Romance of the Violin

Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding tranquility. "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opens the disc, with Bell delicately accompanied by a harp and spinning the long melody with great sensitivity. Bellini's "Casta diva" from Norma lives up to its reputation as the epitome of bel canto in Bell's hands; his violin sings. The middle movement of Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto takes well to the violin, and Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is played with great warmth and sensuality. It would be easy to turn a recital like this into treacle, but Bell is wise enough to realize that the music is already sweet enough and he plays with great reserve and a minimum of sentimental slides. The light accompaniments always support, with woodwinds prominent but used with grace. This CD, in short, is a beauty: a fine gift, a lovely mood setter. --Robert Levine more

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Jacob Heringman, Jules Massenet, Michael Stern, Robert Schumann, John Constable, Stephen Orton, Vincenzo Bellini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, Claudio Monteverdi, Audio CD, Amazon, Best Buy, Tower.com

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Smarter Choice Romance Of The Violin Romance Of The Violin	Best Buy 14,835 reviews *smarter certified	$15.99	See it
Romance of the Violin Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding...	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$10.99 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
Joshua Bell - Romance of the Violin	Tower.com 94 reviews	$10.51 Coupon 1 coupon available Code: Detail: FREE standard delivery when you purchase over $25.00 at Tower.com. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Unknow	See it

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ProductReviews95/100 (67 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-30-2008; The paradox of sensitivity and sentimentality; The sumptuous tone that characterises Joshua Bell's CD provides what promises to be a brilliant listening experience. But for me there is a very fine line between sensitivity and sentimentality and too often he slithers over into...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-31-2008; Romance of the Violin; Great violin work. Take your time to listen to it in its entirety. You will be trasported to the concert hall without being there.; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-27-2008; Never thought I could like the violin this much; Okay I play the clarinet...maybe not trained but still so I can belt out a few notes...yet. My brother played the violin for many years, but his playing never sounded like this...sorry Dave. Wonderful soft..love the flow to this album....; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-22-2008; Joshua Hits The Bell; This is a moving and mesmerizing album which is so soothing it might beprescribed by a doctor for people suffering from stress or melancholia.The tonality of Bell's instrument is like a high-powered diva who knows precisely how to...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-31-2008; Romance of the Violin; Great violin work. Take your time to listen to it in its entirety. You will be trasported to the concert hall without being there.; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-30-2008; The paradox of sensitivity and sentimentality; The sumptuous tone that characterises Joshua Bell's CD provides what promises to be a brilliant listening experience. But for me there is a very fine line between sensitivity and sentimentality and too often he slithers over into...; read full review | report as inappropriate

2/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Oct-09-2008; romanceoftheviolin; a trained violinist, to me he does not feel the music, therefore, his playing is not inspiring.; read full review | report as inappropriate