Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35; Sérénade mélancolique; Valse-scherzo for violin and orchestra in C; Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Op. 42 – James Ehnes (violin), Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
James Ehnes has established an international career of rare distinction. He has performed in more than twenty-five countries on five continents, appearing with many of the world’s most well-known orchestras and conductors. His extensive discography of more than twenty recordings features repertoire ranging from violin sonatas by Bach to John Adams’s Road Movies. For ONYX he has already made several recordings; one groups the Concertos by Barber, Korngold, and Walton (Grammy and Juno winner), another offers Elgar’s Concerto (Gramophone Award), and a third is a CD / DVD recital called Homage, a tribute to the instruments of the Fulton Collection.
Recorded live in Sydney, this all-Tchaikovsky programme follows hot on the heels of the highly praised recording of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto from the same soloist and conductor (ONYX 4060).
‘Bringing something new to established repertoire: surely that’s the ultimate test of any artist. If so, James Ehnes has done it again.’
Gramophone
"...This is an altogether outstanding disc." Simon Thompson - musicwebinternational.com - 7 June 2012
"... Strongly recommended ..."
Robert maxham - Fanfare - May/June 2012
***/*****
Ricardo Cassani - Musica magazine - March 2012
"...Ehnes takes on another giant from the violin concerto repertoire, the Violin Concerto in D, Op 35 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and immediately makes it yield to his expressive powers and signature sweet tone... Conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy always keeps a tight lid on the orchestra throughout its many accompanying segments, but truly lets it shine when its time for it to burst forward... The recorded sound is so good that I didn’t realize this was a ’live’ recording until I read the notes."
Jean-Yves Duperron - Classical Musical Sentinel - December 2011
Performance *** Sound ***
Luc Nevers - Classica - February 2012
