Seattle Chamber Music Society | MEMETERIA

July 14, 2015 • 9:04 am Comments Off on James Ehnes on His “Other” Life as a Chamber Musician

James Ehnes on His “Other” Life as a Chamber Musician

photo © Benjamin Ealovega 2012

Here’s my piece for The Strad about violinist James Ehnes and his string quartet, who recently opened Seattle Chamber Music Society’s 2015 Summer Festival:

James Ehnes has long been a familiar presence on the international circuit, but he remains known to many music lovers primarily as a solo violinist — a virtuoso who, armed with a stunning technique, also has something compelling to say. When he does appear in chamber programmes, it’s often been with a piano partner or in varying chamber formations.

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Filed under: Beethoven, chamber music, James Ehnes, Seattle Chamber Music Society

July 6, 2015 • 8:55 am Comments Off on Chamber Seattle

Chamber Seattle

This evening brings the opening of the month-long Summer Festival presented by the Seattle Chamber Music Society. James Ehnes, director of SCMS, will be here with the Ehnes Quartet to perform a mini-Beethoven festival of three string quartets tonight, Wednesday, and Friday.

The YouTube sample here is of the Ehnes Quartet from their recording of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8.

Later in the month (20 July) SCMS will present the world premiere of this year’s commissioned work: Cantus by the wonderful Steven Stucky (whose first opera, The Classical Style receives its first-ever full staging later this month at the Aspen Festival.

Filed under: chamber music, James Ehnes, Seattle Chamber Music Society