James Newton Howard: Scoring the Soundtrack to "A Hidden Life" Composer Commentary
James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew Armstrong
Artist Playlists
James Ehnes Essentials
His disciplined style opens up new sounds and emotions.
Artist Biography
One of the most discerning violinists on the world circuit, James Ehnes has the rare ability to shine as a soloist in concerto performances of commanding authority, as well as in collaboration with other players in chamber music—not least in his own, much-admired Ehnes Quartet. That he was born (in 1976) in Canada rather than Europe or the United States may be a factor in his versatility, since the violin tradition there is relatively modest and hadn’t cultivated too many first-rank virtuosos until Ehnes came along. The child of performing artists, he took up his instrument at age four, was playing concerto dates as a teenager, and eventually went to study at The Juilliard School—where his skills were sharpened by the dazzling assertiveness of the string department. These days, he’s a go-to player for the 20th-century concerto repertoire—Barber, Bartók, Korngold, Walton—and a champion of new work by composers like Aaron Jay Kernis, whose 2017 concerto was premiered by Ehnes. In that other realm of chamber playing, he’s devoted recent years to a recorded cycle of Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Andrew Armstrong that have fairly been called life-enhancing. And with his quartet he released another Beethoven cycle in 2021, shortly before he won Artist of the Year at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards. It was a popular decision, honoring a genial and valued player.