“Voice and the Violin” Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez LIVE! At McCarter

By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery

Graduation activities are winding down this Tuesday, May 28, 2024 evening in Princeton, NJ just as anticipation for live music is picking up at McCarter Theatre Center for a Voice and the Violin performance by celebrated classical violinist Joshua Bell and opera singer Larisa Martínez.

Reveals audience member, Angela from Hopewell, NJ, “My mom really likes musicians so we came to this concert.” Explains her mom, Eunsook, “I’m a professional musician — I play the flute — and I really love Joshua Bell’s music. I love the sound of his instrument and the emotion he expresses when he plays and I like his wife, Larisa Martínez’s, singing voice very much, as well.”

Melanie from Kendall Park readily admits, “We really enjoy coming to McCarter, particularly for music, dance, and jazz performances. They redid the theater so nicely — where every seat is comfortable and you can see well and hear well — so we’re very much looking forward to tonight’s show.” Acknowledging, “We’re new to the music of Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez so we’re not sure exactly what to expect tonight,” Melanie’s husband, Mike, jokes, “Well, we’re not expecting the Rockettes!”

Lastly, whereas Daniel from Lawrenceville insists, “I love Joshua Bell! I’ve seen him many times and I just love his playing,” Julia from Princeton relates, “I bought an entire series of tickets for shows here at McCarter and I’m looking forward to seeing Joshua Bell tonight. He’s such a good violinist, not to mention such a big name artist.”

Inside the McCarter auditorium, Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez take the stage along with pianist Peter Dugan and open tonight’s program with “Ah, ritorna, età dell’oro” from Infelice by Mendelssohn.

On this slow, expressive aria in waltz time, Bell’s sweet melodic strains fill the theater and Martínez’s enchanting soprano flows with ease as she vocalizes with passion, “Ah ritorna, età dell’oro alla terra abbandonata/Se non fosti immaginata nel sognar felicità (Ah come back, golden age, to the abandoned land/If you weren’t imagined in dreaming of happiness).”

There’s a roar of applause from the crowd and Bell responds, “It’s great to be back in this beautiful theater!” Announcing that tonight’s program will consist of “a lot of little pieces,” Bell suggests, “It’s a salon — like an 18th century concert in your living room.”

Dramatic swells of violin and piano open Brahms’ “Sonatensatz,” where Bell’s pure tone and robust playing characterize an intimate and personal performance on this lively and dynamic instrumental piece.

The trio follows up with “Ständchen” by Schubert, a melancholy waltz which features Martínez singing in German and Bell crying with emotion on his violin.

On Bellini’s “Oh! Quante Volte” from I Capuleti e I Montecchi, Martínez sings with power and skill using her gaze to help communicate the emotion of the composition. Supported by Dugan’s piano accompaniment, she produces a vocal filled with nuance and color which elicits avid applause from music lovers in the crowd.

Bell changes up the order to tonight’s program by performing Sarasate’s “Habanera” from Carmen Fantasy. Alternating high sweet violin playing with low harmony, Bell saws with power and style on this familiar piece from Carmen. Increasing in intensity and speed, his fingers fly across his violin’s fingerboard as he bows with abandon before cheers and applause erupt from the crowd.

To conclude Act I, the trio performs “Jours de mon enfance” from Herold’s Le pré aux clercs. Martínez’s rich smoky soprano is featured as she sings in French on this slow and expressive composition where notes hang in the air for the audience to relish before her voice prances and soars with trills and thrills and Bell plays with joy to great applause.

During intermission, patrons comment on tonight’s performance thus far. Remarks Stella from Princeton, “This is such a treat; I’m thrilled to be here! I’ve always wanted to see Joshua Bell — he’s a class act — and it’s such an intimate concert; I truly feel like I’m enjoying a show in my living room. Plus, Joshua’s wife, Larisa, is very skilled technically and she and Joshua are a beautiful couple which makes the evening that much more special.”

Mary from Pennington contends, “Joshua Bell is a phenomenal musician and I’m happy to be seeing him here at this wonderful venue.” Dave from Princeton Junction agrees, adding, “McCarter is a jewel of the community — I’ve been a supporter for thirty years and I embrace what they do; plus, as a trained musician, I’m really enjoying tonight’s performance.”

