At Home With Friends

Joshua Bell (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 29, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B002LMSWSC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,520 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Tango
  • #46 in Music > World Music > South & Central America > Argentina

Track Listings

1. I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti

2. Come Again featuring Sting

3. Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof

4. Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban

5. Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre

6. My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth

7. Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush & Mike Marshall

8. Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3, Movement II featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff

9. Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno

10. Rachmaninoff: O, Cease Thy Singing, Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn

11. Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof

12. Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor

13. Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin

14. Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile

15. Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin (abridged version) featuring Anoushka Shankar

16. I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch

Editorial Reviews

2009 album from the violin virtuoso featuring guest appearances from Sting, Regina Spektor, Josh Groban and Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. The sixteen song set, which also features appearances by Dave Grusin and Anoushka Shankar, was born out of the informal jam sessions Bell regularly holds at his house. Bell shows off a wide range of styles, from Jazz to Classical to Appalachian-inspired instrumentals, as well as dipping into Opera, Latin influences and Pop music.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Friends ... September 29, 2009

By S. BRAUN

Format:Audio CD

After listening to At Home With Friends by Joshua Bell, I found myself envious of Bell for having such great friends. The album features renowned violinist Bell performing duets with various musical friends of his: Josh Groban, Marvin Hamlisch, even Sting. There is a great variety of musical styles presented, but the overall feel of the album is relaxing.

My favorite is probably "My Funny Valentine" with Kristin Chenoweth. "Left Hand Song" with Regina Spektor struck me as very odd/"out there" the first few times, but it's growing on me the more I listen. It's a neat side of Sting to hear him perform the classical "Come Again."

All in all, quite a musical treat!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Compliation September 29, 2009

By K. Borchert

Format:Audio CD

I grew up listening to my Dad playing the violin and my Mom playing the piano. I loved their duets. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for violins since then.
This album does not disappoint. I love the soulful tunes of Joshua Bell and his many talented friends. Two songs played with the bandoneon, Oblivion and Il Postino, really have captured my heart. I have never been to Paris or Italy, but I imagine this is the music of those beautiful places.
Kristin Chenoweth teams up with Joshua singing My Funny Valentine, one of my all time favorite songs. And Josh Groban singing Cinema Paradiso just takes my breath away.
My favorite piece though is Eleanor Rigby with Frankie Moreno. I had never heard of Frankie Moreno before this, but this fantastic arrangement of piano, vocals and violin had me as soon as it started.

This album is a great mix of classical, modern and international. You will not be disappointed in this album at all. I love it so much that I am going to buy a copy of it for my Dad for Christmas, and I am also going to buy more of Joshua Bell's work. Fantastic.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Bell has an eclectic group of friends - sometimes too eclectic November 9, 2009

By Steven I. Ramm TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

Bell is a a near genius when playing his violin and has enough power with the recording companies to make any project he wants. On this CD he tries to show the breadth of his musical interests from classical to jazz (smooth and mainstream); pop standards (Gershwin) and movie scores to world music. It may show off his talents but for most listeners it may be too broad a spectrum. While the tracks with Josh Grobman, Marvin Hamlisch and Kristin Chenoweth make nice background music, the NINE-minute duet with sitar player Anoushka Shankar, goes on way too long. (And this is the ABRIDGED version of the piece.).

While many of the artists who accompany Bell on the selections just might be his friends, Sergei Rachmaninoff obviously could not be one of them. Bell plays along with a re-performance of the legendary composer and pianist from a 1928 recording using the fascinating new Zenph computer system which transfers the performer's recording to a real piano. (Sony/BMG has two other CDs utilizing this process.). It works well here too.

This is obviously a "crossover" album similar to Yo-Yo Ma's CD of last year (which I found superior and play often. But if, by using these better known "friends" - like Sting and Grobman- Bell gets more folks interested in classical music, this certainly isn't a bad thing.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"