Joy

Last night, I spent two hours filled with a feeling of joy.  My husband and I went to see Joshua Bell, the world-renowned violinist, and his wife Larisa Martinez, the opera singer, at the McCallum Theatre.

The first time I saw Bell perform was in the late 80s at Denison University.  Denison’s Vail Arts Series brought a very young Joshua Bell to our school to perform.  After the concert, a group of students took him to Granville Pizza for cheap beer and pizza.  We all had fun that evening, and he was such a normal guy with an amazing amount of talent.

Bell and his wife shared with the audience that they envisioned the concert as a salon.  It is less well known today but in the 1900s salons were very popular in people's homes.  A wealthy or highly educated person might collect poets, writers, singers and musicians to come together for an evening of entertainment in their home.  I think of salons as gatherings where people to come together too listen, share, and learn.

Sadly, we didn’t have a program for the evening.  I do remember that they performed a medley from West Side Story and Porgy and Bess.  Bell amazed the audience with a Hungarian folk song that was so fast and so varied I found myself leaning on the edge of my seat with a huge smile affixed on my face.  The bow moved with such deft speed, it raced up and down the neck of the violin and included some plucking of the strings mixed in.

Dressed casually in black pants and a black button-down shirt with dark brown hair, only two things stood out on the stage, his beautiful Stradivarius violin and Larisa’s gorgeous gown.  Joshua Bell plays the violin with passion and feeling, swaying back and forth as the bow passes over the strings with grace and ease.

I admit, violin is not one of my favorite instruments to listen to.  I find it can be rather squeaky, and many professional violinists seem to lack much feeling when they play.  As I mentioned earlier, Bell is very different.  The passion and joy he clearly feels when he plays emanated throughout the concert hall last night.  Additionally, the love and devotion he feels for his wife was beautiful to see.  Once when the pair walked off the stage together, he stepped on the back of her trailing gown.  I could feel his embarrassment as he looked down at the gown and up into her eyes.  Music and a showing of love all in one evening’s entertainment!

Joy and Joshua Bell go hand-in-hand. Thank you Joshua, for making my night so happy and light.  Sharing your gift with all of us at the McCallum Theatre brought much joy to this listener.  I promise this will not be my last time watching and hearing you play.