Joshua Bell Violin
Dénes Várjon Piano

Mendelssohn Violin Sonata in F (1838)
Brahms Violin Sonata No 1 in G Op 78
Grieg Violin Sonata No 3

Joshua Bell is quite simply a musical phenomenon – not only one of the world’s great violin soloists, but also a respected chamber musician and an accomplished orchestra director.

For the first recital in his three-concert residency at International Festival 2017, the celebrated US violinist joins exceptional Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon, a regular recital collaborator, in some of the Romantic repertoire’s most gloriously expressive chamber music for violin and piano.

Mendelssohn’s grand F major Sonata from 1838 is cast on a concerto-like scale, with an exhilarating, sweeping energy, followed by the graceful tenderness of Brahms’s first violin sonata. Bell and Várjon conclude their recital with the touching Nordic lyricism of Grieg.

This concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.