Editorial Product Review:Album Description:Bell began taking violin lessons at the age of four after his mother discovered her son had taken rubber bands from around the house and stretched them across the handles of his dresser drawer to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano. His parents got him a scaled-to-size violin for their then five-year-old son and started giving him lessons. A bright student, Bell took to the instrument but lived an otherwise normal midwest Indiana life playing video games and excelling at sports, namely tennis and bowling, even placing in a national tennis tournament at the age of ten. Bell studied as a boy first under Mimi Zweig, then switched to Josef Gingold after assurances from Bell's parents that they were not interested in pushing their son in the study of the violin but simply wanted him to have the best teacher for their son's abilities. Satisfied that the boy was living a normal life, Gingold took Bell on as his student and to this day, Bell speaks of Gingold fondly as a great teacher and mentor. At the age of fourteen, Bell appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, while managing to graduate from Bloomington High School North in 1984, a year ahead of schedule.
Amazon.com:This four-movement concerto is a terrific piece of music and a great showpiece, as well. Part of it originally appeared in a film of the same name, but make no mistake--this is no 'pop' violin, concert-like exercise; this is a work that should become a repertory staple. After an opening chaconne (recorded elsewhere as a solo piece), the hushed, fascinating sound world of the scherzo is riveting, and the lush 'andante flautando' bathes us in the Romantic sensibility. But it's the startling and glittering 'accelerando finale,' with its manic forward propulsion, that suddenly makes the listener realize that we are in the presence of a masterwork. Violinist Joshua Bell again proves himself an absolute master, capable of both the most sensitive, sensual phrasing and stunning pyrotechnics, and he is just as impressive in the composer's 'Violin Sonata,' a somewhat more severe work. Marin Alsop leads the terrific Baltimore Symphony with superb precision. Highly recommended.
--Robert Levine
Product Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
More related to this product:
click for more
More related to this product:
Disc 1:- The Red Violin Concerto; I. Chaconne
- The Red Violin Concerto; II. Pianissimo Scherzo
- The Red Violin Concerto; III. Andante Flautando
- The Red Violin Concerto; IV. Accelerando Finale
- Sonata for Violin and Piano; Allegro
- Sonata for Violin and Piano; Andantino
- Sonata for Violin and Piano; Lento
- Sonata for Violin and Piano; Allegro
Buyer Reviews
Average Buyer Rating:
-
great violinist
Joshua Bell is an amazing violinist who is able to perform effectively in a wide range of musical genres. Although I prefer his recordings of the great classic concerti, this is still another beautiful cd.
Customer Rating: -
A Fiddle of Infinite Jest
Forty years passed between the composition of Corigliano's "Sonata for violin and Piano" (1963) and the Red Violin Concerto premiere in 2003. The two works are very different in scope and scale, but to my ears they have a lot in common. I don't guarantee that I could recognize a previously unheard piece of music instantly as Corigliano's, but I'd be willing to try. In his notes for this CD, Corigliano says: the sonata is "for the most part a tonal work, although it incorporates non-tonal and poly-tonal sections within it, as well as other 20th-century harmonic, rhythmic and construction techniques. The listener will recognize the work as the product of an American writer, although this is more the result of an American writing music than writing 'American' muisc -- a second-nature unconscious action on the composer's part." Gosh and golly, John, I think you may be optimistic about most listeners, but I hear what you mean. The great Czech composer Leos Janacek described his own efforts to shape his music, even instrumental, to the sound of the Czech language; most serious performers and listeners have agreed that he succeeded. This sonata by the young Corigliano sounds a lot like similar works by Janacek, except that the melodic language IS different and DOES sound like Americam English in some subjective manner that I can't quite define. I hear a slangy, sarcastic, but tender American voice in the phrases of the violin. I like this piece of music, and I appreciate the pairing of youthful and mature compositions on this CD.
Joshua Bell is a thrilling performer. I can't compare his playing of these two compositions to anyone else's, since I haven't heard any other, but Bell clearly has the bowing technique to meet any eccentic demands of the music. The 4th Movement "Accelerando Finale" of the Concerto calls for very violent bowing, incorporating the fiddle into the overall percussion texture of the music. It makes a witty and vigorous conclusion for a showy concerto.
The nucleus of the Red Violin Concerto is music that Conigliano composed for a film, which I haven't seen. Since I enjoy the Concerto thoroughly, I guess I'll rent the film.
Customer Rating: -
Meet John Corigliano, an extraordinary contemporary composer, and Joshua Bell, the great violinist
You may have overheard at some party the following or a similar comment coming from a self-proclaimed music expert: "I only listen to Beethoven and the real music. The contemporary composers just don't cut it". Then somebody asks: "Which contemporary composers do you have in mind?" The answer follows: "They are all so bad that I don't even remember their names". I shall spare you my pontification that there is a difference between ignorance (not all of us are familiar with all the composers) and stupidity (the refusal to get educated). Instead, I make a claim that even the staunchest haters of the contemporary composers will cave in to John Corigliano, if they only let themselves be exposed to his music. After hearing his music, they will be swept of their feet and they will never forget his name! John Corigliano is one of the most distinguished contemporary composers and has received all major awards, which you can find listed on Google. After hearing his compositions on this CD you will understand why these awards are given to him. It also becomes clear that these compositions will survive our times. Give yourself a chance to participate in the musical present and the future! This is not to say that you should dump all dead composers whom you love so dearly, just add somebody who is alive!
Maestro Joshua Bell excels in his hauntingly beautiful performance. The violin part is stunningly beautiful, and the performance does it justice. In a mix of unprecedented virtuosity and a sublime interpretation, Maestro Bell affirms that he is one of the best.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with Marin Alsop conducting, was great. It is difficult to choose between all great moments, but I especially liked the orchestral drama and the hell which was raised by the percussions (I have not been so excited about the percussions since I heard Carmina Burana).
The notes that accompany this CD are written masterfully by John Corigliano, who clearly also has a great talent of communicating with the listeners via the written words. He talks about his father, a very prominent violinist, and how he came to appreciate violin and its technical difficulties by listening to his father. Then he explains how he used the Baroque device of a chaconne (a repeated pattern of chords) to structure the red violin concerto. He offers further insights into his music, which will guide the listener to pick up and identify various innovative elements.
As an overall experience, one cannot escape the excitement that one has witnessed the greatness of Corigliano as a composer, and a great symbiotic relationship with Joshua Bell, with the result that 2+2 is more than 4!
Customer Rating: 
-
Hieroglyphics
I used a gift card from Barnes and Noble. I loaded it on my Media Player.
Everything came out in Hieroglyphics of some sort. I took it back and explained the issue. They gave me another (as if the lot wasn't sent to them all at once.
Of course, it all came out with the same hieroglyphics.
