Joshua Bell Tours New Heggie Commission • September 2023
Hamburg, Hong Kong, New York
Superstar violinist Joshua Bell is touring a new commission by Jake Heggie. As part of The Elements concerto, which also features works by Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer, Jessie Montgomery, and Jennifer Higdon, “Fire” is opening orchestra seasons around the world, including at the New York Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.
Photo by Chris Lee / New York Philharmonic
Photo by Chris Lee / New York Philharmonic
Critical Acclaim
“Jake Heggie’s ‘Fire’ sets off bursts of orchestral ‘sparks’ and racing whimsy.”
-The New York Times
“Even for composers known for their way with a lyrical line and satisfying harmonies, the fit between the movements was remarkable. Each was imaginative and distinctive while also flowing naturally from one to the other. The consistent approach was impressionistic: Heggie’s flames were in the dancing energy.”
-Financial Times
“Heggie’s ‘Fire’ suggests first a macabre dance, then a more generalized danger, but also fire’s life-giving properties. Progressing in a number of sections it wraps up with an exciting finish.”
-BlogCritics
“Heggie’s program notes to his ‘Fire’ movement were as thoughtful as the music itself: ‘We cannot hold fire, but it can consume us. It is essential for life, but it can also cause great destruction…We need it. We fear it. We try to tame and contain it, but it can quickly run out of control.’ What came out were folk-like inflections in the melodic content like tales told around a camp fire. That idea became more expansive, like a magic spell, and then evolved into more chaotic terrains that were, for lack of a better word, fiery.”
-Classical Voice North America
“Heggie’s ‘Fire’ was exactly what one expected. We had particles and flames and – above all – the incendiary fire of Mr. Bell, running up and down his instrument. The audience was suitably respectful between movements, yet here the violin brought forth a momentary eruption.”
-ConcertoNet
“Heggie’s Fire had a whirling Csárdás-like dance at its core.”
–The Strad
“‘Fire’ by Jake Heggie initially burst forth in sparks, then a smoldering heat developed into a lively blazing fire. It was an exciting piece from beginning to end, and Bell was visibly having a good time.”
-EarRelevant
“The entire work, harmoniously, melodically and poignantly sensitive…the third part, ‘Fire’ by Jake Heggie, starts with a burst of sparks, from which, initially hesitantly, later resolutely, a flickering fire develops. Bell's violin blazed, figuratively speaking - from the beginning to a lively blazing fire. But Heggie didn't just burn down forests. The fire was extinguished, it glowed, the fire reignited and remained exciting from the first to the last bar.”
-Die Welt
“Confronted with current social crises, three [pieces] came together to form a whole that showed how unpredictable and fluid the present can be, even musically. This show of elements was splendid in an effortlessly sparkling manner, rather decoratively harmless and especially lightweight in combination with the key works that frame it.”
-Hamburger Abendblatt
“A buzzing sensation throughout your body…Jake Heggie knows the violinist's strengths and has written a rewarding solo part for him. Joshua Bell and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra exploit the richness of color in the music in nuanced ways together with Alan Gilbert on the podium.”
-NDR Kultur
“The Asian premiere of The Elements was special. Composer Jake Heggie, known for his opera Dead Man Walking, contributed the ‘Fire’ element. Bell played with energy and finesse right from the initial spark. In this movement (reminiscent of Khatchaturian’s Violin Concerto) even the edges sounded polished in his hands. This was a feast of fabulous playing.”
-South China Morning Post
“For ‘Fire,’ the most extroverted section of The Elements, Heggie fashioned irresistible sparks, flashes, and dancing whorls, punctuated with chattering snare drum, hissing cymbal, and glinting glockenspiel. In one especially appealing passage late in the movement, a solo bassoon and brooding low strings introduce a slinky theme the soloist takes up and whips into a demonic frenzy.”
-Musical America