Some of the best melodies, it appears, come with strings attached -- four of them, to be exact.Famous violinist Joshua Bell performed Saturday night in Spaulding Auditorium . The world-renowned violinist was making his first appearance at the Hopkins Center and tickets to his concert had been sold out for months. Bell first came to national attention when he made his orchestral debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the impressive age of 14. Since then, he has gone on to become an international success.
Bell is well-known for playing all the solo violin music on "The Red Violin" soundtrack that captured the Oscar for Best Original Score. Playing with nearly every leading symphony orchestra and conductor, Bell has a record 27 albums under his belt. He has also been featured on The Tonight Show, Nightline, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, CBS This Morning and Live from the Lincoln Center and profiled in People magazine, The New York Times, Esquire, Newsweek, Vogue, Strings and USA Weekend. In short, he is a classical music demigod, hailed by the critics and appreciated by all.
So, the expectations of the audience Saturday night were high. Bell did not disappoint them. The concert started with Schubert's "Sonatina for Violin and Piano in G minor, D. 408." This piece was a showcase for the musical collaboration between Bell on the violin and Simon Mulligan on the piano. Mulligan performs and records internationally, is a supporter of contemporary music and has premiered works by Alexis Weissenberg and Mark Anthony Turnage.
Bell and Mulligan were completely in tune with one another, in synch with their dynamic changes and blended the staccato and swellings of their individual parts, which complemented the sound as a whole. This good chemistry between the two could be chalked up to hours of practice (the two have toured throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East since 1998), but it is more likely a sign of sensitive musicianship and a deeper understanding of the composer's intent of how their respective parts should blend together.
Following Schubert's "Sonatina" was Grieg's Sonata, or more specifically, the "Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in C minor, Op. 45." This piece had rather violent undertones tempered with a hauntingly sad, simple melody. The intense building of dark rage was a pouring out of emotion, making many hold their breath in angst-ridden anticipation for the crest of the musical tidal wave. However, this intensity was contrasted with the recurring melody that was reminiscent of an old war-time love story. Grieg's piece presented the contrasts that are inherent to music: loud versus quiet, crashing chords versus subtle chords, intense violent expression versus sappy simplicity and the separateness of the violin and piano versus their unified blending. After the piece was over, Bell had stray strings hanging from his bow that had come loose during his violent violin undertakings. It seems he was in need of a rest as much as the audience was. A brief intermission ensued.
After the brief break, Bell performed the most impressive piece of the night--Maurice Ravel's "Sonata for Violin and Piano." Difficult to describe, this piece was a mournful rollicking tune. Bell's performance of this piece was so enthralling that people waited to cough, clear their throats, and yes, even sneeze, until the pauses between movements. Throughout the piece there was a collective held-breath and a unified intense gaze toward the black-clad demigod on stage. The audience seemed to sense that they were witnessing a musical miracle that transformed the violin from mere instrument to conveyor of expressive depth.
Following this matchless piece was Tchaikovsky's "Serenade Melancolique, Op. 26," and it was indeed melancholy! It was also very passionate. If the median age of the audience hadn't been 55, sexual sparks would have been flying. The final piece was Pablo de Sarasate's "Introduction and Tarantella, Op. 43." It was a fine piece, but not overly impressive or memorable.
With the conclusion of the program, Bell and Mulligan came out and took their bow. They were met with resounding applause and a standing ovation. Graciously responding to the audience's enthusiasm, Bell gave an encore. Before playing, however, he updated us on the Duke/Connecticut score. Surprisingly, the demigod has a sense of humor and a penchant for basketball! The encore was met with sighs of satisfaction, and after a final thunderous applause, the audience filed out of Spaulding, words of praise and exultation for Joshua Bell on their lips.
