Violinist and conductor Joshua Bell performs at a concert (Photograph: Eric Kabik)
The programme opened with Dvořák’s Silent Woods from The Bohemian Forest Op. 68. As soloist, Steven Isserlis’ yearning and poignant cello was both evocative and powerful. He brought his delicious vibrato and the warmest tone to the renowned lyrical character piece.
The arrangement for cello and orchestra was led by Joshua Bell who managed to play an enthused first violin while simultaneously acting as conductor. He played with resounding sensitivity whilst using his bow as a baton to draw out each crescendo and to keep the orchestra so perfectly united.
If you ever get the chance to see Joshua Bell performing live, then I would advise you to drop everything and be there. Each muscle in him reacts to the music, it is rare to see such an animated and impassioned player.
Throughout it all Isserlis wore a distant look as his virtuouso performance built to a staggering and heartfelt climax. The sustained final note was breathtaking and captured the audience completely. Yet as the audience fell into raucous applause, Steven’s face broke into a joyous grin, he clasped Joshua’s hand enthusiastically and bowed with a theatrical gesture that was only emphasised by his marvellous mop of wild steel hair. It was a spellbinding and captivating start to a beautiful evening.
The second piece was Beethoven’s Symphony no 5 for full orchestra, lead by Joshua Bell. In the infamous opening bars, the scroll of Joshua’s violin dipped between his knees before rearing up before him. He barely kept his seat, as the music took over. This interpretation of the piece was full of texture, contrast and animation. The lighter melodies danced elegantly between the strings as they played as one perfect whole.
Like in the previous piece, Joshua continued to play with such soul ad presence whilst also conducting with his bow in grand flourishes. His theatrical and hypnotic performance is clearly the muscle that provides the pulse and spirit of the ensemble.
The piece built to a heady climax that stunned the audience before they broke into appreciative applause. There were few audience members who are younger than fifty, and everyone who was present was bubbling with excitement as they cascaded out into the foyer and chatted about the performance that they had just seen.
After the interval, they opened with Schumann’s Violin Concerto, mvt II (codetta by Britten). Joshua Bell was on his feet as the soloist, combining technical proficiency with exceptional beauty and an exquisite timbre. His commanding and artful interpretation of this piece was pure magic. The programme was the perfect combination of colour, texture and extremes of light and shade with Joshua’s playing breathing new life into familiar themes and lesser known gems.
Joshua Bell performed with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Steven Isserlis (Photograph: Chris Lee)
The concert ended with Brahms Double Concerto (for violin, cello and orchestra) which was performed with perfect balance. Despite the multiple bars of rests for the cello in the opening, Isserlis was completely engaged with the music. With shut eyes and a nodding head he moved in time with the violins as the sweet melodies sang. When Isserlis’ solo came in he threw his whole soul into it and brought out an astonishing deep resounding vibrato, exquisite phrasing with plenty of breathing space.
The bass tones had an astounding resonance and depth to them. The violin answered with vivacious fortitude before the melodies intertwined into something that was deliciously close to being discordant. Brahms has created the most exquisite sort of union, the intimate union of conflict. Hearing it realised by these virtuoso musicians meant that the effect was absolutely out of this world.
The orchestra cascaded in and Joshua drew out the beauty with dancing limbs as Steven echoed the motion with an enthused motion of the head, an exaggerated sway and a mouth that gaped and gasped much like a hungry koi carp surfacing for food.
Steven returned to his cello as the strings softened to a murmur and Joshua joined him. The depth of the cello and the luminosity of the violin was delightful. The call and response, the conflict, the union, the technical excellence and the deeply expressive interpretation of this colourful piece made this a truly spirited performance.
The most exquisite moment was when, with just a shared glance, Joshua and Steven launched into a perfectly synchronised passage of fluidity and raging emotion. It was an absolute wonder to behold.
The final movement is beautifully coquettish and the musicians captured this spirit to perfection. When the slow build burnt, the audience held its breath as one entity.
The divine cacophony climaxed and the audience whooped and unleashed rhapsidous applause. Bell and Isserlis bowed and left the stage, returning numerous times as the audience continued to express their gratitude and delight. Joshua left the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius backstage but Steven brought the burnished ‘Marquis de Coberon’ Strad back with him each time.
The orchestra was recognised, Joshua shook the hand of the first violinist in a gesture as expressive as his playing. As Joshua and Steven embraced the audience buzzed with excitement, encouraging Joshua to execute a comical and playful lift of the eyebrows.
This was not just a remarkable display of art at its finest, but also a roaring celebration of the brilliance of humanity. The composers, the luthiers, the exceptional musicianship. It was blissful, inspiring and delightfully drenched in hope, yet all at once humbling. As the audience flooded out of the majestic hall, I could have sworn that they all were a little taller, a little prouder and with a lot more faith in humankind than they were when they arrived.
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Holly Daffurn
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