Romance of the Violin

by Joshua Bell

Overview

Throughout his career, violinist Joshua Bell has always sought to expand the range of works available for his instrument, and with the aptly titled ROMANCE OF THE VIOLIN, he ventures a bit further from the core of the repertoire. None of the selections on the album were composed for violin, and the works were chosen strictly for the beauty of their melody without regard to the original instrumentation. Bell looks well beyond the confines of the violin for inspiration, tapping into the literature of piano works, vocal music, and even opera arias. The result is a stylistically diverse, but musically coherent, program of transcriptions and arrangements that spans over 400 years of music history, one that the prodigious violinist finds himself right at home in. Bell's interpretations eloquently convey the lyricism of works such as Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair," Schumann's "Traeumerei," and nocturnes by Chopin and Borodin. He's at his finest in the songs and arias such as "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Puccini's 'Gianni Schicchi,' "Casta Diva" from Bellini's 'Norma,' and Schubert's "Serenade" from the 'Schwanengesang' song cycle, gracefully applying his lush tone and elegant phrasing to the sublime melodies. The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields provides superb accompaniment throughout this fine set.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2003
Label:	Sony Classical
UPC:	0696998789425

Tracks

1. Gianni Schicchi, opera~O Mio Babbino Caro
2. La fille aux cheveux de lin, prelude for piano, L. 117/8
3. Nocturne for piano No. 20 in C sharp minor, KK IVa/16, CT. 127 (B. 49)
4. The Swan (from "Carnival of the Animals"), original (for 2 pianos & ensemble) and arrangements
5. St¿¿ndchen ("Leise flehen meine Lieder"), song for voice & piano (Schwanengesang), D. 957/4
6. Norma, opera~Casta Diva
7. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major ("Elvira Madigan") K. 467~Andante
8. Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Melody), arrangement (from "Orfeo ed Euridice")
9. Nocturne for string orchestra (arranged by Malcolm Sargent from String Quartet No. 2)
10. Songs my mother taught me (Als die alte Mutter), song for voice & piano (Gypsy Melodies), B. 104/4 (Op. 55/4)
11. L' incoronazione di Poppea, opera in 3 acts, SV 308~Pur Ti Miro
12. ¿¿l¿¿gie: O doux printemps d'autrefois, for voice & piano (from "M¿¿lodies, Vol.1")
13. Kinderszenen No. 7 ("Tr¿¿umerei"), for piano, Op. 15/7

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Joshua Bell   Primary Artist,Violin
Craig Ogden   Guitar
John Constable   Harpsichord
Jacob Heringman   Lute
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields   Orchestra
Stephen Orton   Cello
Michael Stern   Conductor
Greg Knowles   Cymbalom

Technical Credits

Craig Leon   Arranger,Producer
Jules Massenet   Composer
Frederic Chopin   Composer
Robert Wolf   Editing
Grace Row   Producer
Charles Harbutt   Engineer
Isobel Griffiths   Contractor
Vincenzo Bellini   Composer
Camille Saint-Saens   Composer
Franz Schubert   Composer
Robert Schumann   Composer
Antonin Dvorak   Composer
Claude Debussy   Composer
Alexander Borodin   Composer
Mike Cox   Assistant Engineer
Giacomo Puccini   Composer
Claudio Monteverdi   Composer
Roxanne Slimak   Art Direction
Simon Kiln   Mastering
Bob Kranes   Product Manager
Alison Riach   A&R
Grace Kristopher Row   Producer
Christoph Willibald Gluck   Composer
Timothy White   Photography
Laura Kszan   Editorial Director
Linda Kobler   Liner Notes
Sam O'Kell   Tape Operator
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   Composer