Fellow Canadian James Ehnes has slowly insinuated himself into my favour, first with a slew of terrific recordings, then with a performance of Bach Sonatas & Partitas a year-or-so ago, and most recently with his appearance yesterday at the Wigmore Hall, where he played Leclair's Sonata in D Op.9 No.3, Prokofiev's Sonata No.2 Op. 94, and Ravel's Tzigane.
While his interpretation of Prokofiev was too even for my tastes – I like the piece's jaggedness and the driving pulse of its march sections, sue me – it was certainly skillfully played. Far more successful, and better suited to Ehnes' rich sound, was the Leclair sonata, which got a good airing, and was displayed in all its terpsichorean glory. A person would have to be made of some foul stuff to avoid smiling at some point during each of the four movements, and the responsibility for that fact, however dubious the fact might be, is shared by Leclair, Ehnes, and pianist Andrew Armstrong.
The concert was closed out with Ravel's Tzigane, a familiar show stopper that's been used in that capacity since Jelly d'Aranyi first tried it out in 1924. Ehnes really laid into the G string at the start of the introduction, and didn't ease up until ten minutes later, when the audience picked up the thread of enthusiasm and made their approval known. Pieces with lively endings always get spirited applause, and sometimes those applause are actually merited. This was one of those times.
While his interpretation of Prokofiev was too even for my tastes – I like the piece's jaggedness and the driving pulse of its march sections, sue me – it was certainly skillfully played. Far more successful, and better suited to Ehnes' rich sound, was the Leclair sonata, which got a good airing, and was displayed in all its terpsichorean glory. A person would have to be made of some foul stuff to avoid smiling at some point during each of the four movements, and the responsibility for that fact, however dubious the fact might be, is shared by Leclair, Ehnes, and pianist Andrew Armstrong.
The concert was closed out with Ravel's Tzigane, a familiar show stopper that's been used in that capacity since Jelly d'Aranyi first tried it out in 1924. Ehnes really laid into the G string at the start of the introduction, and didn't ease up until ten minutes later, when the audience picked up the thread of enthusiasm and made their approval known. Pieces with lively endings always get spirited applause, and sometimes those applause are actually merited. This was one of those times.
