Pros: Warm playing from one of the better violinists alive...
Cons: but it matters what he plays... dumbed down to pure kitsch.
The Bottom Line: cannot be anything other than this: If you don't really know about classical music, and neither do you friends, and you are not interested in it either: BUY!
jlaurson's Full Review: Joshua Bell - Romance of the Violin
Disclaimer
Classical music snobs (such as myself and cms #1 and cms #2, but i write not on their behalf) need not beware: they will already stay away from a disc that is titled: "Romance for the Violin."
What's this?
This instinct, so much right away, is correct. Titles like these, much like any title that says "Best Ever" in it, or "for Relaxation" or "for Romance" or "for anything at all, really" heighten my caution and make my heart sink. The usual fare of pedestrian, turgid music, sufficiently dumbed down to appeal to the sales-strong cross-over market? Yes. Yes. Always!
Of course, "Classical Crossover", this dreadful genre that brings neither new ears to 'real classical music' as is sometimes suggested, nor meaningfully lifts the spirit of the neophyte, need not necessarily mean bad quality. As a concept, for example, the three tenors were dreadful, but their musical quality is beyond questioning. Bryn Terfel singing Welsh songs, for example, may not be to everyones' taste, but it is superbly executed and at least interesting. But then there are the likes of Charlotte Church, a sweet and meaningless voice with the expressional depth of the Washington D.C. tidal basin... or the abhorrent, vile excuse of a voice of Mr. Bocelli. How much better the world and everyone involved, if instead being blind, he were only mute - or I, alternatively, deaf.
[Bocelli, interestingly, works OK in crossover that demands little, but his delving into true classical works is the really obnoxious stuff. Stay the heck away from the Philips Requiem (Gergiev conducting, w/ Renée Fleming among others) -- everyone is fine and good, but Bocelli ruins it single-throatedly!]
Who's that cute boy?
Joshua Bell, is of the former category, not the latter. He is one of the more outstanding violinists of our time - and while I don't think he has yet proven to be at the same level of a Maxim Vengerov, Hillary Hahn (yes, this hyped girl is really that good!), there are not many young or old violinists that have his technical ability and emotional touch. His playing, if compared to other violinists, is more towards the style of Itzhak Perlman (see: “Bach with a smile), not Vengerov, not Nathan Milstein. So he’s good. But he’s also just bought a Stradivarius himself. Very, very, very few violinists ever own such an instrument, even the ones that play them regularly have it on loan from a bank, a sponsor, an individual or an institution.
Refinancing of the Violin
What better way to get that money back, than to dig deep, deep in the murky waters of crossover cheesiness to refinance that thing. So you get “Nessun Dorma”, transcribed for the Violin. Oy Veh... At the very best, this album is a guilty pleasure... and in-house joke for Bell when he is having a musical evening. But it does nothing, but absolutely nothing to further interest in classical music. It chokes it off at its budding.
Reasonably, you might suggest that that is not the purpose of this recording, nor the measure by which it ought to be judged. True, I suppose. The purpose is to make money and delight its audience. It succeeds extremely well on the former and presumably it does so on the latter. But just like cheap candy, it’s not a pleasure that is going to be of lasting, of true influence... it’s not the kind of pleasure that I’d like to see people indulge in, for their own good. (Did I mention I am a patronizing classical music snob?)
This CD is for me, if...
This then, is the CD for you, if you have little interest in really getting into classical music, but you want to impress your middle class in-laws by playing this in the background during dinner. Perfect match. Since eating and listening to music does injustice to either, probably both activities, you might as well not waste something better on such a habit. If you just want some classical ‘chill-out’, some sweetly romantic violin twirping (and people do, there’s a market for that... and why not...) you’ve found your pick. It’s still better than most of the rest of these ‘romance’ classical compilations... and at least the playing could hardly be better. As far as crap goes, this is not to be beaten!
This is as fair an opinion as I can wring from my deeply prejudiced soul regarding such albums. If you feel the same way, you probably weren’t going to buy this record. If you were truly interested, you might be best of ignoring my advice.
...but I really should be listening to:
But just in case you were really interested in classical music – and you wanted something romantic, something delightful, something with the violin to start with, there is really, really fine stuff out there. Just listen to Anne-Sophie Mutter in her recording of the ever popular coupling of the Bruch and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos. Romantic Bravura, par excellance at an unbeatable price! Or, not quite as romantic but beautiful, Bach concertos with Hilary Hahn! Or Yehudi Menhuin (when he still practiced) in the Brahms Violin Concerto and Sonata...
That’s the real stuff – and not a pastiche that would be the food equivalent of throwing all your favorites (Filet Mignon, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich, Chocolate Mousse) into a blender and drinking the result! Bell said, in an interview on NPR, that classical music snobs were likely turn their nose at his latest effort... damn right! And he knows why.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.