Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on tour in Australia
Joshua Bell’s facial expression seems to challenge the players of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) as he leads them into Paganini’s First Violin Concerto. As director of the orchestra, he takes the role of conductor and soloist. His bow and 1713 ‘Huberman’ Stradivari violin bob gently in his left hand while his body and right arm gesticulate softly at first, then more dynamically as the music stomps and tiptoes into full, singing phrases. The players are smiling, united by a buzzing energy. As the music dances towards the first solo entry, Bell blows on his left hand, passes his bow into his right, and shifts his stance.
Like a mage wielding a staff, he lunges towards the orchestra to draw out some accented chords, before making a seamless transformation from conductor to soloist. Plenty of violinistic pyrotechnics follow, but they are incidental to Bell’s operatic lines. The orchestra’s interjections are subtle and sensitive. These are clearly chamber musicians, not disillusioned rank-and-file players. Their countenance and body language suggest a deep, familial connection. It’s June 2023 and they’re dressed informally, surrounded by microphones at Air Studios in London, to record this and Paganini’s ‘La campanella’ (from Violin Concerto no.2) for release by Sony in the 2024–25 season. When they play, though, all distractions of instrument cases, bright lights and microphones blur into the background of their music making.