Existing fans of violinist Joshua Bell are already well-acquainted with the broad scope of repertoire and performance abilities ranging deftly from the classical concerto repertoire to his well-known collaborations with Edgar Meyer. For those unfamiliar with Bell's recorded works, this two-disc set of The Essential Joshua Bell provides quite a comprehensive overview of his wide-ranging talents. Of course, it could also be argued that if one movement of a concerto is "essential," so too should be the rest of the movements. Some of the single-movement works on the album, such as the Paganini variations or the Sarasate Introduction and Tarantella, work well on compilation albums such as this because they don't leave the listener with an incomplete picture of what the composer had intended. With larger works such as the concertos of Goldmark, Mendelssohn, or Beethoven, hearing only single movements doesn't do full justice to either the composer nor to Bell's performances. This anthology also surprisingly lacks Bell's recording of the Tchaikovsky concerto, perhaps one of his most energetic and innovative performances of a standard repertoire concerto. So if you're really not sure if you like Bell's playing or his choice of repertoire, this is certainly an enjoyable introduction. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and invest in the complete albums from which this collection was made.

Track List:

CD 1:
01. Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act III: Danse russe
by Joshua Bell
02. Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64: III. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace
by Joshua Bell
03. Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth (Arranged for Violin & Orchestra)
by Joshua Bell
04. Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra)
by Joshua Bell
05. III. Moderato - Allegretto from Concerto No. 1 in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28
by Esa-Pekka Salonen;Joshua Bell;Los Angeles Philharmonic
06. Beau soir, L. 6 (Arranged for Violin and Piano by Jascha Heifetz)
by Joshua Bell
07. Introduction and Tarantella, Op. 43
by Joshua Bell
08. Songs without Words, Op. 62, No. 1: May Breezes (Arranged for Violin & Orchestra)
by Joshua Bell
09. Elegie: O doux printemps d'autrefois
by Joshua Bell
10. The Carnival of Venice
by Joshua Bell
11. Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1
by Joshua Bell
12. III. Rondo. Allegro from Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61
by Joshua Bell;Sir Roger Norrington;Camerata Salzburg

CD 2:
01. I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso from Three Preludes (Instrumental)
by John Williams;Joshua Bell
02. Nice Work If You Can Get It
byJoshua Bell
03. I Got Rhythm
by Joshua Bell
04. Ladies in Lavender
by Joshua Bell
05. I. Cremona, The Red Violin
by Esa-Pekka Salonen
06. III. Oxford, Pope's Concert
by Esa-Pekka Salonen
07. Coitus Musicalis, Victoria's Departure (Edited Version)
by Joshua Bell
08. Make Our Garden Grow (From "Candide")
by David Zinman;Joshua Bell;The Philharmonia Orchestra
09. Excerpt from West Side Story Suite (Excerpt)
by Joshua Bell
10. New York, New York (From "On the Town")
by Joshua Bell
11. Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra
by Joshua Bell
12. Short Trip Home
by Mike Marshall;Sam Bush;Joshua Bell;Edgar Meyer
13. BT by Yo-Yo Ma;Joshua Bell;Edgar Meyer;Mark O'Connor;Mike Marshall;Sam Bush
14. Death by Triple Fiddle
by Joshua Bell;Sam Bush;Mike Marshall;Edgar Meyer
15. Mazurka in F-sharp minor, Op. 6, No. 1 (Instrumental)
by Béla Fleck
16. Love Is Here To Stay
by Joshua Bell;London Symphony Orchestra;John Williams