A world class concert career

Poeme; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conducting; Joshua Bell, violin

If you’ve been hanging around my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed the number of CD’s in my collection that feature Joshua Bell. I certainly have many of his recordings. He is a master of the violin and internationally renowned for his impeccable musicianship.

I follow his career with interest for two reasons. First of all, he comes from my generation. Although, I think that I have the advantage over him by about two years.

Let me say that I thank God everyday for the level of musicianship and technical pianistic facility that He has left in my care. Yes, as I always say, all humility intact, piano-playing comes pretty easy for me; not that I don’t work at it. I do. I really do. But there’s a shameful side, that I typically keep to myself, that wishes “for a little more”. Isn’t that selfish? If the musical aptitude could have been just – a – little – bit – bigger – well, maybe I could have had that world-tramping concert career that every classical musician pines for when they’re young.

So, in a sense, there’s a quiet part of me that lives vicariously through the musical life of someone my own age: Joshua Bell, violinist.

I also follow this young musician’s career because he is one of the few musicians who was able to break out of that “child prodigy” mold, becoming a serious, adult, concert artist. So many of his recordings, made when he was in his teens, have this handsome high school student on the cover … and it’s hard to make that connection between the virtuoso playing and that dimpled grin holding a fiddle.

With “Poeme”, recorded in 1992, he leaped out of that adolescent template, grabbed a hold of his public and made them see a grown man who has artistic integrity, a passion for music that has matured way beyond what anyone could ask of a “high school kid” and an ability to draw the enthusiasm, zeal and fervency out of an audience. Every CD since has stood on the shoulders of the one before it.

Mr. Bell is a talented artist who will always hold my attention and represent that which I will forever hope that I had.

Credits: To Mr. Joshua Bell, for finding his way out of adolescence to the world’s concert stages. Bravo.

This is the twenty-first of my final forty-five CD’s.