This disc showcases three commissions aimed squarely at the Canadian virtuoso’s dazzling skillset. At the centre is a concerto by James Newton Howard…The work is lyrical, wildly cavorting and – in the Andante semplice second movement – sweetly poignant. Aaron Jay Kernis’s preceding concerto requires Ehnes to delve even deeper into his virtuoso’s tool kit. With a highly charged first movement, Kernis sets out his stall with intense drama, before a fabulous film noir-ish second movement

There’s some entertaining, dazzling, smile-inducing, toe-tapping music here but I can’t give you a cast-iron promise that there’s much more…Ehnes’s characteristic sweetness and tenderness married to unerring strength and direct musicianship are on display in all three pieces.

The concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis is heard in an incredibly powerful live performance, the taxing violin part superbly executed. The Chaconne begins with an unashamedly romantic gesture, going on to embrace a wide range of emotions including some real Innigkeit. Both performance and recording are beyond criticism. [Newton Howard] His concerto is lyrical; there is almost an English twinge to the first movement. The Andante semplice is the work’s emotional heart (the film origins clear) while the finale confirms Ehnes’ virtuosity. Finally, Bramwell Tovey’s brief Stream of Limelight, the only non-orchestral piece, an engaging soliloquy in the spotlight. Top-rank recording throughout.