IU Philharmonic to perform with Joshua Bell

For students in the IU Philharmonic Orchestra, the opening concert isn’t just a way to kick off the season; it’s a chance to play with two of the world’s greatest musicians.

IU faculty member Leonard Slatkin will conduct world-renowned violinist and alumnus Joshua Bell and the orchestra in a concert at 8 p.m. tonight in the IU Auditorium. The 3,200 complimentary tickets for the show were distributed in three hours.

“If you could have heard the dead silence when Leonard Slatkin took the platform during rehearsals, you would know what his presence means to the students,” said Tom Wieligman, executive administrator of instrumental ensembles and special performance activity. “To have artists of this stature stop what they’re doing and come to Bloomington is a real treat.”

The first half of the program will feature Beethoven’s “Overture to Egmont, Op. 84” and Paul Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber,” Wieligman said. The entire second half of the program will feature John Corigliano’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” (“The Red Violin Concerto”), during which Bell will perform for his first concert as an IU faculty member.

“Josh brings an enthusiasm to his playing, but also a real professionalism,” Slatkin said. “When you work with him, you’re aware that you are working with someone who gets the total picture with the orchestra. He remains one of the most wonderful people to work with. He always has been and that has never changed.”

“The Red Violin Concerto” premiered in 2003, following Bell and Corigliano’s collaboration on the 1999 movie “The Red Violin,” which made it a perfect choice for the opening concert, Slatkin said.

“We all wanted to do ‘The Red Violin Concerto’ with Josh because of his association with the piece,” Slatkin said. “We wanted that new American work and then chose pieces that would balance well with it and would be nice for the first concert.”

Bell said he’s excited because no one has ever played “The Red Violin Concerto” at IU before.

“It’s also very challenging for the students and something new to bring to IU,” Bell said during an interview with the Indiana Daily Student. “The concerto is an expansion of the soundtrack, so you don’t need to have seen the movie. It’s a real piece that takes you on your own journey.”

While Slatkin has conducted the Beethoven and Hindemith pieces too many times to count, he said it is important for the orchestra members to perform standard works they will see in the future if they continue as professional musicians.

“I’m looking forward to the Beethoven piece the most because it is incredibly rock ‘n’ roll for a classical piece; it is all thunder and lighting,” said junior Danielle Meier, principal bassist. “It has so many glorious sounds and extremes. One minute the music is beautiful and soft and then the whole orchestra is playing as ferociously as possible. I think the audience is really going to get into it.”

But, judging by how quickly tickets ran out, the audience is already energized.

“I was expecting the tickets to sell out in five or six hours, not three,” Wieligman said. “It absolutely excites the students. They know that they are going to play in front thousands of people. The music is going to be drop-dead gorgeous.”

For the student musicians, however, it isn’t the size of the audience that matters, but the caliber of the artists with whom they get to work.

“It’s astounding that we get the opportunity to play with musicians like Slatkin and Bell,” Meier said. “I think the orchestra always shows conductors respect, but it’s almost like we are awe-struck when we rehearse. They’ve been in this game much longer that we have. You can’t help but revere them.”