At Home with Friends

At Home with Friends - Sony Classical - SNYC 5271627 - 886975271627

Label: Sony Classical
Catalog No: SNYC 5271627
Format: CD
Release Date: 2009-09-29
Number of Discs: 1
Running time: 1 hr. 13 min.
Mono/Stereo: Stereo
UPC Code: 886975271627

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Album Summary

>Gershwin, George : Porgy and Bess
>Dowland, John : Come Again
>Piazzolla, Astor : Enrico IV
>Morricone, Ennio : Cinema Paradiso
>Traditional : Para Ti
>Rodgers, Richard : My Funny Valentine
>Meyer, Edgar : Maybe So
>Grieg, Edvard : Sonata no 3 in C minor for violin & piano
>Lennon, John : Eleanor Rigby
>Rachmaninov, Sergei : Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (Do not sing to me, fair maiden), Op. 4/4
>Bacalov, Luis Enríque : Il Postino
>Spektor, Regina : Left Hand Song
>Jobim, Antonio Carlos : Chovendo na Roseira
>Edgar Meyer / Chris Thile : Look Away, for violin, mandolin & bass
>Shankar, Ravi : Variant Moods
>Rodgers, Richard : I'll Take Manhattan
Performers Conductor Ensembles Composers

Notes & Reviews:

The concept of 'At Home With Friends' was inspired by Bell's long-time practice of holding "musical soirees" at his New York residence - eclectic gatherings of musicians, actors, comics, literary figures and others who convene for the sheer joy of sharing their art in an informal setting. With this in mind, Bell has spent the past four years designing and building his home in Manhattan to accommodate the ideal "stay-at-home" venue.

2009 album from the violin virtuoso featuring guest appearances from Sting, Regina Spektor, Josh Groban and Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. The sixteen song set, which also features appearances by Dave Grusin and Anoushka Shankar, was born out of the informal jam sessions Bell regularly holds at his house. Bell shows off a wide range of styles, from Jazz to Classical to Appalachian-inspired instrumentals, as well as dipping into Opera, Latin influences and Pop music.

"Both [Classical & Bluegrass] show up on the album (and Bell is to be commended for recognizing the fabulous talents of progressive bluegrass mandolinist Chris Thile), along with Latin jazz, Italian film music, pop, rock (from Regina Spektor, Bell is definitely treading into new territory here), Indian classical music (in a duet with Anoushka Shankar), tango, John Dowland as interpreted by Sting, Italian music, and classic Broadway sounds. What makes all of this work is Bell's fearless experimentation in inserting his violin into these various types of music... You have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next, and the album lives up to the expectations Bell has set for himself as a classical artist with a unique connection to the surroundings of popular music. A very fine crossover release." -All Music Guide

Notes & Reviews:

Personnel: Joshua Bell (violin); Frankie Moreno, Regina Spektor (vocals, piano); Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Sting (vocals); Nathan Gunn (baritone); Sam Bush, Mike Marshall (guitar, mandolin); Romero Lubambo (guitar); Gayle Levant, Grace Paradise (harp); Chris Thile (mandolin); Anoushka Shankar (sitar); Kenji Ota (tanpura); Lisa Matricardi, Joyce Hammann (violin); David Blinn (viola); Dave Eggar , Dennis Karmazyn, Ludmila Konstantinova, Stephen Erdody (cello); Elizabeth Mann (flute); Kathleen Nester (alto flute); Rie Schmidt (bass flute); Carel Kraayenhof (bandoneon); Shari Hoffman (clarinet); Meryl Abt-Greenfield (bass clarinet); Michael O'Donovan, John D. Mitchell (bassoon); Chris Botti (trumpet); Russ Rizner-French, Chris Komer (French horn); Dave Grusin, Vanessa Perez , Jeremy Denk, Lawrence Yurman, Marvin Hamlisch, Sergey Rachmaninov, Billy Childs Trio, Lee Musiker (piano); Dave Ratajczak (vibraphone, drums); David Finck (acoustic bass); Edgar Meyer (double bass); Shawn Pelton (drums); Samir Chatterjee (tabla); Jim Saporito, Marivaldo Dos Santos, Pablo Rieppi (percussion).

A former child prodigy who performed as a featured soloist with Ricardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the tender age of 14, Joshua Bell garnered an unusual degree of celebrity (for a classical artist) as result with his astonishing, beyond-his-years command of the instrument, movie star good looks, and adventurous choice of repertoire. He eventually also made inroads into the crossover market, working with artists such as legendary jazz-fusion keyboardist Chick Corea and hit-making singer-songwriter James Taylor. AT HOME WITH FRIENDS comes as advertised; the disc features a collection of intimate duets inspired by Bell's frequent musical get-togethers in his Manhattan apartment. Of course, Bell numbers some of the world's finest musicians among his friends, so the proceedings range from a particularly romantic, lyrical take on the Gershwin standard "I Loves You Porgy" with Chris Botti (interestingly, based on a Keith Jarrett solo piano version), to "Left Hand Song," a spooky, Russian folk music-influenced original number performed with quirky chanteuse Regina Spektor. Throughout, the violinist proves himself to be a sympathetic and open-eared ensemble player comfortable and natural-sounding in a variety of musical venues, and the stripped-down format wisely avoids the grand, overly-smooth production style which plagues many superstar collaborations.

