Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Product Description
Review
Ehnes s virtuosity impresses on account of its virtue. He makes a ravishing sound and meets every technical challenge thrown at him with utterly reliable intonation, tonal consistency and beautifully controlled articulation. What distinguishes him, however, is an almost self-effacing intelligence. In the concerto and in the less familiar, smaller-scale works that fill the rest of this disc, there is every opportunity for expressive self-indulgence, yet, while not rejecting Tchaikovsky the Romantic, Ehnes remembers that this music is founded in the clarity and balance of classicism. It s a viewpoint apparently shared by the fine Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy. --Stephen Pettitt, Sunday Times, 8 January 2012
Product Description
ONYXC 4076; ONYX CLASSICS - Inghilterra; Classica Orchestrale per violino
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By grufflybear
Format:Audio CD
This is such a familiar concerto that I really wondered if I wanted yet another recording. James Ehnes other recordings have all been so enjoyable that I decided to add this one; He brings freshness and innate musicality to the piece so that I was engaged from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed it. As always he avoids self indulgence and seems to communicate the heart of the music. So, no matter how many times you have heard this piece this new recording is definitely one to choose.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hype from critics doesn't help a very nice, musical account of the Tchaikovsky
11 Jun 2012
By Santa Fe Listener
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
James Ehnes, now 36, shares a surprising birthplace with Malcolm Lowe, concertmaster of the Boston Symphony - both were born in Manitoba. This may not be as surprising as if Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Rachmaninov came from North Dakota, but I'm impressed. Ehnes is a graceful, very agreeable violinist who has benefited, so far as I can tell, from Commonwealth pride; he is traversing the standard concerto repertoire in a series of releases that more famous virtuosos on the international circuit would envy, and each has been greeted by the Gramophone with unstinting praise. I just can't figure out why.
For any non-Russian violinist to make headway in their career is a feat right now, but Ehnes isn't charismatic or powerful; he's a good musician with accomplished technique yet very little fire. Halfway through the first movement of the Tchaikovsky concerto, where everything unfolds according to plan, my attention wasn't wandering, which is a good sign, and this CD certainly has excellent sound, which brings forward Ehnes's smooth, sweet tone. Ashkenazy holds up his end as conductor; I don't think anyone ever accomplishes much with the accompaniment beyond Fritz Reiner in the blazing account by Heifetz on RCA Living Stereo.
The slow movement finds ehnes dropping a bit, and the finale, which comes off the best, arouses some intensity form him. If you want this music to flow and sing, Ehnes would be a good choice. But there's a legacy of virtuosic thrills from Oistreakh, Heifetz. Vengerov, and many other luminaries that this recording cannot rival. As for the fillers, it's nice to bundle Tchaikovsky's collected works for violin and orchestra, but noting rises to the level of the concerto. The best feature about these occasional pieces is the composer's unquenchable melodic gift. I think that Ehnes himself is at is best singing a tender lyrical line.
For any non-Russian violinist to make headway in their career is a feat right now, but Ehnes isn't charismatic or powerful; he's a good musician with accomplished technique yet very little fire. Halfway through the first movement of the Tchaikovsky concerto, where everything unfolds according to plan, my attention wasn't wandering, which is a good sign, and this CD certainly has excellent sound, which brings forward Ehnes's smooth, sweet tone. Ashkenazy holds up his end as conductor; I don't think anyone ever accomplishes much with the accompaniment beyond Fritz Reiner in the blazing account by Heifetz on RCA Living Stereo.
The slow movement finds ehnes dropping a bit, and the finale, which comes off the best, arouses some intensity form him. If you want this music to flow and sing, Ehnes would be a good choice. But there's a legacy of virtuosic thrills from Oistreakh, Heifetz. Vengerov, and many other luminaries that this recording cannot rival. As for the fillers, it's nice to bundle Tchaikovsky's collected works for violin and orchestra, but noting rises to the level of the concerto. The best feature about these occasional pieces is the composer's unquenchable melodic gift. I think that Ehnes himself is at is best singing a tender lyrical line.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
4.0 out of 5 stars
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
