As Canadian violinist James Ehnes reached the final bar of Bachs D minor Chaconne, the Murdoch Hall audience rose to give a – for once – totally justified ovation. It was the least we could have done for a performer who has given us memorable nights of music-making since he started visiting Melbourne.
Following the insightful demonstrations of his craft over the years through accounts of the Elgar and Barber Violin Concertos, Ehnes' all-Bach recital involving the last three of the unaccompanied Six Partitas and Sonatas was an engrossing accomplishment.
These works each have a kind of operating fulcrum. For the first offering, the E Major Partita No. 3, the succeeding dance movements follow a joyous Preludio, a semi-study in rapid semiquavers that were articulated with brilliant regularity. There were no personality-intruding pauses or look-at-me dynamic intrusions; just a chain of seamless phrases, followed by a sequence of character-pieces, all serving to underline the flawless technique of his bowing arm.
In the C Major Sonata No. 3, the stately Adagio leads into an exceptionally demanding, lengthy fugue where Bach piles on his formidable, contrapuntal wizardry to tax the player.
Its not that Ehnes made it look easy. But he has does have an inestimable gift for outlining this web of lines with unshakeable firmness and impeccable articulation, revealing the vein of muted exuberance that underpins the piece.
For the D minor Partita, his interpretation convinced for its authority and passion: an ideal, spirit-lifting conclusion to a benchmark recital in the Great Performers series.
