Joshua Bell: Paganini
Out Now
We are proud to announce the release of Joshua Bell’s PAGANINI on Sony Classical with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where he is about to embark on his 15th season as Music Director. The digital-only album is available now and features Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 – with a new cadenza by Bell – and Cantabile, arranged by James Stephenson for solo violin and chamber orchestra. Bell’s recording of Paganini’s Carnival of Venice, originally released on the Ladies in Lavender soundtrack, will be included as a bonus track. Carnival of Venice can be streamed here, and a trailer for the concerto is available here.
“Despite its obvious technical difficulty, this concerto is rich with musical challenges – it is extraordinarily operatic, straight out of The Barber of Seville, full of wit, charm, and drama. As the soloist, you get to play every character! This is not just a ‘showpiece,’ it is a masterpiece in its own way.”— Joshua Bell
Bell has recorded more than 40 albums, winning Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, Diapason D’Or, and Opus Klassik awards. His release of Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat, capturing Bell’s own arrangement of the piano piece for violin and strings, has already been streamed more than 26 million times. Bell has led the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on several albums, including Beethoven 4th and 7th Symphonies, Bach Concertos, and the 2019 Grammy-nominated Bruch: Scottish Fantasy.