Joshua Bell Chooses Favorite Melodies for

 

Doug Levine

Renowned¹ classical violinist Joshua Bell was only 14 years old in 1982, when he appeared as a soloist² with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Three years later, he made his Carnegie Hall debut³ with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, launching a career as one of today's best-selling classical recording⁴ artists. Joshua Bell's latest release pays tribute to the melodies that first inspired his dream of becoming a musician.
Joshua Bell has always loved a good melody. Digging deep into his vast classical repertoire⁵, Bell chose 13 of his favorite melodies for his album Romance of the Violin. Bell says he didn't limit himself to violin pieces as long as he stayed true to the melody.
"The thing that really strikes home with most people first is just melody, the beauty of melody, and I decided⁶ on this album just to concentrate on that," he explains. "So I thought I'd just record the greatest violin melodies. But as I thought about it, I thought why not take this a bit farther and expand the repertoire of the violin and seek out my favorite melodies in all of classical music. So I came up with these 13 of my favorite melodies in all of classical music, one of each from most of the great composers Schubert and Schumann, Mozart, Chopin, and Puccini, so it's got a wide variety of composers but they all have in common just this sheer beauty. It's something a little bit different for me but I think it's something that many people can enjoy."
"Many of these melodies are so timeless and played so much that they have been transcribed⁸ before for lots of instruments," he says. "Some of these on this album are completely new in the way they've been used on the violin. For instance, the famous Puccini aria⁹ O Mio Babbino Caro which I have on here or Casta Diva from Bellini. I don't believe they've ever been done on the violin. So we have another encore piece for us violinists can play. And it's fun for the audience because we tend to repeat the same slow, beautiful encores of The Meditation¹⁰. On this album I've included a new piece by Massenet that's not The Meditation. I decided not to include the most popular Massenet piece and included the Elegie by Massenet, which is now my favorite track on the album. It's a very dark and moving piece and this is a new arrangement."
"Every arrangement on this album should be somehow new. A new take on it, even if it's been done before," says Joshua Bell. "The Chopin Nocturne, which is one of my favorites, has been arranged before. Nathan Millstein's is the most common one. But [producer] Craig Leon and I went back to the beginning and started with the piano part. Actually, we were more faithful, in a way, to the original and I think in some ways, hopefully, this is an improvement to the other arrangements. At least an alternative."
On January 12, Joshua Bell will be joined by the Orpheus Chamber¹¹ Orchestra for a performance of selections from his new album Romance of the Violin.

注释：
renowned [rI5naJnd] adj. 有名的
violinist [5vaiElinist] n. 小提琴家
Philadelphia [7filE5delfjE] n. 费城
inspire [in5spaiE] adj. 促成
dig [di^] v. 挖掘
vast [vB:st] adj. 巨大的
repertoire [5repEtwB:] n. （某个人的）全部技能
concentrate [5kCnsentreit] v. 集中
expand [iks5pAnd] vt. 拓展
Mozart 莫扎特（奥地利作曲家）
Chopin 肖邦（波兰作曲家）
Puccini 普契尼（意大利作曲家）
sheer [FiE] adj. 纯粹的
transcribe⁷ [trAns5kraib] v. 转录
encore [CN5kC:] n. 翻录曲目
Massenet 马斯奈（法国作曲家）
alternative [C:l5tE:nEtiv] n. 可供选择的事物

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 transcribe   

v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录

参考例句：

• We need volunteers to transcribe this manuscript.我们需要自愿者来抄写这个文稿。
• I am able to take dictation in English and transcribe them rapidly into Chinese.我会英文记录，还能立即将其改写成中文。

8 transcribed   

（用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的过去式和过去分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音）

参考例句：

• He transcribed two paragraphs from the book into his notebook. 他把书中的两段抄在笔记本上。
• Every telephone conversation will be recorded and transcribed. 所有电话交谈都将被录音并作全文转写。

9 aria   

n.独唱曲，咏叹调

参考例句：

• This song takes off from a famous aria.这首歌仿效一首著名的咏叹调。
• The opera was marred by an awkward aria.整部歌剧毁在咏叹调部分的不够熟练。

10 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

11 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。