I do not remember the last time I saw a violin recital in Pittsburgh. So it was quite a treat to see a great violinist right here in my hometown. Joshua Bell IS a great one and his partner for the evening seems worth getting to know as well. The vicissitudes of classical music collecting is such that a serious collector will get a recording of their favorite pieces, then another of the same piece for comparison as it is all about interpretation. Eventually you have multiple recordings of your favorites and it is hard for new artists to get your attention. Do I really want Josh Bell's Mendelssohn concerto when I have Heifetz, Menuhin, Perlman, Milstein, Ricci, Mutter and Hahn doing it? This is a long winded way of saying that a young violinist has to do something to get my attention in order to buy their recordings. You can do it with interesting couplings or new and unusual repertoire, but a new recording of the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos is probably not ending up on my shelf. So I know Josh Bell through his recordings of Corigliano, Nicolas Maw, Walton and Barber. However, he has made his name in the standard repertoire and recordings of little tasty bits of violin music that go down easy or work well as background music.
I don't say these things as a put down, but to put his career choices in some context, particularly in reference to this recital. Here was a recital that says, we are doing some serious music tonight, four substantial pieces with a brief, light encore. I am curious about their decision to do this and quite happy that they did.
The time span of these pieces is about two hundred years. The oldest piece, Bach's 4th violin and keyboard sonata. I have to admit here that this is the only piece on the program I don't know (or own own a recording). The Bach violin and keyboard pieces just are not held in the same high regard as his solo violin sonatas and partitas. After hearing this piece, I can't say I am in any hurry to get into them. Perhaps it was the performance (and I did feel they were out of sync at times) or perhaps it is a rather slight piece of music but it (performance, piece or both) did not grab me. Grieg's Third violin Sonata did grab me. Grieg is known now for really just two things, his Peer Gynt music and his piano concerto. This piece is a late piece, substantial (over 20 minutes) and quite dramatic. Bell and Denk seemed to underline the drama in a major way. I felt at times that it might be too dramatic but that may be my familiarity with a less dramatic interpretation. I especially liked the first movements building to climaxes (which happens through the movement).
The second half opened with the Schumann first Violin Sonata. I haven;t listened to Schumann much lately and this reminded me that I do like his music. Despite Schumann's tragic mental health problems, his music has a pleasantness, lightness to it. Even this piece, which is a relatively late one has the Schumann lightness that I find so appealing. I enjoyed the interpretation, even more than the Grieg. This duo had an interesting stage presence. Bell, seemingly oblivious to all else (though I assume his ears were paying attention), stretching his body at times, his left foot flat but right one only touching the floor with his toe, as if reaching out for something. Denk was extremely vigilant and attentive, head cocked to watch Bell and stay in his groove with him.
Schumann's piece was written in 1851 and the Grieg in 1886. Despite the thirty five years difference, they definitely inhabit the same sound world, romantic, tonal, dissonances all resolved. Maurice Ravel's Violin and Piano Sonata was written in the 1920's. Forty years after Grieg, Ravel's piece, right from the outset, reveals itself as from a different sound world. In form, it shares the conventional three movement structure with the Schumann and Grieg. One difference that comes to mind for me is that the Ravel is not so clearly on it's way somewhere. It does not seem quite so linear. While not all Ravel is this way, the Violin Sonata has a somewhat disturbing quality that I love in my favorite Ravel music (Bolero and La Valse come to mind, though with less subtlety). The opening movement's moments of simple beauty punctuated with little dissonances and perturbations. The flow and interplay between Bell and Denk was well done. The middle "Blues" movement had some nice swing to it. Again, the lightness mixed with little disturbances captured well by this duo. The last movement is one of those in which the violin gets moving and doesn't really slow down. In fact it is marked "Perpetuum Mobile: Allegro". The piano provides support but this is really the violin's show. Bell played this with seemingly no difficulties and a good bit of flair.
The encore was a slight but enjoyable Kreisler piece after the style of Dvorak. I assume it is one of the many pieces that Kreisler wrote but programed as if it had been written by Dvorak or whomever. I always chuckle that he apparently got away with this for quite a while.
i was not sure about this concert being held in Heinz Hall. It is a big place for a violin to project within. However, Joshua Bell's sound projected quite well to where I was sitting (front of the Family Circle upstairs). He has a big sound that is a must for this to work in Heinz Hall. The crowd was enthusiastic though I would estimate that the hall was only half full. I hope that was enough to have more of these kinds of shows. I don't know how the economics of this works.
In summary, great show by great musicians. A treat for me who loves violin music. The program was well chosen (minus the Bach). If I can indulge myself in one complaint, the program biographies bothered me. I realize that Josh Bell is the headliner and most people, even me who tries to keep up with classical music, don't know Jeremy Denk. However, do you really need to gush about the "breadth and daring choices of repertoire", then list standard repertoire, movie soundtracks, and crossover bits. Anne-Sophie Mutter, Jennifer Koh, Leila Josefowicz and Gidon Kremer are daring, Bell is not. He IS great at what he does. The list of things Jeremy Denk has done reveals that HE is the daring one, with lots of modern pieces in his repertoire. I will be on the look out for some of his recordings.
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