REVIEWS:

Billboard (p.56) - "[A] star-studded album of marquee-level duets....An inspired, moving musical affair."



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Works Details

>Gershwin, George : Porgy and Bess :: I Loves You Porgy
  • Performers: Russ Rizner-French (French Horn); Joshua Bell (Violin); Shari Hoffman (Clarinet); Romero Lubambo (Guitar); Chris Komer (French Horn); Chris Botti (Trumpet); Meryl Abt-Greenfield (Clarinet); Dave Eggar (Cello); Rie Schmidt (Flute); Elizabeth Mann (Flute); Shawn Pelton (Drums); Billy Childs (Piano); Kathleen Nester (Recorder)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 16 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern
  • Form: Opera/Operetta
  • Written: 1935

>Dowland, John : Come Again
  • Performers: Gayle Levant (Harp); Dennis Karmazan (Cello); John Mitchell (Bassoon); Stephen Erdody (Cello); Sting (Spoken Vocals); Joshua Bell (Violin); Michael O'Donovan (Bassoon)
  • Conductor: J.A.C. Redford
  • Running Time: 3 min. 59 sec.
  • Period Time: Renaissance
  • Written: 1597

>Piazzolla, Astor : Enrico IV
  • Performers: Vanessa Perez (Piano); Joshua Bell (Violin); David Finck (Double Bass); Pablo Rieppi (Percussion); Carel Kraayenhof (Bandoneon)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 57 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern
  • Written: 1982

>Morricone, Ennio : Cinema Paradiso :: [Excerpt]
  • Performers: Ludmila Konstantinova (Cello); Lisa Matricardi (Violin); David Blinn (Viola); Joshua Bell (Violin); Josh Groban (Voice); Joyce Hammann (Violin); Lawrence Yurman (Piano)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 31 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern
  • Form: Film Score
  • Written: 1988

>Traditional : Para Ti
  • Performers: Tiempo Libre (Violin); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Ensemble: Tiempo Libre
  • Running Time: 3 min. 48 sec.

>Rodgers, Richard : My Funny Valentine
  • Performers: Grace Paradise (Harp); Joshua Bell (Violin); Kristin Chenoweth (Voice); Dave Ratajczak (Vibraphone); Kathleen Nester (Recorder); Lee Musiker (Piano); Dave Ratajczak (Drums)
  • Running Time: 5 min. 49 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern
  • Written: 1937

>Meyer, Edgar : Maybe So
  • Performers: Sam Bush (Mandolin); Sam Bush (Guitar); Joshua Bell (Violin); Mike Marshall (Guitar); Mike Marshall (Mandolin); Edgar Meyer (Double Bass)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 53 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Grieg, Edvard : Sonata no 3 in C minor for violin & piano :: 2. Allegretto espressivo alla romanza
  • Performers: Sergei Rachmaninov (Piano); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Running Time: 6 min. 44 sec.
  • Period Time: Romantic
  • Written: 1886-1887

>Lennon, John : Eleanor Rigby
  • Performers: Frankie Moreno (Piano); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Notes: This work was written in collaboration with Paul McCartney (1942 - ).
  • Running Time: 4 min. 3 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary
  • Written: 1966

>Rachmaninov, Sergei : Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (Do not sing to me, fair maiden), Op. 4/4
  • Performers: Nathan Gunn (Baritone); Joshua Bell (Violin); Jeremy Denk (Piano)
  • Notes: Composition written: 1890-93.
  • Running Time: 4 min. 16 sec.
  • Period Time: Post Romantic
  • Written: 1890-1893

>Bacalov, Luis Enríque : Il Postino :: [Excerpt]
  • Performers: Pablo Rieppi (Percussion); Joshua Bell (Violin); David Finck (Double Bass); Carel Kraayenhof (Bandoneon); Vanessa Perez (Piano)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 44 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary
  • Form: Film Score
  • Written: 1994

>Spektor, Regina : Left Hand Song
  • Performers: Regina Spektor (Piano); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Running Time: 2 min. 50 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Jobim, Antonio Carlos : Chovendo na Roseira
  • Performers: Joshua Bell (Violin); Dave Grusin (Piano); James Saporito (Percussion); Marivaldo Santos (Percussion); David Finck (Double Bass)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 29 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern

>Edgar Meyer / Chris Thile : Look Away, for violin, mandolin & bass
  • Performers: Edgar Meyer (Double Bass); Joshua Bell (Violin); Chris Thile (Mandolin)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 18 sec.

>Shankar, Ravi : Variant Moods
  • Performers: Kenji Ota (Tanpura); Anoushka Shankar (Sitar); Samir Chatterjee (Tabla); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Running Time: 9 min. 5 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern

>Rodgers, Richard : I'll Take Manhattan
  • Performers: Marvin Hamlisch (Piano); Joshua Bell (Violin)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 26 sec.
  • Period Time: Modern