Violinist Bell now in love with Dvorak concerto
In classical music, the concerto form spotlights an instrumental soloist with orchestral accompaniment. Composers were often inspired to write such pieces after being dazzled by the artistic wizardry of famous performers and regularly published works intended for specific performers.
So what happens when the intended performer snubs the piece?
This was the case with Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s Violin Concerto in A minor, written for Joseph Joachim, one of the most famous and respected violinists of the 19th century. Joachim deemed the concerto structurally deficient, citing awkward technical passages for the violin and dense orchestrations that make it tricky to balance the music so that the violin can be heard prominently enough.
Ever since this initial rebuke, it has struggled to find lasting popularity. Nevertheless, the piece is making a comeback as of late, with several world-renowned performers championing the work, including star violinist Joshua Bell.
Bell returns to Heinz Hall Saturday at 8 p.m. to perform Dvorak’s Violin Concerto with conductor Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Bell spoke with the Post-Gazette by phone from Prague in advance of his appearance. Below is a transcript of that conversation, edited for brevity:
Is it just me, or is the Dvorak concerto cropping up more and more lately at different orchestras?
Yeah, I’m seeing it, too. These pieces come in and out of favor. The funny thing about the Dvorak is that I grew up hearing it at summer camps and heard all sorts of comments about how it wasn’t his best piece and wasn’t one of the great concertos, and that it wasn’t as good as his cello concerto. I didn’t give it a chance.
What convinced you to start performing the piece?
Once I started taking a deeper look at it — and Dvorak is one of my absolute favorite composers — I came to think it’s on the same level as the Cello Concerto. Of course the Cello Concerto has less competition, and it gets played a lot more.
Why do you think the Dvorak isn’t as popular as some of the other great violin concertos, like those by Beethoven, Brahms or Mendelssohn?
It doesn’t lie well in the hands as there are some technical difficulties. Some passages are just awkward to play. And if it’s not played with the right approach structurally, it can sound like a lot of passagework. But then, so can the Beethoven Violin Concerto, if it’s not well paced. The Slavic elements [in Dvorak’s music] are really important, and his concerto is often played a little too squarely like the way people think Brahms should be played.
And to play it well, you have to really love it, as you should love all the pieces you play. At the moment I’m really in love with the piece. The slow movement is as good as anything written for the violin. And it delivers on every level, beautiful tunes, an exciting ending ... it’s all there.
Have you developed any pre-concert rituals?
I also have certain boring things I do, like I always eat a banana and a soup if possible, something that won’t sit in the stomach too heavily. But you try to get those things just right, how much to sleep in the afternoon, and then for me it’s just slow practice. I usually go through the whole piece twice at a slow tempo, and then I’m ready to give the piece my full energy. It’s like practicing methodical free throws before a basketball game.
That’s a great analogy. And since you brought up sports, have you met your local name-twin, Josh Bell, the Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman?
We haven’t met, no, though I know who he is. And if he’s Googled his name, he might see mine come up. I would have liked to invite him to the concert, but they’re apparently away this weekend. Maybe next time.