James
Ehnes is one of
the most sublime virtuosos operating nowadays. He relates authentically
to the music he plays, and has a great knowledge of and respect for the
integrity of the musical line. He tours widely and records frequently,
both as a soloist and a chamber-music player.
He shares a birthday
with his good friend and fellow violinist Renaud Capuçon: January 27,
1976. Beyond the birthday, both violinists now also boast a CD of works
written for them. Capuçon’s release two years ago featured works by
Wolfgang Rihm, Pascal Dusapin, and Bruno Mantovani. Ehnes’ new recording
on Onyx features three world-premiere recordings of music written for
him by James Newton Howard, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Bramwell Tovey.
Ehnes’ partners on this
enterprise are pianist Andrew Armstrong, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of Ludovic Morlot, and the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Cristian Măcelaru.
I caught up with Ehnes
in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with
the symphony, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. According to the Dallas
News, Ehnes supplied “great delicacy where called for, great drama
elsewhere, effortlessly tossing off the most fearsome technical
challenges.”
I’ve just listened
to your new recording. Three very powerful works. What a fabulous
project this has turned out to be.
I’m glad you feel that
way. It’s a very moving milestone of my career. I’ve achieved something
where these wonderful composers want to write music for me, and it’s an
honor to be able to bring their music into the repertoire. I hope and
absolutely expect that they will all gain a permanent foothold in the
violin repertoire. And all three were particularly exciting for
different reasons.
Let’s start with
the shortest of the three, Bramwell Tovey’s Stream
of Limelight.
Bramwell is one of my
oldest musical friends—he was a great mentor to me and a great champion
of my early career. His first job as music director in North America was
with the Winnipeg Symphony and I first played with them when
I was 13. A lot of my first performances of iconic repertoire were with
him. We played together, toured together, recorded together, and I |