New Jersey Symphony: Joshua Bell Leads Mendelssohn’s “Italian” @ Mayo Performing Arts Center

Perhaps America’s finest violinist, Principal Guest Conductor Joshua Bell shows his astonishing range in this two-hour European tour: Beethoven’s thrilling EgmontOverture finds Bell leading from the concertmaster seat; then he stands in the solo spotlight for Saint-Saëns’ Third Violin Concerto, tinged with Spanish flair; finally Bell takes the conductor’s podium for Mendelssohn’s ebullient “Italian” Symphony, full of sun-splashed melodies.