Two masterpieces of 20th-century music are masterfully presented here by Canadian violinist James Ehnes. One has already entered the repertoire, the other will surprise many.
Bernstein’s Serenade, a concerto that doesn’t say its name, is inspired by Plato and his “dialogues” with famous ancient Greek thinkers. More a pretext for the creation of refined, complex discourses for the violin, accompanied by strings and percussion, this five-movement suite is a distillation of Bernstein’s musical thinking, percolated through a modern language that is certainly demanding, but through which one will recognize traits, harmonic and rhythmic, very similar to those of other works by the composer. Ehnes is limpid and vibrant with conviction.
John Williams, composer of Star Wars and so many other brilliant neo-romantic Hollywood scores, has also written numerous concertos, including this very first one for violin, dating from 1974. This was a personal initiative following the death of his first wife, who had told him she wanted him to write one. You may be surprised by this score, atonal in language but expressionist/romantic in attitude and deployment. This is a serious, major work, and Ehnes renders it beautifully, bringing to it a degree of investment that is to his credit, but also rewarded by the scope of the music’s superb orchestral craftsmanship. Williams is an exceptional symphonist, as we know, but many will discover him in this score that doesn’t bind itself to any evocative moving picture, while nonetheless creating tableaux of colors and textures of very satisfying complexity. Highly recommended.
