Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135

Ehnes Quartet

The final volume in the critically acclaimed set of recordings by the Ehnes Quartet of the late quartets of Beethoven. Gramophone magazine said of the Op.130 & 133 album ONYX4199; ‘It’s many a year since I’ve heard string quartet playing that’s more sheerly beautiful than this’.

Fanny Hensel & Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Chen Reiss

Soprano Chen Reiss writes ‘Discovering the dramatic scene “Hero & Leander” by Fanny Hensel left me amazed by the richness of colours and invention, as well as her skillful orchestration and dramatic expression’.
Felix Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny is only now emerging as a significant composer in her own right. Many of her compositions were published under her brother’s name, such was the difficulty faced by female composers in the 19th century to get published and gain recognition.

This album contains a selection of her Lieder in new arrangements for
orchestra, her dramatic scene for soprano & orchestra ‘Hero und Leander’ set to a text by her father, and the Introduction and an aria from her cantata ‘Lobgesang’. Felix’s concert aria Infelice and the 1st Rome version of ‘Fingals Cave.

Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 Op.74 ‘Harp’, String Quartet No.11 Op.95 ‘Serioso’

Ehnes Quartet

This, the third in the series of Beethoven’s late quartets from the Ehnes Quartet deviates from the official ‘late’ works to include the last two of Beethoven’s ‘middle period’ quartets. The sunny and amiable E flat, known as the ‘Harp’, and the terse and irascible F Minor known, not surprisingly, as ‘Serioso’. Beethoven had a habit of working on two works of wildly differing emotional ranges at the same time – never more clearly illustrated than in these two masterly quartets.

Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

James Ehnes

Multi award winning Canadian violinist James Ehnes returns to the greatest body of work for solo violin: Bach’s 6 Sonatas and Partitas.

After many years of performing these masterpieces, it was lockdown 2020 that led to James recording the complete set at his home in Florida in the early hours of the morning. His interpretation of this music has changed over the years – he first recorded them in 2000, and now at the height of his powers delivers performances of superb musicianship – sensitive and thoughtful, breath-taking technical prowess combined with great emotional power.

James Ehnes performs on the 1715 ‘ex – Marsick’ Stradivarius.