J'adore Joshua Bell.

I was elated when I finally bought the tickets to the Joshua Bell concerts last weekend. His performance was part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2010 and with the highly sought after Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

The first night, I sat directly first row, in front of him and watched in awe as he conducted and played (also danced) the violin with such perfect virtuosity. I was totally raptured in the very sweet, sweetest I've ever heard violin, the 1713 Gibson ex Huberman Stradivarius that was the price of his posh well designed Manhattan Penthouse in the Gerard Butler issue of Architectural Digest.? I felt like I was in heaven, I forgot the entire dramatic week that had me so physically and emotionally drained and received like nourishment for my soul from God through his beautiful playing.

Personally, I prefer a more mellow sound for the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor Op 64, but Joshua Bell's playing was so beautiful, lyric and passionate I felt that I was one with the music and the composer Mendelssohn too!!! The other piece that I had the same feeling of "oneness" was Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op 26. It sort of "speaks" to me those heart wrenching movements reminds me of my past feelings, moments, thoughts and they were all captured in those dramatic movements.I was indeed privileged to watch Sarah Chang performed it live in the same Esplanade concert hall in April this year.

I loved to watch Joshua Bell play the violin. I love his "dancing' movements and OH, the beautiful hair that bounces here and there, one minute it was all wet with perspiration and the next it seemed drier and bouncy again. Frankly, he should endorse some shampoo for he still has such lustrous nice locks past 40 when most men I know are showing more scalp.

Watching him and listening to his exquisite playing, one can't help but thank God for creating, nurturing and sharing with us such a talent. It is like Joshua Bell is made to play the violin really well, giving Glory to God and I felt so blessed as a audience, a violin student to watch him play live!

I was also very surprised that he can conduct very well as Ist violin with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra. They brought to life the Beethoven Coriolan Overture Op 62 and later after the intermission the Beethoven Symphony No7 in A major, Op 92. The very contented audience was happy to applaud non stop and most were on their feet like I do, thanking him for such a wonderful perfect performance. Right before the intermission, he gave a cheeky very effortless Yankee Doodle Paganini style with many variations, all the difficult, double-stopping, harmonics and spizzicatos that left me with my jaws slightly apart in awe and deep admiration. I was saying, "God, when can I play like this?????? dreamily and audaciously!!!!!"

Despite all the hard work on the stage, Mr Bell took time to sign the long queues of autographs and was very gracious to pose for a photo when the security was rather strict on the first night. "One autograph per person, strictly no posing etc etc"

The second night, after the sprightly Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K492, Joshua played one of my favourites, Beethoven's only violin concerto in D major Op 61, again with his own cadenzas. I imagined it must be so tough composing one's own cadenzas when there are popular ones used composed by Joachim and Fritz Kriesler. I loved the originality in the artiste and who knows one day I may make up one myself..haha after playing violin for the rest of my decade years. Muahahaha!!!

Though the second night's performance of the Beethoven Symphony No4 in b flat major op60, ended without an encore. The autograph queue was treated to a can of free diet coke, not my liking though, and thankfully the gracious Mr Bell signed another autograph for me and posed this time 2X with me. I feel very happy to be near a great artiste, to hear him play the violin so well and to take home an autograph and pictures to inspire my little one, Rachel 5, who was too young to attend the concert.

Thank you very much Mr Joshua Bell and God the Father for bringing him to bless Singapore!!!!!!!!!