Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields Joshua Bell, conductor And Soloist

All-Beethoven Program:
Coriolanus Overture
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 7
Joshua Bell is arguably the greatest violinist of his generation - a fact that NJPAC audiences know quite well - but now a conductor, too? In what promises to be an electrifying concert, Bell will make his podium debut at NJPAC with London's beloved Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in an all-Beethoven program. Not surprisingly, the program features Beethoven's monumental Violin Concerto, one of Bell's most commanding interpretations, for which he composed his own cadenzas. The violinist is actually no stranger to leading an orchestra, which he made clear two years ago with his luminous recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons with the Academy and also in an unforgettable live performance at Carnegie Hall. This is the perfect partnership for him: the Academy was founded by a violinist (Neville Marriner), and it has favored player-leaders (pianist Murray Perahia has been its Guest Conductor) throughout its history. The Academy's performances and recordings echo the tradition of having a violinist leading the performance, which was the norm until the mid-nineteenth century, when conducting became a separate endeavor. Bell is one of the most restless and curious artists of the day, and his lively musical intelligence and finely honed musical outlook set the stage for a musical adventure that begins with Beethoven's Coriolanus Overture and culminates in the Symphony No. 7. It resonates with the kind of music-making that existed in Beethoven's day - a thrilling, intense collaboration, in the truest sense of the word, in which anything can happen.