After practicing for three or four weeks from the first day I touched my violin in twenty years it became abundantly clear that I needed some professional help.   It took me another couple weeks at least to get the nerve up to ask our orchestra teacher if she would be willing to give me a few lessons.  I was so nervous when asking, “do you think you could give me some lessons.”  Why would anybody want to teach an adult with little hope of achieving anything?  Wouldn’t it just be …

The Chaconne is definitely a journey and you feel it from the outset… And then Bach manages to take you through the entire range of human emotion… -Joshua Bell
Michael Lawrence’s new film which explores Bach from a spiritual, intellectual point of view as well as from the perspective of instruments and performance includes interviews with violinist Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn and many others.  The project is now in post production and looks like it will be a beautifully shot and very interesting documentary.  Watch a preview and Joshua Bell playing …

Not only will Yo-Yo Ma be featured in a Hyundai commercial for the XLIII Super Bowl but fans will be able to visit Hyundai’s web site and edit the video for the ad.
read the story here:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/autoNews/idUKTRE5050GA20090106

With the intention of writing on post primarily about Rachel Barton Pine’s podcast and blog I visited her website and instead of collecting my thoughts on what to write I was instead transfixed by the recording which began to play of her tribute to Maud Powell. She plays so beautifully!  I am sure I will post more about her in the future, but this post is primarily about her podcast and blog.  But she plays so beautifully!

This two disk set of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin presents an wonderful interpretation of the music using a Baroque style instrument and gut strings.  John Holloway is a pioneer of the early music movement which seeks to reproduce early music in the manner it was originally intended and heard.  Holloway approaches Bach’s masterpiece from a perspective of the music that came before in contrast to many twentieth century violinists who approach these works with a perspective of what came after.
Check out the authentically Baroque Sonatas and Partitas …