Joshua Bell mixes up a program for the Salt Lake audience to savor

When programming a recital, violinist Joshua Bell strives to offer concertgoers what he likes to call a "well-balanced meal."

"I like to provide my audiences with a balanced program," Bell said during a telephone conference-call interview.

Instead of building a program around a theme, which is becoming increasingly popular these days among recitalists, Bell prefers to mix genres and styles. "You can attack programming from various angles," he said. "You could go with a theme, like doing all three Brahms sonatas. But I like to keep it balanced — by having something on the new side, or adding something classical or baroque. And for dessert, I like to play some violin showpieces."

Salt Lake concertgoers will get to savor one of Bell's musical concoctions this week when he makes a return visit to Libby Gardner Concert Hall for a recital with pianist Simon Mulligan. For his program, Bell will play works by Bach, Beethoven, Janacek, Wieniawski and Kreisler.

"For my own personal growth, I like to add new things to the mixture of pieces that I've been doing for years," he said, adding that the Janacek sonata he'll play here is new for him this season. "But I've always loved it, and it presents a new challenge for me."

Bell is without question one of the most popular concert artists today, a classical performer who has reached exalted heights of superstar status. Wherever he plays, he seems to sell out the house faster than almost anyone. And that is certainly the case in Salt Lake City, where his recital has been sold out for months. In fact, to accommodate the overflow audience, and with Bell's permission, tickets have also been sold for the area by the organ, above and behind the stage.

The reasons for Bell's popularity are many, not the least of which involves his love of trying out new projects. Some of these are his own ideas, such as collaborating with Edgar Meyer on the Grammy Award-nominated bluegrass album "Short Trip Home."

Other ventures, such as recording the soundtrack for the film "The Red Violin," have been suggested by his record label. "Sony has ideas for me, like 'The Red Violin,' which came out of the blue." Bell, however, was receptive to the idea of recording the music, which was written by John Corigliano. "That was a neat project, kind of a dream project. It took me over into another field and exposed me to a greater audience who didn't know me before."