Today, Aug 21: Joshua Bell releases Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 on Sony Classical
(August 2026) — Today, Grammy winner and honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Music Joshua Bell releases PAGANINI on Sony Classical with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where he is about to embark on his 15th season as Music Director. The digital-only album is available now and features Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 – with a new cadenza by Bell – and Cantabile, arranged by James Stephenson for solo violin and chamber orchestra. Bell’s recording of Paganini’s Carnival of Venice, originally released on the Ladies in Lavender soundtrack, is included as a bonus track.
See a trailer for Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields’s Paganini
An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Bell has recorded more than 40 albums, winning Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, Diapason d’Or, and OPUS KLASSIK awards. His release of Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat, capturing Bell’s own arrangement of the piano piece for violin and strings, has already been streamed more than 26 million times. Bell has led the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on several albums, including Beethoven’s 4th and 7th Symphonies, Bach Concertos, and the 2019 Grammy-nominated Bruch: Scottish Fantasy.
Bell first performed Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at just 13 years old. More than 40 years later, he returns to one of the violin repertoire’s most technically demanding works with the insight and artistry that come from a lifetime of performing. Bell explains:
“Just a decade after [the composition of] Beethoven’s iconic Violin Concerto, Paganini pushed the violin’s physical capabilities further than anyone had before. Despite its obvious technical difficulty, this concerto is rich with musical challenges – it is extraordinarily operatic, straight out of The Barber of Seville, full of wit, charm, and drama. As the soloist, you get to play every character! This is not just a ‘showpiece,’ it is a masterpiece in its own way.”
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Principal First Violin Harvey de Souza comments about Bell’s approach to the concerto:
“Joshua is one of those rare musicians who can meet every one of its extraordinary demands while making the music feel spontaneous, expressive and completely alive. To experience him combining that breathtaking virtuosity with the generosity and connection of directing the orchestra from the violin was genuinely thrilling for all of us.”
Annie Lydford, Chief Executive, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, adds:
“In 2022, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields undertook a major tour across Germany, with Joshua playing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 (and then, incredibly, coming back onstage after the interval to direct Schumann’s Second Symphony from the violin). The performances, quite simply, took my breath away. To hear Joshua’s interpretation of this virtuosic work, which placed such emphasis on the beauty and lyricism of the writing, felt like a breath of fresh air. Without a separate conductor, the bond between Joshua and this orchestra is very special indeed: trusting, sensitive, adventurous, and like chamber music presented on the grandest scale. After performing this piece to standing ovations around the world, I am so pleased that Joshua and ASMF have captured it in a recording so that listeners can continue to enjoy it for years to come. This coming season, we will celebrate 15 years with Joshua as ASMF Music Director, coinciding perfectly with a record that celebrates so much of what is special about this important artistic relationship.”
Since succeeding Sir Neville Marriner as Music Director of London’s Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) in 2011, Bell has “brought a new bite and vigour to the band’s well-established aristocratic nobility,” which makes for “captivating music-making” (The Scotsman). Indeed, the success of their multifaceted partnership has been recognized with a Grammy nomination and the extension of Bell’s contract through the 2027-28 season. As the UK’s Arts Desk puts it: “Who needs a conductor with a leader-soloist of this calibre?”
Joshua Bell: Paganini
Label: Sony Classical
Release date: Aug 21
Joshua Bell, violin and conductor
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, orchestra
Track list:
Niccolò Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
- Allegro maestoso (original cadenza by Joshua Bell)
- Adagio espressivo
- Rondo. Allegro spiritoso
Niccolò Paganini: Cantabile in D major (arr. James Stephenson)
[BONUS TRACK] Niccolò Paganini: The Carnival of Venice