2008 Grammy and Gramophone Award winner James Ehnes pays tribute to the world’s most celebrated violin-makers in this unique ONYX project featuring performances on 12 of the greatest instruments ever made. The Fulton Collection is perhaps the most important private collection in the world and contains many examples of the legendary names Stradivari, Guarneri, da Salo and Guadagnini. For example, the priceless La Pucelle has never been heard in a recording, and the Lord Wilton was Yehudi Menuhin’s last instrument.
 
Ehnes performs 21 selections in a carefully planned recital programme specially chosen to suit each instrument and to work on its own terms. It finishes with a section comparing each instrument in an excerpt of the same piece, a unique opportunity to contrast the sound qualities of these spectacular instruments.
Ehnes says of the instruments: “I didn’t want to spare them a full workout. You wouldn’t be testing out NASCAR cars at 20 mph around your neighbourhood! I wanted to select repertoire that would show off their particular tonal characteristics and push them to the limit and of course, that pushed me to my limit as well."
       
 

The 2008 Grammy and Gramophone Award winner James Ehnes pays tribute to the world’s most celebrated violin makers in this unique Onyx project featuring performances on twelve of the greatest instruments ever made. The Fulton Collection is perhaps the most important private collection in the world and contains many examples of the legendary names Stradivari, Guarneri, da Salò and Guadagnini. For example, the priceless ‘La Pucelle’ has never been heard in a recording, and the ‘Lord Wilton’ was Yehudi Menuhin’s last instrument.

Ehnes performs twenty-one selections in a carefully planned recital programme specially chosen to suit each instrument and to work on its own terms. It finishes with a section comparing each instrument in an excerpt of the same piece, a unique opportunity to contrast the sound qualities of these spectacular instruments.

Ehnes says of the instruments: ‘I didn’t want to spare them a full workout. You wouldn’t be testing out NASCAR cars at twenty mph around your neighbourhood! I wanted to select repertoire that would show off their particular tonal characteristics and push them to the limit and, of course, that would push me to my limit as well.’