“… He [Ehnes] is meticulously clean, spirited, and a little whimsical… It is refreshing to hear something from Stravinsky that has real warmth, and even a hint of grace … Zoe Beyers, the concertmaster, has some excellent solos.”

“… Ehnes is his usual flawless self in a supremely confident performance, as smooth as ever and with a clear, pure tone, especially in the two middle Arias. The rest of the Chandos Stravinsky disc is orchestral music in really fine performances …”

Recommended

“…This is a peach of a disc.”

Sound 10      Booklet 10      Repertoire 9/10     Interpretation 10

“…the dizzying technique of James Ehnes opens up all the possible narrative and suggestive options while Sir Andrew Davis with the complicity of the BBC Philharmonic whose music stands compete in commitment and precision , enjoys chiseling. This is undoubtedly one of the great readings of the score [Violin Concerto]! … Once again, we must salute the recording of Chandos: a festival of colors and precision which places us as close as possible to the musicians.”

**** Excellent Album

“…Throughout, his voicings are also astonishingly clean: Ehnes’ articulation the triplets in the double-stops during the Capriccio’s coda are spot-on. And he has no trouble getting this music to sing, as one can hear in his realization of the gorgeous middle section of the second Aria. Davis presides over a fine accompaniment, as well. Balances between soloist and orchestra are always good, textures lean…”

“…recommended.”

Performance ****      Recording *****

“Kudos to Andrew Davis, the BBC Philharmonic and Chandos for so intelligent a programme, two very different masterpieces framing a quirky divertissement… His [Davis] Elgar Violin Concerto with James Ehnes was the deepest I’ve encountered in live performance, and there’s perfect dialogue throughout this most concertante of works, every cue and change of colour picked up with perfect focus…”

“The highlight of this first-rate all-Stravinsky SACD from Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Philharmonic is James Ehnes’s account of the composer’s Violin Concerto… a very recommendable release.”

“…I thought the Violin Concerto and the smaller orchestral works were especially convincing. It seems that Ehnes and Davis’ output has focused on the 20th century thus far, and I do look forward to seeing which composer they have in mind next.”

“…James Ehnes gives a performance of unobtrusive elegance … Ehnes’s intonation is, as ever, second to none..”

“… neoclassical Stravinsky with style and substance …” ****