Niccolò Paganini - 24 Caprices (James Ehnes)

Information

Composer: Niccolò Paganini

• (01-24) 24 Caprices for solo violin, Op. 1

James Ehnes, violin
Date: 2009
Label: Onyx
http://www.onyxclassics.com/cddetail.php?CatalogueNumber=ONYX4044

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Review

James Ehnes delivers a revelatory recording of Paganini’s devilish 24 Caprices

Ehnes has recorded the Caprices before, in 1995, at the age of 19. Since then his view of the music hasn’t changed a great deal – the smoother, more subtly phrased chordal passages in No 5 is a typical example of refinement of interpretation rather than a radical rethink. There’s the same daring, bold approach, relying on exceptional technique to deliver an inner vision of each piece – no pauses or stretching of the rhythm to make awkward corners more manageable. What has changed is that Ehnes’s technique has got even better, the intonation more precise, the bow control more sensitive. And the new recording adds an extra degree of clarity so that the playing makes a more vivid impact. Even a solitary listener will feel the desire to applaud the Presto section of No 11, with its jaunty rhythms and extraordinary leaps, or the quick staccato scales at the end of No 21.

The past year has been a bumper one for Paganini’s Op 1. Tanja Becker-Bender, also very well recorded, tends to downplay virtuosity, concentrating rather on making the music sound beautiful. It’s a successful approach but lacks something of the excitement Ehnes is able to generate. Thomas Zehetmair, with sharp contrasts of dynamic and tone colour, puts beauty of sound second to expressive intensity. His interpretations are highly imaginative, even extending to improvised variations of repeated passages. But of the three, Ehnes is my clear recommendation. He really is a top-class violinist, and it’s a joy to hear such difficult pieces sounding so completely comfortable and unfettered.

-- Duncan Druce, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: **** / SOUND: *****
MusicWeb International RECORDING OF THE MONTH
The Strad THE STRAD RECOMMENDS
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/oct/22/paganini-24-caprices-reviews
http://www.allmusic.com/album/paganini-24-caprices-2009-recording-mw0001957366
http://www.amazon.com/Paganini-Caprices-James-Ehnes/dp/B002NUHJT0

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Niccolò Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. Paganini composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, all of which profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op.1 are among the best known of his compositions, and have served as an inspiration for many prominent composers, Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, among others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Paganini

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James Ehnes (born January 27, 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian concert violinist. Ehnes began his 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. Ehnes is Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society and founder of the Ehnes Quartet. His recordings have won numerous awards and prizes, including 9 Junos, a Grammy, and a Gramophone Award. Ehnes performs on the 1715 "Marsick" Stradivarius.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ehnes

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