Following intermission, Bell and Dugan retake the stage to open Act II with Chopin’s “Nocturne in E-flat Major.” Bell moves as he plays the piece’s lilting waltz melody and the audience is riveted to the sweet legato sound which emanates from his instrument.

Martínez sings with grace and style on Delibes’ “Les Filles des Cadix,” a rhythmic piece featuring soaring notes and runs.

After she exits, Bell enters, joking, “Poor Peter never gets to leave the stage!” before explaining, “There’s another small change to the program,” to which a fan happily shouts, “Do whatever you want!”

Here, Bell performs a piece from his childhood, explaining that it comes from an era “when violinists were the rock stars of the time.” Demonstrating his own rock star moves, Bell gives a fast and furious rendering of Henryk Wieniawski’s “Scherzo-tarantelle” filled with impressive runs and shifts in dynamics which result in enthusiastic audience applause.

Backed by Dugan’s arpeggiated accompaniment, Martínez sings with dynamics on Puccini’s “”O mio babbino caro.” Taking the mic to introduce her next piece, Martínez explains that it’s about “a boy who thinks he was bitten by a spider — he’s achy and sweaty — but really he’s fallen in love.” Here, she launches into Gerónimo Giménez’s “Zapateado, La Tarántula,” a fast-paced song in Spanish where she enunciates at racing speed to the delight of music lovers in the crowd.

Bell returns for a stellar instrumental rendition of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. As he plays sweetly and with conviction, concertgoers hang on his every note and, at the end, a distinct “Wow!” can be heard uttered by an audience member.

To conclude tonight’s concert, Bell, Martínez, and Dugan perform “West Side Story Suite,” a medley of Leonard Bernstein classics including a reverent and angelic interpretation of “Maria,” a unison version of “Tonight,” an alluring presentation of “I Feel Pretty,” and a symphonic and emotive rendition of “Somewhere.”

The crowd rises and cheers and the musicians leave the stage but soon return for a rousing encore of “Quando m’en vo’” from Puccini’s La Bohème where the ensemble builds to a triumphant conclusion before bowing goodnight to the standing crowd.

As music lovers make their way out of the McCarter auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance by Joshua Bell and Larissa Martínez. Remarks Maya from Lancaster, PA. “I just love this type of intimate concert programming and I especially love it when artists speak about the pieces, so I enjoyed this concert a lot!”

Maya’s daughter, Nina, who graduated from Princeton University today, exclaims, “I thought the show was a lot of fun; it felt like an old fashioned in-your-house concert and I liked it lot! I had heard a lot of the music before, and it was really sweet, too, because Joshua and Larissa are married and the dynamic between them was not only really nice but worked really well for the music.”

Xu from China recalls, “Last year, I was living in China and I was deeply moved after hearing Joshua Bell’s music there. At the time I didn’t even know his name but, this year, I’m an exchange student at Syracuse University where I found his CD on Amazon and ordered a ticket for tonight’s show, and it’s been a real moment for me getting to see him here in person!”

Mónica from Spain insists, “I loved tonight’s performance! I was very impressed by the selection of pieces they played. Plus, when Larissa Martínez sang “Zapateado, La Tarántula” in Spanish, I thought it was so incredible because it’s such a difficult piece to sing!”

Eszter from Hungary concurs, declaring, “Larissa Martínez’s singing was amazing! I love her voice — her instrument — it’s powerful, clean, and expressive, and she used her whole body to create a wonderful and natural performance,” before adding, “I loved Peter Dugan on the piano, too. When he and Joshua Bell were playing together, they were so in sync, it felt like they were breathing together. It was amazing!”

Lastly, Ren-Yi from Plainsboro, NJ, confesses, “I’ve been a Joshua Bell follower since high school — I’m a real fan girl — and he, Larissa Martínez, and Peter Dugan put on an absolutely marvelous performance tonight,” prior to concluding, “It was a unique ensemble with violin, voice, and piano, and it could not have been better presented than on a stage like McCarter’s!”

To learn more about Joshua Bell, please go to joshuabell.com. For more on Larissa Martínez, please click on larisamartínez.com. For information on great upcoming programming at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center — including pianist Yunchan Lim on November 6, The Brandenburg Concertos with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on December 16, and The Czech National Symphony Orchestra on February 21, 2025 — please go to mccarter.org.