Vivaldi: The Four Seasons James Ehnes & Andrew Armstrong

• Giuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770): Violin Sonata ‘Il trillo del diavolo’ in G minor B.g5:
• 1 I. Larghetto 03:49
• 2 II. Allegro energico 04:22
• 3 III. Grave – Allegro assai 08:30
• Jean-Marie Leclair (1697 - 1764): Violin Sonata ‘Tambourin’ in D op9/3:
• 4 I. Un poco andante 04:13
• 5 II. Allegro 02:08
• 6 III. Sarabanda. Largo 02:57
• 7 IV. Presto 04:08
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741): Concerto in E ‘La Primavera’ (Spring/Der Frühling/Le Printemps):
• 8 I. Allegro 03:23
• 9 II. Largo e pianissimo sempre 02:35
• 10 III. Danza pastoral. Allegro 04:23
• Concerto in G minor ‘L’Estate’ (Summer/Der Sommer/L’Eté):
• 11 I. Allegro non molto 05:52
• 12 II. Adagio – Presto 02:27
• 13 III. Presto 02:44
• Concerto in F ‘L’Autunno’ (Autumn/Der Herbst/L’Automne):
• 14 I. Allegro 05:05
• 15 II. Adagio molto 02:14
• 16 III. Allegro 03:35
• Concerto in F minor ‘L’Inverno’ (Winter/Der Winter/L’Hiver):
• 17 I. Allegro con molto 03:13
• 18 II. Largo 02:05
• 19 III. Allegro 03:18
• Total Runtime 01:11:01

Info for Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

James Ehnes takes a break from the 19th and 20th century repertoire and has recorded for the first time in his career four of the most famous baroque violin concertos – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the first four works in his set of 12, op8. James also directs the Sydney Symphony.

The Vivaldi is prefaced by two famous violin sonatas – Tartini’s Devils Trill in the skillful arrangement by Fritz Kreisler which is very faithful to the original text, to which Kreisler adds the famous cadenza in the finale.

Leclair, one the few composers to have been murdered, was known as ‘The French Corelli’. Of his op9 set of 12 sonatas for violin, the third has become the most popular for its ‘Tambourin’ finale, depicting a pipe-and–drum dance with drone effects - all good fun!

James Ehnes, violin conductor
Andrew Armstrong, piano
Sydney Symphony

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.

Booklet for Vivaldi: The Four Seasons