Elgar Violin Concerto, Serenade for Strings
James Ehnes violin
Philharmonia Orchestra
Andrew Davis conductor
Onyx Classics 4015 61'
Click on the link below to hear James Ehnes in an extract from the first movement of Elgar's Violin Concerto taken from the Gramophone Award-winning disc on Onyx:
"Ehnes... captures the passion and wistfulness of the concerto's temperament ideally, the ebb and flow of emotion and pacing finding poignant counterparts in the way Andrew Davis conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra. Phrasing and dynamics follow the naturally undulating contours of the music, but, in the orchestra as in the solo part, it is the range of insights and unassuming subtleties of expression that cause the shivers to run up and down the spine."
"Coupled here with an equally idiomatic account of the Serenade for Strings, this performance of the concerto is a landmark recording from a consummate artist whose instincts and sensibility mark him out as one of the finest musicians in today's firmament."
The Daily Telegraph - CD of the Week, 19 January 2008
"Not since Nigel Kennedy's 1997 remake with Sir Simon Rattle and the CBSO (EMI, 1/98) have I heard an account of the Elgar as thrillingly combustible, imaginative and involving as this."
"Not only is Ehnes's technical address impeccable and intonation miraculously true, his contribution is remarkable for its intrepid emotional scope, athletic agility and (perhaps above all) jaw-dropping delicacy (nowhere more heart-tuggingly potent than in the finale's accompanied cadenza."
Gramophone - Editor's Choice, January 2008 
"... Ehnes's playing... is immediately rapturous, mercurial and subtle. He plays his 1715 'Ex Marsick' Stradivarius with a luscious, silvery tone, full of light, shade and colour, and has a very natural, eloquent way with phrasing that gets to the truth of the music - especially in the rhapsodic, extended aria of the slow movement. His awesome technical ability sounds so natural he makes light of the fearsome difficulties of the Allegro molto, creating a virtuoso display that's impressive but never gaudy or flashy for its own sake."
Classic FM Magazine - Disc of the Month, January 2008
"The Canadian violinist James Ehnes plays this concerto with superb technical accomplishment, and he is equally impressive in the more extrovert episodes as in the intimate and amorous musing. With Sir Andrew Davis a sensitive collaborator and the Philharmonia responding wholeheartedly, this is a distinguished contribution to the Elgar discography."
The Sunday Telegraph , 2 December 2007
"Elgar's violin concerto is his most intimately emotional piece, its ardent themes requiring total commitment from soloist and orchestra. James Ehnes plays with supreme assurance and tenderness, particularly in the central andante, the essence of the work's enigmatic inscription: 'Here is enshrined the soul of...?"
The Observer , 11 November 2007
"Ehnes plays Elgar's Violin Concerto with an alchemic mix of passionate intensity and clear-headed intelligence, lavishing upon this spacious, hyper-romantic work a sound of staggeringly rich, luscious beauty, from first note to last. There's a tremendous impetus to the first movement, while the slow movement has a tenderness and freedom that surely come straight from the heart. Ehnes is both technically and musically in total command."
The Sunday Times , 28 October 2007
Classic FM magazine disc of the month
Interview: James Ehnes. The Canadian violinist talks about Elgar's challenging work
Is this a very personal recording for you?
Every CD is a snapshot of a particular moment in time. This one has a lot of happy memories for me because it was recorded during a tour with the Philharmonia through southern England. I'll always look back on it as a highlight. I had worked with the orchestra and Andrew Davis several times before and I have a really personal connection with them both. I had a feeling that this could be something really special, that it was an opportunity that doesn't come along very often, so we decided to record it.
This is a live recording…
Yes, the tour consisted of around eight performances over two weeks, and many fortunate things happened. I wanted to record the concerto live but, as with any live recording, it's a risky business because you never know quite what's going to happen; there could be a fire alarm in the hall, or you could break a string…
How did you get around these challenges?
Because the Festival Hall was closed at the time, we played two dates instead of one, at the QEH. We recorded them both, plus the rehearsal, and that made it all possible. Also, the fact we'd played the piece several times already on tour meant that everything came together. It was an enormous amount of work but I'm pretty proud of the CD because I think it really does capture where we were at that moment in time.
Did you listen to many other recordings?
As I was learning the piece, I listened to several: Menuhin's first recording, Albert Sammons, and the Heifetz - all such very different interpretations! Then, after I made the recording, I listened to a few more out of curiosity, including Nigel Kennedy's first version. It's a piece that so many people play so differently; it can cover many areas of expression.
What are the challenges of the work?
The problem of it is that every moment can be like Everest - if you approach every peak like it's the most important thing, it's a bit like crying wolf. Pretty soon you'll have lost the trust of the audience and, when the most important part, the cadenza, comes 30 minutes into the piece, they're just not going to believe you. It's also a challenge of pacing - like the Brahms Concerto, you can be so spent after the first movement there's nothing left to give. That's where doing eight performances came in very useful; it put me in really great shape physically with the instrument, so at the end of the run I felt pretty strong.
What's your personal feeling about the Concerto?
It has a very special place in the repertory; when you feel you've played it really well you have a feeling you've accomplished something quite important, which isn't the way for all violin concertos.