Search - Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saens :: Ravel, Debussy, Saint-Saens: Works for Violin and Piano

Oh Canada!

Marjorie Dorman | Grosse Pointe, MI USA | 01/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm lucky enough to live just across the river from Canada so that I can listen to the musical programming of CBC radio from Windsor. Canada seems to have a disproportionately high number of outstanding young musicians and their work is often showcased on CBC. That's where I first heard the wonderful young violinist James Ehnes, and have been buying his CDs ever since. The collaboration of Ehnes and pianist Wendy Chen on this CD is a revelation, especially in the three works by Maurice Ravel. The violin and the piano are so well-articulated- in the sense of being jointed together- that at times the sound gives the impression of a single (not yet invented!) ethereal instrument. So often in recordings of works for violin and piano, the role of the pianist seems to be that of an accompanist. That doesn't happen in this CD which is the best thing I've come across in quite a while!"

Another gem

Larkenfield | 03/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The more I hear James Ehnes, the more impressed I become. He sounds mature beyond his years and there's something 'just right' about his musical choices. The violin sound is perfect and the vibrato is warm and wide without it becoming too wide. The performances are well paced... in the moment and unhurried when the music calls for it. I love how he pushes his Strad to bring out its gritty richness on the Tzigane without going too far into harshness. Gypsy to the core. That's a master at work. There's also a dark timber and a certain richness of overtones to his sound that I find imminently satisfying and deeply soulful. It's a quality I listen for in great violinists but seldom find as fully developed as here. Pianist Wendy Chen (Julliard grad) is just as precocious. They are hypnotic together, especially in a work such as Ravel's Berceuse. They seem to be in total accord, perhaps from what seems to be a completely natural and instinctive understanding between them. Everything is played with commitment, artistry and devotion. The future of classic music is in good hands with such phenomenally gifted players on the ascent. It's heartening. I could listen for hours. Recommended."