While a title like James Ehnes in Recital may suggest a live recording made during a...recital, this two-disc set of the Canadian virtuoso is, in fact, a studio recording. Apart from this slight deception, listeners have a great deal to gain from this set. Disc 1 of Ehnes' program features three significant French sonatas for violin and piano. A program of such effusively emotional music may seem an odd choice for a performer who is sometimes criticized for being an overly technical player, Ehnes handles the sonatas of ...
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While a title like James Ehnes in Recital may suggest a live recording made during a...recital, this two-disc set of the Canadian virtuoso is, in fact, a studio recording. Apart from this slight deception, listeners have a great deal to gain from this set. Disc 1 of Ehnes' program features three significant French sonatas for violin and piano. A program of such effusively emotional music may seem an odd choice for a performer who is sometimes criticized for being an overly technical player, Ehnes handles the sonatas of Ravel, Debussy, and Saint-Saëns with great elegance and poise. Ehnes' admirable technique is quite obvious in these performances as he tosses off the most convoluted of passages with complete control and dexterity, including the frenetic moto pertetuo of the Saint-Saëns finale. While Ehnes may not emote to the same excessive degree as some might in these sonatas, his playing is far from sterile. Instead, he gives listeners precisely what's in the score. Every marking, every articulation,...
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