JSOnline.com Review
By: Tom Strini - jsonline.com
Joshua Bell has made the cover of Strings and The Strad magazines. Of course he has; Bell, 39, is the pre-eminent American violinist of his generation. He has also broken out of the classical music box; the boyishly handsome and photogenic Bell has been featured in Esquire and O - The Oprah Magazine. In 2000, People magazine declared him one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World." For a year, Bell dated Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. He's been in a movie ("The Red Violin," for which he also played all the solo parts) and made several television appearances. He will open the Artist Series at the Pabst season Tuesday, in a recital with pianist Jeremy Denk. Bell is not just another pretty face. His superb technique gives him the control to play with exhilarating expressive freedom. He says he can't sing, but his playing suggests that he thinks and feels like a singer. Bell has internalized the violin (in his case a $4-million 1713 Stradivari) to a rare degree. Celebrities of Bell's stature often do all their pre-tour interviews by phone on a single day. He was friendly and forthcoming during the allotted 14 minutes on Jan. 11. Most big-time American violinists come through The Juilliard School, particularly through the studio of Dorothy Delay. Bell chose to stay in his hometown, Bloomington, Ind. He is a graduate of Indiana University, where he worked with the late Josef Gingold. "I got a lot from Gingold," Bell said. "His way of playing definitely affected mine. He was very much an old timer - he had been a student of Ysaye. Gingold came from the French-Belgian school, which was all about nuance and not always about power. His was the most beautiful violin playing I've ever heard up close." Bell's first teacher, Mimi Zweig, had a strong Milwaukee connection. Zweig, director of IU's Pre-College Program, founded the String Academy of Wisconsin while she split time between Milwaukee and Bloomington in the 1980s and 1990s. (Zweig was here because she was married to Jerry Horner, former violist of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Fine Arts Quartet.) As a young teenager, Bell played a brilliant recital at Alverno College. "I remain close to Mimi now," Bell said. "I used to go to Milwaukee to visit her students there. I remember playing at Alverno - it was about the time I made my debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra." Celebrity can be a distraction and a detriment to those charged with nothing more taxing than being young, rich and trouble-prone. Bell has to play the violin. "The extracurriculars, the television - I enjoy doing those sorts of things," Bell said. "A lot of musicians are more reclusive. I do pay a publicist, because that's part of being a performing artist. I make a conscious effort to meet young people. The music shouldn't be just for a special club of listeners and players. I need channels besides Strings magazine. Of course, the more you get known, the more people want to put you down." Googling Joshua Bell can lead to some fairly bizarre blog and message board entries. He is, after all, one of America's most eligible bachelors, and he admits to enjoying the single life. In July, former girlfriend Lisa Matricardi bore him a son. The two intend to cooperate to raise little Josef Matricardi Bell, but Read More... |
