Live From Lincoln Center

Joshua Bell with Friends @ the Penthouse

Our next Live From Lincoln Center, on Thursday evening, January 21, will feature a long-time favorite of the series, violinist Joshua Bell--but in an unusual role: as host to and collaborative artist with a gaggle of artists mostly from music outside the traditional "classical" realm. In our time, this blunting of established parameters has been labeled "crossover." But is it really a new phenomenon? Are the terms "serious music" and "popular music" really mutually exclusive?

During their lifetimes the music of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi (to cite only those that come to mind immediately) penetrated into the lives of "common folk" as well as into those of the "intelligentsia" and royalty. The perfection of the phonograph early in the 20th century made household names of some of the great "classical" performers of the period. Chief among them, of course, was Enrico Caruso. As a matter of fact Caruso's recording of the flag-waving World War 1 song, "Over There," became one of his biggest-selling recordings.

Closer to our own time Benny Goodman, the "King of Swing," recorded the Mozart Clarinet Quintet no fewer than three times, along with Clarinet Concertos by Mozart and Weber. And it was for Goodman that Aaron Copland composed his Clarinet Concerto. In the world of opera, "crossover" singing has been second nature to some; among the best have been Eileen Farrell, Robert Merrill, and Marilyn Horne. And Renee Fleming was a regular singer with a jazz group before she began her illustrious career on the stages of the world's great opera houses.

All of which brings us to Joshua Bell. "There is high quality music and then there's not," he has said. Bernstein's "West Side Story" is "called a musical but I think of it as an opera – a 20th century version of opera. It's just a matter of labeling." And to underline his point he has chosen to make music for us on Live From Lincoln Center with, among others, singer-songwriter Jane Monheit; composer, conductor and musical wit, Marvin Hamlisch; and renowned baritone, Nathan Gunn – all of whom can be identified as "Joshua Bell and Friends." Singer/songwriters Frankie Moreno and Regina Spektor are on the bill, as is trumpeter Chris Botti and bandoneon virtuoso Carel Kraayenhof. Joshua will add his violin’s voice to the Latin sounds of Tiempo Libre, soprano Renée Fleming, and Sting will be with us to sing music by John Dowland!

As a student of the extraordinary violinist and teacher, Josef Gingold, Joshua made a remarkable debut at the age of 14 with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ever since then he has been one of the most active and beloved figures on the concert stages of the world. But his probing mind and restless curiosity have never let up. Both John Corigliano and the late Nicholas Maw composed Violin Concerti for him and he has been in the front lines of several humanitarian causes. On many levels Joshua Bell is a "Man for All Seasons."

So join us on Thursday evening, January 21 when our cameras and microphones will be poised in the Kaplan Penthouse of Lincoln Center to bring you this special and intimate visit with "Joshua Bell and Friends." My usual reminder: Check the schedule of your local PBS station for the exact date and time of the telecast in your area.