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Joshua Bell in Arnhem

January 23, 2006 at 11:54 AM

Yesterday I saw Joshua Bell on a sundayevening for half a full concerthall. So, “world famous violinist” (that sort of language they use in concertreveiws in mewspapers) does not mean he is populair amongst broad layers of the population. I have seen André Rieu in Maastricht and Dusseldorf in Germany playing for thousands of people. So Sydney, perhaps you have to get Rieu and Bell in one show to make it interesting for Oprah, because Rieu, a former average first or second violinist of a professional orchestra, has more the status of a pop-or sporthero or televisionpersonality, which is interesting for Oprah. Perhaps it will give an interesting conversation between Bell and Rieu and Oprah.
Oké back to the concert. He played great, but he loses a lot of hair on his bow. In between he had to remove the pieces of horsehair and made a remark about it. After the concert I got his autograph and I gave him -as a standard ritual for my crusade for rarities- several copies of cd’s like 1,2th v.c of Donhanyi, v.c of Faure, Lalo v.cop.20 and v.c 29 Concerto Russe, Lipinski 2,3,4 and Ysaye violinconcerto posthumus arranged by Jacques Ysaye, etc and a bottle of Bach-wine, Saint-Saens-wine and Vieuxtempsbeer. He said about the v.c’s that he really appreciates that. And he was astonished there was also a v.c of Ysaye (it will be released by cpo in april 2006, played by Albrecht Breuninger). I forgot that one and I had to go back to my car to give it to him. He was dining there with his crew and was very happy with it. A total different attitude compared to Julian Rachlin who accept my bag with v.c’s and sheetmusic and walked away without saying anything. I said I would sent a lot of sheetmusic I am now scanning in pdf of these v.c’s and sent it to Leah his manager.



Bell seems to be a cool guy.

Go to his webite and listen to the "fiddle" stuff he did with Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush and Mike marshall. So Bell has some "crossover" or "pop" aspects. I think he seems genuinely interested in composition and music. Which may explain why he took your vc.'s with enthusiasm.

I don't understand the Rieu thing. Why is he so popular? What is the demographic that goes for him?

65+ with blue hair.
Thanks for the review, Bram, I'm watching him do most of the same program here in a few weeks. Joshua is a really nice guy and I'm not surprised he responded to your suggestions so graciously.

Ha ha, ES. :)

Tell me about the violin in that picture.
What are v.c's, or vc.s, or however you spell them? Congrats on getting to see Bell. I got to watch him play Tchiakovsky once, and it was wonderful.
oh, never mind, I know now...violin cards, right?
v.c.'s are violinconcerto's. Sorry for the unclear abbreviation.
Is that the legendary Gumby Strad he's holding? I've never actually seen it before today. They say no one could play it like Gumby could, with both feet knotted around his head.
If you have to ask why people like Andre Rieu, you must never have seen his orchestra. His performances are so full of joy that they're contagious! It doesn't matter that they're playing pieces that you've heard a thousand times -- they're good pieces (or we wouldn't keep hearing them) and they all look like they're having so much fun that you just want to get up and join them.

If I wanted to travel around with an orchestra, I would definitely audition for Andre Rieu's orchestra. They're the only orchestra I know where you're allowed to smile on stage!

(I bet Andre Rieu hasn't played the Gumby Strad, though!)

I don't ask why people like André Rieu. It is a fact they like him. I like him too and I am a big fan, don't misunderstand me and he has a good show with a Japanese choir or 3 male and female singers. He is a big star, although that he is a former first or second violinist in a professional orchestra. A very good violinist like Joshua Bell attracts with his performances less public, because although he is a better violinist, who plays more difficult music for more the elite, it misses the joy and show and fun that Rieu has and who is more an entertainer.
That's cool that you give performers concertos, Bram. I wonder if he will record any of them...?
Yes, Icopied for Josh: Lalo op.20, op.29, Joachim2, Hubay3, H.W.Ernst, Godard1, Faure,Dohnanyi1 and 2, Lipinski2,3,4 , Kalowicz, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and violinconcerto's of black composers of the 18th and 19th century, violinconcerto of Ysaye. And Violin/piano music of Vieuxtemps op.22 and op.53.
But now I have a new tactic to promote rarities:
I email all musicians I know, like national and international violinists with an email, professional- and amateurorchestra's in The Netherlands. Together with the attachments of sheetmusic of the soloviolinist of violinconcerto's in pdf (just under 1 Mbyte) Also I made a copy of a cd of that violinconcerto on the website of Amazon together with some soundsamples. Most violinists don't know these beautiful pieces, which you never hear in concerthalls and are hard to get on cd. Most violinists and orchesta's don't collect those rarities or go to libraries, like I do , to get this rare sheetmusic or to hire a rare violinconcerto on cd. There are also some people of violinists.com on my mailinglist. Who else more wants to join them? Also the manager of Joshua Leah is on my mailinglist. In the last 3 years she had react 2 times on mails about this stubject "rare violinconcerto's".
I said to Joshua : when someone like you with a big name record some of my ratities, than they will become more popular and I think that when you will record Ysaye violinconcerto it will become as popular as Bruch1.