Rackham Auditorium
James Ehnes, violin
Andrew Armstrong, piano
$12-20 student tickets available
Two of the most sought-after recitalists on the international stage join forces, as Canadian violinist James Ehnes and his longtime recital partner, American pianist Andrew Armstrong, make their UMS live performance debuts together in a concert that will also include faculty and students from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
Critics laud the violinist’s rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and an unfaltering musicality: “Ehnes, who has the silkiest tone in the business, achieves a level of perfection, full of feeling but without show, that puts him in a class of his own. … He gave a poetic performance, bringing out the music’s wistfulness as well as its fury and dazzle.” (The Guardian) UMS audiences enjoyed one of Ehnes’s Bach/Ysäye digital recitals filmed from his living room during the pandemic, but this is the first opportunity to hear him live.
PROGRAM (Fri 2/16/2024: Rackham Auditorium)
Leclair Violin Sonata, Op. 9, No. 3
Shostakovich Violin Sonata in G Major, Op. 134
Howard They Have Just Arrived At This New Level (for string quartet, flute, and clarinet)
Sarasate Spanish Dances, Op. 22
Wieniawski Polonaise Brillante, Op. 21
Encore: Erich Korngold Pierrot’s Tanzlied from Die Tote Stadt
Thank You to Our Sponsors
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
- Gil Omenn and Martha Darling
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
- Matthew VanBesien and Rosie Jowitt
James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Denève, Elder, Ivan Fischer, Gardner, Paavo Järvi, Mena, Noseda, Robertson and Runnicles. Ehnes’s long list of orchestras includes, amongst others, the Boston, Chicago, London, NHK and Vienna Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles, New York, Munich and Czech Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Philharmonia and DSO Berlin orchestras.
Pianist Andrew Armstrong has performed across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the United States, including performances at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and Warsaw’s National Philharmonic. Armstrong’s orchestral engagements have seen him perform more than 50 concertos with orchestra. He has appeared in solo recitals and in chamber music concerts with the Elias, Alexander, American, and Manhattan String Quartets, and also as a member of the Caramoor Virtuosi, Boston Chamber Music Society, and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. He has released several award winning recordings with his longtime recital partner, James Ehnes. He is devoted to outreach programs and playing for children.
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