Coming Soon,
James Ehnes at 40
We hear that James Ehnes is marking his fortieth birthday with a new recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto and the early concerto WoO 5, due to be recorded with Andrew Manze and the RLPO this October. Whilst the prospect of his thoughts on the Concerto itself are enticing enough, the early fragment (dating from around 1790, and emerging as unmistakeably Beethovenian from a standard-issue Classical opening tutti!) has received remarkably few outings on disc, and is sure to receive advocacy from these forces - though we'll have to wait a little while for the proof of the pudding, as it's not due for release until 2017.
Ehnes has also been busy with his recently-formed string quartet, recording a disc of Schubert's Death and the Maiden and Sibelius's Voces Intimae - which if it's anything like their debut recording of Shostakovich quartets (paired with Ehnes in the Khachaturian Concerto) two years ago, should be something very special indeed. Reviewing the quartet's Wigmore Hall account of the Schubert in October 2015, MusicOMH observed that 'The mania that permeates the music was apparent but it didn’t spill into the technical finesse of its performance.' The disc will come out this October, with the following month bringing the release of Ehnes's recording of the Sixth and Ninth Beethoven Sonatas with pianist Andrew Armstrong, recorded in Potto Hall last December).
The end of the year will also see the physical re-issue on Onyx of Ehnes's Mozart Violin Concertos set with his hand-picked Mozart Anniversary Orchestra (originally released on CBC and now only available as a download), hailed by The Times as 'beautifully thought-out and rewarding performances...enlivened by brisk tempi, expressive nuance and an infectious joie de vivre' and prompted Gramophone to describe Ehnes as 'one of the most brilliant and discerning players of his generation, with a sweet, gleaming tone and a purity of intonation that are second to none'.
In the more immediate future, March brings a disc of the Elgar, Debussy and Respighi Sonatas from Ehnes and Armstrong, again on Onyx: keep an eye on our future releases section, as it should be available for pre-order very soon!
A selection of James Ehnes' recent recordings...
(You can browse his complete discography here.)
'It's the way that James Ehnes closes the opening movement [of the Britten] that most impresses, essaying a gossamer thread of such subtlety it becomes almost transparent.'' - The Independent
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
''It's an inspired coupling, as well as a generous one, to have these three high-romantic concertos together. James Ehnes gives superb performances, bringing out their full emotional thrust without vulgarity or exaggeration.'' - The Gramophone Classical Music Guide
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
''Ehnes’s gorgeous, supple tone is combined with that instinct for a composer’s distinctive character that makes his interpretations so compelling.'' - The Daily Telegraph
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
