in a much more unexpected way. For me, the ultimate musician in terms of musicality is Yo Yo Ma – a cellist whose heartwrenching musicality is always so moving. He’s always a joy to listen to. but Josh Bell is so different – definitely musical, but not so much in an emotional way, but in a more of a clean, fresh, new way that engages your brain. Yo Yo Ma can move you to tears, but Joshua Bell makes you sit up and lean forward. Bell makes you hear a very trite passage (like the entire Four Seasons) in a very new way. I’ve heard the Four Seasons millions of times in my life, and tonight, I heard new submelodies I’ve never heard before, or another way of playing a passage by placing subtle accents in a unique way. Bell’s talent truly lies not only in his clean fresh style, but also in studying the piece of music before him and presenting it well to the audience.

Josh Bell was “conducting” and playing the violin solo both at the same time, conducting mostly through his body movements. This multitasking is more tenuous and difficult; in addition to the monstrous intricacies of the solo violin part, this really requires that a group listen and follow well. There was a moment in the summer movement when josh bell wasn’t so clear on one of the passages and I felt the whole ensemble falling apart for a scary few seconds. But the harpischord and the bass really came in well by compensating and then keeping the beat together. I was really impressed with the professionalism of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Their sound also sounds like one unit, not a group of separate entities.

I can’t help feeling that their performance here is a rehearsal for their performance tomorrow in SF. Oh well. I hope he comes back again next year.