Joshua Bell / Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Dream Team

Now that’s what you call a well-oiled team! Joshua Bell has been Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields since 2011 and sees himself as primus inter pares. When needed, the star violinist even leads the renowned orchestra from the soloist’s chair. That’s no small feat – especially when Brahms’s Violin Concerto is on the programme. This demanding work usually requires a conductor in addition to the soloist, as does Robert Schumann’s richly romantic Symphony No. 1. But Bell and his Academy thrive on close musical communication: »This orchestra knows me so well they can interpret all my gestures. They understand what I mean when I raise an eyebrow or bend my knees.« And Brahms’s concerto is the perfect showcase for this synergy – widely considered the first truly symphonic violin concerto in music history.