Multi award-winning violinist James Ehnes recorded this album during lockdown at his home. Recording commenced in the early hours of the morning when all was quiet in the house. The solo violin, recorded in the small hours during these troubled times makes for a powerful and intimate listening experience.
Ysaÿe’s six sonatas for solo violin are, together with J.S Bach’s Sonatas & Partitas and the most important extended works for the solo violin. Ysaye composed each one of them with a particular violinist in mind, capturing their personality and characteristics of their playing. These sonatas represent the stylistic bridge between the old and the new, between tradition and improvisation, offering a glimpse into a “golden” era of fast evolving traditions of playing, of which Ysaÿe was one of the leading voices.
Please login to post a review
Reviews
Winner of the Instrumental category
Gramophone Awards 2022
Performances **** Recording ****
“Ehnes’s breathtaking virtuosity is subsumed entirely into the musicality of these performances, bubbling to the surface only for passages such as the swashbuckling defiance that concludes the Third Sonata…a project that stands as a worthy testament to remarkable times.”
Christopher Dingle – BBC Music magazine – August 2021
Editor’s Choice – Instrumental Section
“…Ehnes’s ‘centrist’ approach keeps your attention focused on the music, leaving you to marvel at his technique only after you’ve stopped listening.”
Rob Cowan – Gramophone magazine – June 2021
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep. These are found in your history if purchased and once you have logged in.