Jean Bell

Joshua Bell has returned to the mainstream repertoire from his recent successful excursions into film (The Red Violin) and bluegrass-crossover (Short Trip Home), and his playing, always brilliant, and arresting, has reached a new peak. Despite the booklet's claim to the contrary, these two concertos have nothing in common except fiendishly difficult bravura solo parts; rather, they represent a perfectly valid pairing of opposites. Bell makes the most of the contrasts, bringing out each work's idiomatic character.

Joshua Bell, a violinist widely-admired by audiences and critics, was born fortuitously in Bloomington, Indiana, home of the Indiana University School of Music, which eventually assumed a decisive role in Bell's musical development. Bell was exposed to music from an early age and began his violin studies with Mimi Zweig. Bell's talents developed rapidly; he made his debut as a soloist in performance with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra at the age of seven.

Dans la famille théâtrale ou cinématographique, demandez un nom, n'importe lequel, et il a toutes les chances de figurer dans l'autobiographie de Jean-Claude Brialy.
À l'aise partout, élégant et pudique, il a rencontré tous les cinéastes, comédiens et acteurs qui ont compté depuis les années cinquante. Brialy ne se met pas en valeur mais ses admirations sont contagieuses. Il fait briller ceux et celles qui l'émerveillent. …