西贝柳斯：为小提琴与管弦乐队而作的作品

Sibelius studied the violin in his youth, and actively entertained the prospect of a career as a professional violinist for much of his student life. After graduating from the Helsinki Music Institute, in 1890, he went to Vienna to continue his studies, and while there he even auditioned (unsuccessfully) for a place in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. So, it comes as no surprise that the instrument plays an important place in his compositional output. What might be surprising is that he wrote only one concerto – this might perhaps be due to the difficult conception of the work. The first performance received mixed reviews, and led to extensive revision of the score. It was only when Jascha Heifetz in the 1930s started to perform the concerto regularly that it gained its place in the standard repertoire. Although there was no second concerto, Sibelius’s numerous other works for violin and orchestra are no mere miniatures, as the recordings on this album amply demonstrate. The acclaimed international virtuoso James Ehnes is accompanied here by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner.

01. James Ehnes – Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 I. Allegro moderato
02. James Ehnes – Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 II. Adagio di molto
03. James Ehnes – Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 III. Allegro, ma non tanto
04. James Ehnes – 2 Humoresques, Op. 87 No. 1, Commodo
05. James Ehnes – 2 Humoresques, Op. 87 No. 2, Allegro assai
06. James Ehnes – 4 Humoresques, Op. 89 No. 1, Alla gavotta
07. James Ehnes – 4 Humoresques, Op. 89 No. 2, Andantino
08. James Ehnes – 4 Humoresques, Op. 89 No. 3, Commodo
09. James Ehnes – 4 Humoresques, Op. 89 No. 4, Allegro
10. James Ehnes – 2 Pieces, Op. 77 No. 1, Cantique
11. James Ehnes – 2 Pieces, Op. 77 No. 2, Dévotion
12. James Ehnes – 2 Serenades, Op. 69 No. 1 in D Major
13. James Ehnes – 2 Serenades, Op. 69 No. 2 in G Minor
14. James Ehnes – Suite for Violin & String Orchestra, Op. 117 in D Minor I. Country Scenery
15. James Ehnes – Suite for Violin & String Orchestra, Op. 117 in D Minor II. Serenade. Evening in Spring
16. James Ehnes – Suite for Violin & String Orchestra, Op. 117 in D Minor III. In the Summer