Joshua Bell's London
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, November 24, 2024


Joshua Bell's London
Trishna, in Marylebone in central London on Oct. 31, 2022. The celebrated violinist, Joshua Bell, recommends five spots in Britain’s capital, a city he’s visited some 70 times since the 1980s. (Mary Turner/The New York Times)

by Danielle Pergament



LONDON.- “The first time I came to London, I was 17,” violinist Joshua Bell, now 54, told me. We were at dinner together following a recent performance of his at Wigmore Hall, a small but renowned concert hall. “I came with my parents to make my first album,” he continued. “This was in the ’80s, and I remember thinking there wasn’t a lot of variety in food. Now, of course, it’s great.”

Bell estimates he’s been to London around 70 times since then.

So no, the virtuoso and onetime child prodigy doesn’t live in London. But you could say he’s a professional visitor. His London is one of exquisite taste, uncommonly good food and a handful of tiny places you’d breeze right by if you didn’t know they were there — with, of course, a measure of music.

Bell tends to favor lesser-known places, with one very notable exception: the Royal Albert Hall. “The Royal Albert Hall has this thing called the Proms. They take out the seats on the lower level, and people line up down the street to get in,” he said. “All these people are standing up like it’s a rock concert, and it’s Beethoven symphonies. It’s incredible.”

Here are five of his favorite places to visit in London.

1. J.&A. Beare

“In August 2001, I walked into Charles Beare’s shop to pick up a set of strings, and Charles Beare said to me, ‘You have to take a look at the Huberman violin, it’s on its way to Germany.’” The instrument, made by Antonio Stradivari in 1713 and known as the Gibson ex Huberman, was legendary. “I knew the famous story of the violin,” Bell said, recounting its theft from a dressing room at Carnegie Hall in 1936.

“Charles Beare put me in a room with the violin and after a few notes, I was shaking with excitement. I was in love with it. I had a concert at the Royal Albert Hall — at the Proms — and used that violin that very night.”

Even if you’re not in the market for a multimillion-euro violin, J.&A. Beare is worth a visit. The shop is open to the public — but if you want to see the collection of nearly priceless violins, book ahead.

2. Trishna

“I did an event in New York with Salman Rushdie,” Bell said. “At one point, we were talking about London and he recommended Trishna. I love Indian food, but Trishna is not your typical Indian restaurant. The problem with Indian food for me is that I want to try a lot of things. I don’t just want to have one lamb curry as my dinner.” Instead, Bell likes to get the five-course tasting menu — “and a crab dish that’s really great,” he said.




The Michelin-starred restaurant, with its private nooks, mirrored walls, delicately gilded surfaces, feels like a special occasion kind of place. It’s also best to come hungry. “I like places where they just get the tasting menu because I eat everything,” said Bell. “I like the person cooking it to choose what he wants to present.”

3. Wigmore Hall

“Wigmore Hall doesn’t have name recognition to the general public,” Bell said of the 552-seat concert hall in Marylebone. With its small stage and red velvet seating, Wigmore Hall has a hushed, intimate appeal. “One of the problems with classical music is that it’s developed a reputation of formality. I’ve actually seen classical musicians admonish the audience for clapping at the wrong time. In fact, classical music can be the most exciting thing to watch.”

“Having said that, it’s nice that there are places like Wigmore Hall where you know everyone understands. It’s like for an actor to do theater in a place where people really get it. And Wigmore Hall has history for me personally. The first concert there — I think it was 1901 — was played by the teacher of my teacher, Ysaÿe, the greatest violinist at the end of the 19th century in Europe. I feel the history when I walk on the stage.”

4. Baglioni Hotel

When days are packed with rehearsals and evenings are given to performing, proximity to one’s bed is important — as is a nice hotel around that bed. And so when Bell plays at the Royal Albert Hall, he always stays at Hotel Baglioni, a stone’s throw away. “It’s an Italian boutique hotel and has a very intimate feel,” he said. “It feels like people know you there, and the rooms have this sort of very sexy vibe — they’re just very boudoir-like and dark. I sleep better in those kinds of rooms.”

Its location also means he can “walk to the rehearsals and back — you can also walk right across the street to Hyde Park. It’s my home when I’m at the Proms.”

5. Fidelio Cafe

“Very few places like this exist — or dare to offer this,” said Bell of Fidelio Cafe. The “this” in question is the intersection of a sweet little bistro and live, world-class classical music.

Imagine a small cafe where the walls are papered in actual sheet music, a grand piano greets you at the front door and the menu — with its home-roasted granola, slow-cooked aubergine and roasted cherry tomato bruschetta — seems crafted from the morning’s farmers market.

It’s also “about the uniqueness of having a meal in an intimate space while hearing chamber music,” Bell said. “It’s clearly a passion project for the owner, who loves classical music and food and puts them together.”

“One of my dreams is to open a food-slash-music venue,” he added. “When I see places like Fidelio, I love that people are thinking outside the box and celebrating classic music in such an unusual way.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

February 27, 2023

Ancient Roman Road's beginning will remain a mystery for now

Tina Barney: The photographer's origin story

Galerie Karsten Greve opens a new solo exhibition devoted to the American artist John Chamberlain

Christie's announces highlights included in the 'Post-War to Present' sale

Laurence des Cars appointed member of the Van Gogh Museum Supervisory Board

Paris Print Fair announces exhibitors

First exhibition in the US to trace the transformation of the arts in Tudor England opens in Cleveland

Overlooked no more: Clara Driscoll, designer of visions in glass for Tiffany

White Cube West Palm Beach opens an exhibition of works by Park Seo-Bo

USC Fisher Museum of Art opens Mulyana's first solo museum exhibition in Los Angeles

Open now at Mona: Oceans by Tomas Saraceno

John Moran Auctioneers announces highlights included in its 'Art of the American West' sale

Bouchra Khalili, Doris Salcedo, and Hajra Waheed awarded Sharjah Biennial Prize

Art Basel reveals line-up of 285 of the world's leading galleries for its 2023 edition in Basel

Forget about jazz hands, this Fosse show is about dancin'

On Broadway, 'Bad Cinderella' is a rebel with a Brooklyn accent

The busy furniture hustlers of Silicon Valley

Joshua Bell's London

French documentary 'On the Adamant' wins top prize at Berlin Film Festival

Fashioning a future in the face of war

Ricardo Darín: Argentina's lucky charm at the Oscars

Meet Vincent van Gogh Experience travels to Argentina

Tom Luddy, a behind-the-scenes force in cinema, dies at 79




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful