James Ehnes, one of Canada’s finest violinist exports, has become quite familiar with walking on stage in front of an orchestra. He’s performed with ensembles around the world, and his concerto selection ranges from classic to contemporary.
With so many great concertos for Ehnes to choose from, Tempo asked for his top three violin concerto openings. Here's what he had to say.
James Ehnes’s top three violin concerto openings:
1. Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14
"So many concertos, the orchestra plays and you stand there and you wait and you wait. The Barber, the violin comes in with this beautiful opening. It's so friendly, it's so inviting and it's a wonderful way to bring people into the music from the very, very first note."
2. Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1
"A very lyrical, long spun line that draws the listener into the world of early Bartok."
3. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64
"After a couple of measures of this turgid orchestral accompaniment, the violin comes in with one of the most memorable melodies in all of music."
Listen to Ehnes's Grammy Award-winning recording of Barber's Violin Concerto:
[listen] Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14; James Ehnes, Bramwell Tovey, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Join Tempo on CBC Radio 2 today and tomorrow for Violinfest, a two-day celebration of great music from the world’s best violinists.
Related:
Q&A: Behind the scenes with violinist James Ehnes
CBC Radio 2 Tempo
James Ehnes' Official Website
posted by
Michael Morreale
on Jun 26, 2012