You can read the full review here
The
bold and exciting independent designer
label Onyx was launched in 2005 with
recordings from the renowned performers:
violinist Viktoria Mullova; the Borodin
String Quartet; pianist Pascal Rogé
and soprano Barbara Bonney. As the recipient
of review copies of several Onyx releases
I have been impressed with their programme
content, the consistently high standard
of performance and sound quality. On
this Onyx release young Canadian violinist
James Ehnes is the soloist in a thrilling
and generous programme of three late-Romantic
violin concertos from the pens of twentieth-century
composers Korngold; Barber and Walton.
In
the opening movement moderato nobile
I was immediately struck by James
Ehnes’s gloriously warm and golden timbre
in Korngold’s passionate outpouring.
The sound world of Prokofiev’s influential
second Violin Concerto (1935)
and the Walton Violin Concerto are
never far away and Ehnes plays virtually
continuously throughout the score. The
central movement Romance has
an unrelenting yearning of an almost
tear-jerking quality that is marvellously
caught by the authoritative Ehnes. Rigorously,
brisk and agitated playing from Ehnes
in the allegro assai vivace:
finale where rhythm and melody
are blended almost coarsely by Korngold.
Ehnes builds up at 5:36 towards the
blockbuster coda that becomes
a frenzied race to the finishing line.
The brass fanfares at 6:36-6:39 and
6:48-6:55 are startlingly effective.
|
Sound Sample:
Korngold Violin Concerto
1st Movement
here
2nd Movement here
3rd Movement here
|
I
am delighted with this performance of
the Korngold Violin Concerto by
James Ehnes and I will certainly not
be actively searching for an alternative
version in a hurry.
Barber’s
Violin Concerto:
As with the Korngold Violin Concerto
I was immediately aware of the influence
of Prokofiev’s second Violin Concerto
(1935) . In the opening movement
allegro Ehnes demonstrates that
he is at one with Barber’s eloquently
Romantic melodies and high drama. The
wonderful lilting melody of the extended
oboe solo heralds the highly passionate
character of the andante movement.
From his entrance at 2:31 Ehnes is seductive
in Barber’s searing and ravishing love
music. Joshua Bell on Decca takes a
more intense and emotionally expressive
approach which on the whole I prefer.
This is electrifyingly confident playing
from Ehnes that is bursting with life
in this tour de force closing
movement marked presto in moto perpetuo.
|
Sound Sample:
Barber Violin Concerto
1st Movement
here
2nd Movement here
3rd Movement here
|
The
final work on this Onyx release is the
increasingly popular Walton Violin
Concerto a score so infused with
Mediterranean warmth and passion. Walton’s
reputation steadily increased with a
series of successful scores; notably
Façade (1922-23); the Viola Concerto (1929);
Belshazzar’s Feast (1931) and
his Symphony No. 1 (1935). Regarded
as a composer who was different to those
of the traditional English pastoral
school Walton wrote in a more contemporary
and cosmopolitan style to that of his
fellow countryman. He was influenced
by composers such as Stravinsky and
Sibelius, and by a passion for American
jazz.
In
Walton’s Violin Concerto one
immediately senses that Ehnes’s playing
is deeply felt and conveys sultry Mediterranean
warmth. The robust energy provided by
Ehnes in the opening movement andante
tranquillo from 3:52 surpasses any
of my rival versions in a way that left
me exhausted by the experience. The
orchestral support from Bramwell Tovey
and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
is simply remarkable. I loved Ehnes’s
flowing and lyrical playing in the hauntingly
beautiful slow movement. In the final
movement vivace the balance of
Ehnes with the Orchestra seems perfectly
judged. Especially impressive is how
Ehnes provides an almost gypsy-like
feel to the music at 2:24-2:49 in a
way that I had not previously encountered.
In the swifter sections Ehnes’s jagged
rhythmic bite is spirited and rugged.
From points 4:14-5:47 and 7:29-11:40
Ehnes’s beautiful and tender playing
is a match for Menuhin on EMI Classics
and Kennedy on EMI. At 6:10-7:19 Ehnes
cranks-up the volume effortlessly and
boldly, and at 11:49-12:48 he paces
a tremendously full-bodied conclusion
to the score.
|
Sound Sample:
Walton Violin Concerto
1st Movement
here
2nd Movement here
3rd Movement here
|
The
Walton Violin Concerto seems
to have been especially well served
in the recording studio over the years
and this Onyx account from James Ehnes
can sit comfortably with the finest
recordings. This disc has the advantage
of remarkable support from the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey.
The Onyx engineers have provided a warm
and clearly detailed sound quality and
the booklet notes from Keith Horner
are written to a high standard. I had
to laugh when Keith Horner was discussing
the commission of the Barber Violin
Concerto by Samuel
Fels the manufacturer of Fels Naptha
household soap; he writes that Barber,
“must have wished he could have washed
his hands of the circumstances of the
commission.”
My
nominations for 2006 ‘Records of the
Year’ have already been made otherwise
this release would have been a certainty
for inclusion. This generous Onyx recording
from James Ehnes of three late-Romantic
violin concertos is superbly played
and recorded, and deserves the highest
possible praise.
Michael
Cookson
James Ehnes (violin)