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Review: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (James Ehnes)

Is there anything new that yet another recording of The Four Seasons can say? Probably not, and it’s certainly not said here. Nevertheless, this is a very fine (if traditional) recording by Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes. The Four Seasons formed part of a set of violin concertos composed for the occupants of a girls orphanage in Venice. Published in 1725, it is endlessly dazzling, virtuosic and irresistible, a toe-tapping set of pop songs. This recording makes no claims to historically informed performance or period arrangements (although mention must be made of Ehnes’ 1715 ex-Marsick Stradivarius); rather, The Four Seasons gets the full orchestral treatment, an ocean of shimmering violins working to magical effect, their upper-register interplay with Ehnes in Spring particularly transcendent. Two other violin showstoppers are featured here: Fritz Kreisler’s arrangement of Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata, and Jean-Marie Leclair’s understated (in this company) Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 9 No 3, Tambourin. Both are performed with American pianist Andrew Armstrong, renowned for his dazzling technique and expression; on this evidence also an astute and sensitive chamber player (he and Ehnes have recorded two critically acclaimed Bartók collections). The recording is rich, resonant and present,… Continue reading Get…

September 9, 2016