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Bell loosens up music with performance, conversation

Joshua Bell discusses classical music with Daniel Hege, the music director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell was not wearing a white shirt and tails as he performed and spoke Monday in Hendricks Chapel.

Instead of the garb synonymous with classical music performances, he wore a sweater to make the event more comfortable and relaxed. Bell said this type of attitude, a more relaxed approach to the performance of classical music, could make more students become interested in classical music.

Bell performed two pieces that were split up by a discussion with Daniel Hege, music director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Hege spoke about topics ranging from various styles of performance to what can be done to promote more young people’s involvement in classical music to Bell’s involvement in the movie “The Red Violin.”

The night was intended to be like a living room conversation with members of the audience not going to microphones that had been set up but raising their hands and being selected.

“This is what it should be like,” Bell said. “Sometimes music is too formal, like it’s a museum. Kids want it more relaxed.”



The evening began with a performance of Bach’s “Chaconne” from Partita No. 2 in D minor, which lasted about 14 minutes. Hege said the piece is one of the pinnacle works for a violinist.

“It is very striking because it is a chaconne, and there is a set of variations,” he said. “While everything is very much the same, it is always changing in subtle ways.”

Bell ended the night with a performance of Ysaye’s “Sonata No. 3” for Solo Violin. Bell said it is similar to the Bach piece but more modern.

After the initial performance, Hege commented about Bell’s concentration while playing and asked him what he thinks about as he plays.

Bell said he almost becomes a part of the music when he is playing, and although he sometimes notices what is going on in the audience, there are times when he is oblivious to what is happening. More than once a person has been wheeled out of Bell’s concerts on a stretcher, and he has not known it until someone mentioned it after the shows.

Bach’s music was not the only thing from the 18th century in Hendricks while Bell was performing. He used a violin made in 1713 to play. The violins from that day and the strings that were used allowed violinists to play with a different pitch and a different style, Bell said. He demonstrated the different styles and the way they alter the sound of the piece.

Beside playing concerts and recording albums, Bell was involved in playing the violin in the movie “The Red Violin” and also worked as a consultant for the movie. The movie was unique in that the music was recorded before the film, he said. Bell was also a body double in the movie to make sure the shots looked realistic.

“There is nothing worse than string playing in movies,” he said. “Violin playing and golf swings — those two always look bad.”

April Lestansky, a senior psychology major, said the performance, combined with the discussion, helped her understanding.

“It was very good,” she said. “It’s difficult when you don’t have a great understanding of music, but the examples helped.”





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