Joshua Bell inspires a new generation of violinists at the Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw was buzzing. In one of the most diverse audiences I have seen for a while, young and old alike jostled for position in the cosy foyer of the Small Hall, each regaling tales of previous encounters with the American violinist, Joshua Bell. Who had followed his career most avidly over the years? Who had watched the most YouTube videos? And who had that all important photograph of the man himself – the prized jewel of many a young violinist, needing just that extra inspiration to find their own true greatness.

The programme

A little Mozart to start

We were immediately enveloped in the expressive blanket of a musician at the top of his game after forty-plus years in the business; joined tonight by Israeli-American pianist, Shai Wosner. The impassioned opening notes of Mozart’s Sonata in E minor (written shortly after the death of his mother when was just 22) were full of Mannheim Sturm und Drang – the hub of so much activity in the Classical period. Contrasting moments of inner calm – including a deliciously empty open G – gave all the option to sit back and wallow in the emotional complexity of Mozart’s music.

Equally sublime, the Tempo di Minuetto. Who would have thought that a six-note theme, consisting of just two notes – five of which are repeated one after another – could evoke such longing and be played in so many different ways? With Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart’s names emblazoned above, the connection to the past felt real.

Time for the piano to shine

As Bell exited the stage, rippling piano scales heralded Mozart’s Fantasie in C. An emphatic and measured reading included some beautiful touches from Wosner in the more sensitive moments.

The piano continued to shimmer as Bell crept back onto the stage for Schubert’s Fantasie in C. A single violin note emerged from the piano mist, before soaring high. Schubert had been inspired by the acclaimed violinist of his time, Paganini who visited Vienna the following year in 1828. His virtuosic writing casts the violinist as narrator, a role Bell relished. The Allegretto – full of cheeky charm – gave visions of young Austrian boys running wild around Viennese markets while nagging stallholders gently chastened all in sight.

Joshua Bell at the Concertgebouw with pianist Shai Wosner © Simon Van Boxtel — Joshua Bell at the Concertgebouw with pianist Shai Wosner © Simon van Boxtel

Returning after the interval, Bell faced a different challenge. This time Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 3 in D, one of six sonatas written by the violinist-composer; each dedicated to one of the composer’s friends and pupils. The third written for Hungarian violinist, Georges Enesco who would in turn teach another famous violinist – Yehudi Menuhin.

Inspiration from the greats

This pupil-teacher relationship is significant. In a recent interview in The Strad magazine with cellist Steven Isserlis, Bell talks of being directly influenced by Eugène Ysaÿe through his own teacher Josef Gingold, who was himself a pupil of Ysaÿe. He recalls how he would gaze at a portrait of Ysaÿe on his teacher’s wall, and how the same portrait now hangs in his own studio. Ysaÿe’s inspiration continues to this day.

Bell exhibited a detailed understanding of the hall’s acoustic by immediately challenging our spatial awareness. He cleverly used vibrato to magically open out the first two notes to such an extent that many in the hall (including myself) were unsure from whence those two notes came. As we continued, jazzy inflections peppered the many dotted rhythms while faint mutterings metamorphosed into technically challenging conversations. Written in 1923, this sonata challenges all that is certain in an attempt to break free of the mould, pushing hard against tonal boundaries.

For the fourth time, Bell delivered a work featuring a slow and intense opening and he did not disappoint: Fauré’s Sonata No. 1 in A, and a work where the piano could truly shine. This was an equal partnership, and all was delivered with great sensitivity. Bell resurrected the role of storyteller, this time telling a much needed story of hope.

To conclude…

Returning to the stage, the pair offered two encores. Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 no. 2, full of longing and yearning, and Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no. 1 in G minor arr. Joachim which kept Wosner on his toes. Budapest and Vienna later in the week are in for a treat!

Inspiring the next generation of Dutch musicians © Clare Varney

Further listening

Joshua Bell and Nino Gvetadze play Chopin’s Nocturne E flat major Op. 9, no. 2 in the Van Gogh Museum
Simply stunning!