Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com:
Constantly exhorted to "sing," string players naturally try to emulate that most beautiful musical instrument, the human voice; no wonder they literally want to get their fingers on the treasures of the vocal repertoire. Joshua Bell has appropriated some of its best-loved songs and operatic arias, from Mozart through the romantics to Orff. Slow, sustained, lovely and yes, singing, these beguiling melodies and wide emotional range are eminently well suited to the violin. Credit for most of the arrangements is given to J.A.C. Redford, a well-known film and television composer, and indeed the throbbing strings and jarring modulations typical of sound-tracks invade his orchestrations, in startling contrast to the composers' own. In Debussy's "Beau soir," pianist Frederic Chiu partners Bell so beautifully that one wishes he had supplanted the orchestra in all the songs with piano accompaniment. The violin transcriptions of the vocal line closely follow the originals, except for Redford's compulsive habit of adding octaves in the repeats and jumping from the lowest to the highest register. Of course, Bell is very good at all this, and it's the playing that's really the thing. His tone is ravishingly beautiful, warm on the G-string, radiant up high, and always deeply expressive. His love and innate feeling for the music---its inward simplicity, romantic yearning and passionate ardor---speak straight to the heart. In the only authentic violin part, the obbligato of Richard Strauss' "Morgen!" he is joined by the golden-voiced soprano Anna Netrebko; at first overly intense, she relaxes into a blissful, magical ending. --Edith Eisler

Rating : - The Captivating Voice of Joshua Bell's 1713 Stradivarius Violin
"Choosing the works for this album was a delightful journey, a wonderful excuse to immerse myself in the rich treasury of music written for the voice....I hope many listeners will appreciate this tribute to the voice and get a kick out of hearing my take on these timeless classics." ~ Joshua Bell ~

At the Opening Night for Concert Season at Hollywood Bowl a few years back, Joshua Bell was one of the featured guests where he performed a piece from the soundtrack of Ladies in Lavender where he is the featured violinist, and another performance where he shared the spotlight with Josh Groban. I was in awe and it was great seeing them perform before a live audience. My first exposure to Mr. Bell's artistry is his Grammy-nominated tribute album in honor of the timeless music of George Gershwin, Gershwin Fantasy. Listening to his recorded performances is such a delight, but seeing him perform live made me appreciate his flawless violin artistry even more.

Joshua Bell's mastery in violin, Maestro Michael Stern's outstanding orchestration of 52-piece Orchestra of St. Luke's plus the music of classical masters such as Debussy, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Fauré, Bizet, Dvorak, Strauss, as well as De Falla, Ponce, Orff and Donizetti are all packaged beautifully in this remarkable album, "Voice of the Violin."

The Grammy-Award winning violinist's virtuosic takes on these timeless classical pieces are elegantly unflawed and breathtaking. He plays with utmost care and passion as heard in all the tracks, but my top choices include Schubert's "Ave Maria," Debussy's "Beau Soir," Fauré's "Après Un Rêve," Tchaikovsky's "None But The Lonely Heart," Dvorak's "Song To The Moon," Mozart's "Laudete Dominum" and Ponce's "Estrellita." The notable finale is a classical aria originally composed by Richard Strauss for voice and piano, "Morgen!" but with voice and violin, it is simply remarkable. It features soprano Anna Netrebko.

The informative Liner Notes written by Mr. Bell show his love of poetry and his romantic side. On track listings, he referenced some lines of poetry and quotations related to the composers' feelings and sentiments behind their masterpieces.

An example is Tchaikovsky's "None But The Lonely Heart." He alluded to Tchaikovsky's emotional and personal life and quoted the composer when he said..."No one who has not been lonely can understand my endless suffering."

Another example is his description on "Beau Soir" in which he transcribed a few lines from a poem by Paul Bourget, a French critic and man of letters who "provoked the humorous wrath of Mark Twain with a series of lectures in the USA in 1893." Here goes...

"When the waters are pink in the setting sun
And a warm wave sweeps through the fields of grain
All things bid our troubled hearts to be happy."

One more example is Dvorak's "Song To The Moon" - On his notes, the melody was taken from the composer's opera, "Rusalka," a tale of "an immortal nymph who fell in love with a handsome prince and calls upon the moon to help her dream come true."

"You peek into all the world's windows
Find the one I love and tell him
My heart is his
Perhaps he will remember me."

Lastly, I can say that long after you've listened to this album, the captivating voice of Joshua Bell's 1713 Stradivarius violin will still be ringing in your ears so you must give it another listen. It is the kind of music that reaches the heart and caresses the soul of a listener with its soothing and endless beauty.

With my heartfelt recommendation.