Joshua Bell - Voice of the Violin
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Free Music Notes for Voice of the Violin
Free Music Review: Just Beautiful!
Hit: 5 Stars
I love this CD. The first two songs are so beautiful that they can move me to tears. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys classical music, especially violin.Free Music Review: Joshua Bell - It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
Hit: 5 Stars
Beautiful renditions of some classic violin pieces - very calming music. Better than Prozac or a martini. Many numbers are haunting and will stay with you all day long.Free Music Review: Angelic voice of the violin
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is beautiful. Joshua Bell puts so much feeling into his playing that his violin truly has a voice. I liked it so much, I played this album during dinner when my two granddaughters visited me, and said
"Grandma that is really nice music you have on". The 9 year added her appreciation as well. A great way to get the kids interested in these familiar classical music.
Free Music Review: Joshua Bell
Hit: 4 Stars
Voice of the Violin is an interesting project for Bell (according to his notes)using vocal/choral pieces as his selections. His attention to phrasing is notable as a lyricist/violinist. There is little variety to the album in tempo, excitement, and color. A very soothing CD for relaxation. Free Music Review: Once Again, Bell Delivers
Hit: 5 Stars
I'll have to admit I steered a bit clear of Joshua Bell in the early years of his career. My aversion wasn't based on his musical abilities. He was one of the performers that a few music industry publicity people decided would appeal to a younger audience so he was dressed as a teenaged heart throb that seemed to belong on the cover of a magazine geared toward junior high school girls than a lover of good, serious music. I think I resented shameless attempts to lure a "younger crowd" into concert halls to hear a symphony. I was young at the time and it didn't matter to me whether the guy on the cover was wearing a tux and might be a bit overweight or if he looked like the kid next door or the woman was slightly flawed wearing a gown or if she looked like a sex symbol. All I cared about was the music and I responded by not purchasing any of the various wunderkind releases and Joshua Bell was in this category. Of course I could boycott the recordings but I couldn't ignore the likes of Joshua Bell. He was always on television, performing with symphony orchestras (classical music radio stations still broadcast a plethora of concerts at the time) and I think only the most closed minded listeners could deny his talent. Since that time I've seen him perform and what I've found is an amiable performer with great talent who knows people that while people are paying to hear him play, the performance has to be about the music and not the performer and even if he hasn't aged, at least according to the cover photos on his recordings, he has matured as a performer. His technique is still evolving which could one day earn him a place with some of the great violinists (remember he's only in his thirties, he still has quite a career ahead of him), and he's able to perform some of the works of the greet classical composers and pieces with popular appeal without getting gimmicky.
VOICE OF THE VIOLIN is a collection of vocal pieces arranged fop the violin. Each of the arrangements works well for violin. The challenge is performing them with the same passion we are used to when we hear them performed by vocalists. Just about every tenor and soprano of note has performed and recorded Schubert's "Ave Maria." Massenet's "Porquoi Me Reveller" from WERTHER is a showstopper that was a favorite of tenors from Caruso to Pavarotti. Fans of Fredericka Von Stade and Renee Fleming have grown to love "Song to the Moon" from RUSALKA. We've grown accustomed to the greats singing many of the works on this collection with beauty and gusto. Chances are expectations are high for anyone familiar with these works. Bell delivers. He evokes the emotions of each piece and in a way his violin does sing as he performs. This can be tricky. So often vocal works, especially those from the operatic stage, don't adapt all that well to instrumental transcriptions and it is the rare instrumental performer that can do justice to the works, but Joshua Bell seems to in this recording.
Fans of Joshua Bell do not need to be convinced of the merits of this recording. Some may feel this is not a serious enough recording but I think most people who enjoy good music will appreciate Bell's artistry and the beautiful melodies are sure to give listeners hours of pleasure.