Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk - French Impressions: Camille Saint-Saens, Cesar Franck, Maurice Ravel (2012)

Unusually the liner note deserves a mention ahead of the music: the fine pianist Jeremy Denk, half of this regular duo, manages to encapsulate the elusiveness of French romantic music with such insight in a few sharp sentences, his words almost shape the way we listen to this superbly played disc. Saint-Saëns' wistful and emotional Sonata No 1 and Ravel's bluesy, ironic sonata have a whipped, airy quality. Joshua Bell plays with fire and finesse, with Denk a powerful ally. Franck's dark-light violin sonata, mysterious, ardent and far more than the sum of its parts when played as majestically as here, forms the centrepiece of this seriously beguiling disc.

Review by Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian

From the title of this CD and Jeremy Denk’s thought-provoking notes, one might assume that the works presented here represent French Impressionism. Yet these are French impressions and not impressionistic in the sense of the art movement. The nicely varied program contains three sonatas that have some things in common with their French coloring, but which also are uniquely their own. The Franck and Ravel are staples of the violin/piano repertoire, while the Saint-Saëns is less frequently performed but nonetheless representative of the composer within its classical-romantic idiom.

Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk throughout this recital are a team of equals. Bell’s tone is absolutely gorgeous and his judicious use of portamento in the Saint-Saëns and Franck is most appropriate to these works. It does not in the least sound manufactured. Denk’s piano tone is equally beautiful and he accompanies most sensitively whenever the violin has the upper hand. The lyricism of the second movement Adagio in the Saint-Saëns is ravishing, while Bell really throws sparks off in the finale of that work.

There is much competition in the Franck, but it is a real compliment to compare Bell and Denk with the classic Decca recording of Kyung-Wha Chung and Radu Lupu. There really is little to choose between them and the warmer sound of the new recording is an added advantage. Again the balance of violin and piano here is about perfect. The duo capture both the drama and the elegance of the work very well.

Ravel’s mature Violin Sonata has always been one my favorite works of the composer. I first heard it many years ago played by Zino Francescatti and Artur Balsam. Of modern interpretations I have a special fondness for Chantal Juillet and Pascal Rogé on an all-Ravel Decca CD. Again, Bell and Denk are every bit as good overall and project the Blues of the middle movement with even greater panache. The piano part reminds me more of the Left-Hand Concerto than I had heretofore realized. The duo color the first movement Allegretto delicately and fully meet the virtuoso requirements of the Perpetuum mobile finale—though I could imagine even more abandon there. Theirs is fast and light and does justice to the syncopations.

With such winning performances recorded so well, I can heartily endorse this disc — even with the production values on the artists rather than the composers. The booklet’s cover mentions only them and not the works they are performing. Jeremy Denk’s notes are informative and the personal slant he gives them only adds to their interest.

Review by Leslie Wright, MusicWeb International

French Impressions, Joshua Bell's 2012 release on Sony, presents three great violin sonatas, prime examples of French chamber music that have been cherished for their emotional power and nostalgic coloration. Indeed, the Violin Sonata in D minor of Camille Saint-Saëns and the Violin Sonata in A major of César Franck are so significant in French culture and evocative of their time, they are thought by literary scholars to have served as inspiration for the fictional Vinteuil Sonata in Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu. With Maurice Ravel's Violin Sonata reflecting a more modern and playful approach to the genre, the program explores the warm sonorities and subtle moods of French music, as channeled through the classical sonata form, and the refined expression of all three works is lovingly handled by Bell and his accompanist, Jeremy Denk. Bell's playing ranges from gossamer fine lines to thickly resinous attacks, and his command of the violin's timbres reveals the rich possibilities to be found in these pieces. For his part, Denk provides flexible and understated support, with a piano part that ranges from robust activity where needed to atmospheric delicacy. Sony's sound is clear and focused and gives the violin central placement, so all the shades of expression and dynamics are easily heard above the piano.

Review by Blair Sanderson, Allmusic.com