Joshua Bell with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was an experience, one that I am very glad to have been a part of. He took the stage Wednesday night at Atlanta Symphony Hall with conductor Michael Stern. Every note that rang out in the building seemed so intentionally placed and perfectly balanced within the whole. Joshua’s playing on the 1713 Gibson, Huberman Stradivarius was exceptional. The acoustics in the concert hall, paired with the respectful and eager crowd, created a perfect atmosphere to hear even the tiniest pizzicato notes.
The night started with Sergei Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25.” The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is really in a class of its own. The dynamics, the feel, the flow that they share are all nothing short of amazing. Joshua Bell joined as the soloist for Édouard Lalo’s “Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 21.” Joshua was such a nice addition and fit in seamlessly. The emotion he pulls out of the violin can be felt in the soul. Every note perfectly placed. He plays with heart and passion.
It was a real treat when he came back out and did an encore with harpist Elisabeth Remy Johnson. They played a beautiful rendition of “Méditation” from Thaïs. It was full of emotion, and outside of Bell and Johnson’s instruments, you could hear a pin drop as every single person in the building devoted their full attention. The Atlanta Symphony finished the night with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances, Op. 45.” And what a closer that was. Again, the Symphony held perfect dynamics and captivated the room with each movement.
A Grammy Award winning violinist and master of his instrument, Joshua has been an inspiration for many to pick up a violin, myself included. He has an extensive library of music, having released more than 40 albums, and has been involved in numerous collaborations. His most recent album is quite impressive. Titled Paganini, Bell is the featured soloist as well as the conductor for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where he is in his 15th season as Music Director. The album features Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 along with Cantabile and a bonus track of “Carnival of Venice.”
He is also known for a few notable cinematic appearances. He was the featured soloist for The Red Violin and has made numerous appearances on Mozart in the Jungle. These are just a couple of his credits. His career is extensive, and those credits speak for themselves when it comes to his playing.
Joshua Bell’s violin has quite the story of its own. The 1713 Gibson ex Huberman Stradivarius was stolen twice from Polish violinist Bronisław Huberman. The first time was in 1919 in Vienna, and it was recovered a few days later. The second theft came in 1936, when it was stolen from a dressing room at Carnegie Hall. It remained hidden for decades before being recovered and authenticated.
Bell acquired the violin in 2001 while in London for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. He stopped at the J&A Beare violin shop to buy strings and ended up playing the instrument. He fell in love with it immediately and even performed on it that night. He has played it ever since.
In 2007, Joshua was part of a social experiment led by Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten. Weingarten arranged for Bell to perform anonymously at the entrance to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station in Washington, D.C., during Friday morning rush hour. Bell performed six demanding classical works on his Stradivarius while hidden video cameras watched the commuters passing by.
During the 43 minutes that he played, 1,097 people passed by. Only seven stopped to listen for at least a minute. Twenty seven people gave money, totaling just over $32. The experiment became a famous meditation on whether people will stop long enough to notice beauty in the middle of everyday life.
This tells us so much about ourselves. It’s not even about not noticing beauty. Someone playing a violin well, or not, in a subway is something you have to go out of your way to not notice. But to miss someone who plays with his proficiency and heart, playing some of the most amazing works throughout history, on such a beautiful sounding instrument, is a sign that somewhere in between being a child and an adult, we have learned to reject beauty in everyday life.
This experiment was nearly 20 years ago, and I believe it to be just as, or even more, relevant now than ever. Anyone who knows me knows good and well that I will be late to something because I pulled off to the side of the road to take a photo of a bird.
Stop and smell the flowers, look at the painting, hold the door for someone, take the trip, and by all means, go to a show!
