Where Fine
Is Still a Tradition
JN: How did you start composing your
own cadenzas?
JB: I'm a wannabe composer, and some
day, I'd like to do more composing.
Right now, the outlet for me is writing
cadenzas, which I've done for all the
major violin concertos. Unfortunately,
the Sibelius I'm playing has one written
in by the composer so I don't do my
own for that piece. I wrote my own
cadenza for my Gershwin and Bernstein
albums.
JN: How did you get into performing
music that is not strictly classical?
JB: Classical is such a broad spectrum.
Even classical has incorporated folk and
077 music if you look at Ravel and
Bartok. I don't draw the borders so
strictly. I found areas of music — like in
Gershwin or bluegrass — which use the
violin a lot. Those excited me so I don't
think of it as crossing over. Its just
music. I'm used to changing styles for
every piece I play so it doesn't feel
unnatural. My tastes in music are varied.
JN: How did you like being the artistic
adviser, performing artist and a body
double for the film The Red Violin?
JB: I was mostly involved with playing
the music and working with the com-
poser as he was writing. I was on the set
and happened to be the right size for
one of the violinist characters and played
his body double. We came up with a lot
of creative ways to make it look as if the
actor was playing the violin, and that
was a lot of fun. It couldn't have ended
in a better way because there was an
Oscar for the musical score.
JN: Do you have a practice routine?
JB: Every day is different for me. On the
day of a concert, I have certain rituals. I
practice things very slowly, and I take a
nap in the afternoon. I've learned to
make the most out of very little time.
That's something I've gotten good at
over the years, particularly since when I
was a kid I had so many other interests,
including sports. I didn't practice four or
five hours a day as a kid. I practiced
maybe one or two hours, and I learned
to make the most of that.
JN: Do you still play while you're on
vacation?
JB: I'm on vacation now and will proba-
bly not touch the violin for 10 days. I
need those breaks to get refreshed psy-
chologically. You can burn out if you go
non-stop. When I'm on vacation, I like
to stay home since I travel so much. I
see my friends, go to movies, play ten-
nis, golf in nice weather and eat out in
nice restaurants. I've been renovating my
loft apartment in New York City.
I'm getting it to feel like a home
instead of [another place to live] out of a
(fePutiy, the Wiest tfi/ice 195,2
suitcase. My goal is to break a rectangu-
lar space into several different areas that
reflect different sides of who I am. I
have a music area, which has a grand
piano and all my music books. I have a
huge area where I hang all the auto-
graphed pictures of composers and vio-
linists that I collect. Another area is my
entertainment center with surround
sound movies and computer games. I
wanted a fun area, like a kid area.
There's a part of me still playing video
games like a kid.
JN: What do you like about the violin?
JB: My parents started me on the violin
when I was 4 so I hardly remember not
playing the violin. I liked it right away. I
love to make music. It's just the most
enjoyable thing, and the violin is what
I'm best at when it comes to music.
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JN: Any other musicians in your family?
JB: I'm the first professional musician,
but everyone in my family plays music.
They all love music, understand music
and play for fun. I have two sisters who
have played the piano and the cello. My
mother has played the piano, and my
father used to sing and play the piano.
We grew up going to concerts and lis-
tening to music in the house.
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JN: Are there any Jewish connections
in your work?
JB: I've performed in Israel a couple of
times, [where I've visited my mother's
relatives], and I've played some Jewish
music. I've recorded the Bloch suite with
the Barber and Walton violin concertos.
39450 14 Mile Rd.
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Original location: 29215 5 Mile Rd. at Middlebelt-Livonia
JN: What are your current projects?
JB: The most fun and interesting thing
is the Bernstein record, taking West Side
Story and making it into a violin and
orchestra piece. I also recently recorded
the Beethoven and Mendelssohn violin
concertos. The Beethoven is the biggest
of the violin concertos and one that I
waited for years to finally record. Those
two projects will be the focus of my
upcoming year, what I'll be promoting
and thinking about.
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JN: Do you have any new career goals.
JB: There's so much music yet to play,
and I'd like to perform more of the
chamber music repertoire. I've consid-
ered taking a year and doing only string
quartets. Some day I'd like to teach. My
biggest goal is to create a composition
that is completely my own. E,
Joshua Bell will perform with the
DSO at 8 p.m. Thursday and
Friday, Jan. 11 and 12, and 8:30
p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Orchestra
Hall. 519-S71. (313) 576-5111.
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2001
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