James Ehnes
Already a presence to be reckoned with by his early 20s, James Ehnes has risen steadily to claim a place among the finest violinists of the day. Critics were impressed with both his immaculate technique and his musical integrity, each of an order rare enough in a musician of any age. Ehnes has continued to consolidate his strengths, bringing audiences a brand of music-making that transcends the present and draws upon the richest traditions of ages past. Born into a musical family, Ehnes was exposed to a variety of instruments as a child, but found himself attracted to the violin. At age four, he began lessons with his father, a trumpet professor at Brandon University, and by nine, Ehnes came into the care of François Chaplin, a respected violin pedagogue on the faculty of Brandon University. Under Chaplin's tutelage, Ehnes won the 1987 grand prize in strings during the Canadian Music Competition; in 1988, he won first prize in strings at the Canadian Music Festival, becoming the youngest musician to have accomplished that feat. Chaplin directed his protégé to the Meadowmount School, a summer program offered by the Society for Strings. At Meadowmount, Ehnes began studying with Sally Thomas, whose presence at the Juilliard School of Music in New York induced him to enroll there in order to continue his work with her. Ehnes' way to Juilliard was facilitated when he was awarded the first-ever Ivan Galamian Memorial Award (25,000 dollars), named for Meadowmount's founder. At Juilliard, Ehnes appreciated Thomas' nontraditional instructional methodology; with her, he was able to explore his own solutions to technical and interpretive problems. He especially appreciated the fact that her students emerged with their individuality fully uncovered and developed. Ehnes signed a contract with Telarc Records in 1995. Arts manager Walter Homburger came out of retirement to guide Ehnes' career several years before his graduation from Juilliard with the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music in 1997. Upon finishing his studies, the violinist elected to permanently settle in New York. A much-appreciated collaborator with many of the foremost conductors of the new millennium, Ehnes has worked with many of the world's leading conductors and orchestras. The violinist's success as a recitalist led him to chamber music collaborations with such artists as pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and fellow Canadian Louis Lortie and cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Steven Doane. An active recording artist, Ehnes has won several prestigious awards: In January 2002, he was honored as Young Artist of the Year at the Cannes Classical Awards for his Analekta disc of Six Solo Sonatas and Partitas by Bach. The same recording won the JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. Among Ehnes' other acclaimed recordings are his first disc of Paganini Caprices; a collection of Debussy, Ravel, and Saint-Saëns with accompanist Wendy Chen; and the Bruch Violin Concertos No. 1 and No. 3 with Charles Dutoit and the l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. His 2006 recording of the Korngold Concerto won a Grammy, and 2011 saw the release of his Bartók violin and viola concertos.
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Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, Orchestral Works
James Ehnes, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Davis
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 5 Jan 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nielsen Violin: Concerto, Symphony No. 4
James Ehnes, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 12 May 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Vaughan Williams: Orchestral works
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Manze, James Ehnes
Classical - Released by PM Classics Ltd. on 11 Oct 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Walton: Viola Concerto, Partita for Orchestra & Sonata for String Orchestra
Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Apr 2018
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
Neeme Järvi, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, James Ehnes
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Oct 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Berg: Violin Concerto, Three Pieces for Orchestra
James Ehnes, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 30 Sep 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy, Elgar, Respighi & Sibelius: Violin Sonatas
Chamber Music - Released by Onyx Classics on 18 Mar 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Complete Ballets
Neeme Järvi, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, James Ehnes, Robert deMaine
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Jul 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Octet in E-Flat
James Ehnes, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Onyx Classics on 1 Nov 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 26 Dec 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
James Newton Howard, Aaron Jay Kernis Violin Concertos, Bramwell Tovey, 'Stream of Limelight'
Classical - Released by Onyx Classics on 7 Sep 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Janáček: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2
James Ehnes, Bergen filharmoniske orkester, Edward Gardner
Classical - Released by Chandos on 5 May 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
James Ehnes Plays Prokofiev
James Ehnes, Gianandrea Noseda, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Amy Schwartz Moretti, Andrew Armstrong
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2013
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35, TrV 184 & Other Works
Daniel Müller-Schott, Herbert Schuch, James Ehnes, Christopher Moore, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 12 Jul 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1
Duets - Released by Chandos on 5 Jan 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ysaÿe : Sonatas for Solo Violin
Chamber Music - Released by PM Classics Ltd. on 30 Apr 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 6 & 9 'Kreutzer'
Chamber Music - Released by Onyx Classics on 24 Feb 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
James Ehnes plays Bartok Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 & Viola Concerto
James Ehnes, Gianandrea Noseda, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2011
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Dance Suite & Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2
Edward Gardner, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, James Ehnes, Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hummel: Potpourri, Adagio and Rondo alla Polacca, Variations & Violin Concerto in G Major
Howard Shelley, London Mozart Players, James Ehnes
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo