Montreal, City of Music 2004 - James Ehnes

James Ehnes "He breathes into each phrase a talent worthy of the greatest" - Diapason   Born in 1976, Canadian violinist James Ehnes did not take long to become one of the best performers of his generation. He has played with major orchestras in some 20 countries on four continents, under such renowned conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Ivan Fischer, Michael Gielen, Hans Graf, Paavo Järvi, Christian Thielemann and many more. Invited to give recitals across the globe, he is a familiar face in some of the most prestigious halls and has displayed his talents at major festivals, including the Marlboro Festival, Chicago's Ravinia Festival, the Montreux Festival and the Saint Petersburg Festival. As a chamber musician, James Ehnes regularly plays with cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Jan Vogler, as well as pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Louis Lortie.   Mr. Ehnes's numerous recordings already bear the mark of a rare talent, earning him countless prizes and lavish praise. For his recording of J.S. Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Analekta), he picked up a Juno for Best Classical Album in 2001 and was named Young Artist of the Year at the Cannes Classical Awards in 2002. Similarly, his recording of the Bruch concertos Nos. 1 and 3 with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under Charles Dutoit (CBC/Radio-Canada) won a Juno in 2002 as well as the Canadian Independent Music Award. Finally, his recent recordings of Fritz Kreisler's work, along with Prokofiev's Two Sonatas and Five Melodies, have both met with widespread critical acclaim. This year promises to be just as busy for the young violinist who will be releasing no less than four new recordings, including two with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the British label Chandos.   James Ehnes plays the "Ex Marsick" Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.   Source : http://www.jamesehnes.com/   Eduard Laurel Born in 1964 in Laredo, Texas, Eduard Laurel started playing the piano at the age of 10. He attended both Southwest Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with the renowned New York accompanist David Garvey and became a protégé of Gérard Souzay.   At Mr. Garvey's invitation, the pianist embarked on a 15-year association with the Meadowmount School of Music, Ivan Galamian's summer school for string instruments in upstate New York. Here Mr. Laurel played in the classes of Joseph Gingold, Joseph Silverstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Ulf Hoelscher and Sally Thomas, among many others.   Mr. Laurel moved to New York City in 1989 to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Solomon Mikowsky and Fiorella Canin. After winning the school's concerto competition, he went on to accompany renowned soloists Boris Belkin, Christine Walevska and James Ehnes, completing two remarkable recordings with the latter in the past two years. He has played in concerts on four continents, earning plenty of accolades at every turn. He currently teaches at the Juilliard School of Music and Mannes College of Music.   Source : http://www.analekta.com/site/bio.f/laurel_ed.html