Franck & Strauss: Violin Sonatas James Ehnes & Andrew Armstrong

• César Franck (1822-1890): Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano:
• 1I. Allegretto ben moderato06:06
• 2II. Allegro07:54
• 3III. Ben moderato - Recitative-Fantasia07:35
• 4IV. Allegretto poco mosso06:31
• Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Violin Sonata in E-Flat, Op. 18:
• 5I. Allegro ma non troppo11:19
• 6II. Improvisation - Andante cantabile08:37
• 7III. Finale - Andante – Allegro09:01
• Allegretto in E Major, for Violin and Piano, AV 149
• 8Allegretto in E, AV 14901:19
• 9Wiegenlied No. 1, Op. 4104:22
• 10Waldseligkeit No. 1, Op. 4902:53
• 11Morgen! No. 4, Op. 2703:52
• Total Runtime01:09:29

Info for Franck & Strauss: Violin Sonatas

James Ehnes and long term musical partner Andrew Armstrong have performed both the Franck and Strauss violin sonatas many times and bring special insight to these works that only many years of performing them together can convey.

The Franck is one of the very greatest of all violin sonatas, and finds the composer at the height of his powers. The Strauss sonata is the work of a young man on the cusp of finding his unique musical voice, with echoes of Brahms mingling with flashes of the Strauss of Don Juan. The Allegretto in E dates from the very end of Strauss’s long career, and is a tender and beautifully poised miniature that displays no flagging of his creativity and inspiration. The disc ends with three of the composer’s most popular songs.

James Ehnes, violin
Andrew Armstrong, piano

James Ehnes
Known for his virtuosity and probing musicianship, violinist James Ehnes has performed in over 35 countries on five continents, appearing regularly in the world’s great concert halls and with many of the most celebrated orchestras and conductors.

In the 2016-2017 season James continues his cross-Canada recital tour in celebration of his 40th birthday, performs the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas in Stresa, Montreux, Los Angeles, Liverpool, and Amsterdam, and joins the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on a tour of China and the National Arts Centre Orchestra on a tour of Eastern Canada. James also holds artist residencies with the Melbourne Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Scotia Festival, undertakes two tours with the Ehnes Quartet, and leads the winter and summer festivals of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, where he is the Artistic Director.

New and upcoming CD releases include a disc of works by Debussy, Respighi, Elgar and Sibelius as well as a recording of Beethoven’s Sonatas Nos. 6 and 9 with pianist Andrew Armstrong, the Sibelius and Schubert “Death and the Maiden” quartets with the Ehnes Quartet, and the complete works of Beethoven for violin and orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Andrew Manze. His recordings have been honored with many international awards and prizes, including a GRAMMY, a Gramophone, and 11 JUNO Awards.

James Ehnes was born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. He began violin studies at the age of four, and at age nine became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and from 1993 to 1997 at The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation. Mr. Ehnes first gained national recognition in 1987 as winner of the Grand Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Competition. The following year he won the First Prize in Strings at the Canadian Music Festival, the youngest musician ever to do so. At age 13, he made his major orchestral solo debut with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

He has won numerous awards and prizes, including the first-ever Ivan Galamian Memorial Award, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Virginia Parker Prize, and a 2005 Avery Fisher Career Grant. James has received honorary doctorates from Brandon University and the University of British Columbia and in 2007 he became the youngest person ever elected as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada. In 2010 the Governor General of Canada appointed James a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2013 he was named an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, limited to a select group of 300 living distinguished musicians.

James Ehnes plays the "Marsick" Stradivarius of 1715. He currently lives in Bradenton, Florida with his family.

This album contains no booklet.