Williams: Violin Concerto No. 1; Bernstein: Serenade

by James Ehnes, Stephane Deneve, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Overview

The fine 2023 biopic of Leonard Bernstein didn't spawn quite the hoped-for set of recordings, but this one, from violinist James Ehnes with the St. Louis Symphony under the baton of Stéphane Denève, could help fill the bill. A primary attraction here is the pairing of Bernstein's Serenade with John Williams' Violin Concerto No. 1 of 1981. Here are two composers, both better-known for crossover genres (film music in Williams' case, musical theater for Bernstein), but both often engaging with classical concert music and treating it as something other than an offshoot of their semi-popular efforts -- and coming up with different takes on the relationship. The personality of each composer is clear in each work. The Williams concerto, which was premiered by the St. Louis Symphony, receives a beautiful performance once again, with the strings taking on a burnished sound in St. Louis' Powell Hall under the production staff from the PentaTone label. Violinist James Ehnes is one of today's top violinists in almost any repertory, but he is perhaps especially well suited to Williams' exciting but sinewy work. Sample the first movement, where Ehnes' acceleration of the tempo has a powerful, rather mysterious, inevitable quality. Bernstein's Serenade, in whose five-movement traditional concerto forms are artfully fused with depictions of five figures from Plato's Symposium, is perhaps a trifle less successful here. Bernstein's score has a certain boozy quality that is not so apparent in the readings of the Apollonian Ehnes, but there is much to admire here as well in the balances and in the carefully cultivated relationship between solo and tutti. It is no surprise that this release made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024; it will enhance any collection. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	04/26/2024
Label:	PENTATONE
UPC:	8717306261487

Tracks

1. Serenade after Plato's Symposium~I. Phaedrus: Pausanias. Lento - Allegro marcato
2. Serenade after Plato's Symposium~II. Aristophanes. Allegretto
3. Serenade after Plato's Symposium~III. Eryximachus. Presto
4. Serenade after Plato's Symposium~IV. Agathon. Adagio
5. Serenade after Plato's Symposium~V. Socrates: Alcibiades. Molto tenuto - Allegro molto vivace
6. Violin Concerto No. 1~I. Moderato
7. Violin Concerto No. 1~II. Slowly. In peaceful contemplation
8. Violin Concerto No. 1~III. Broadly. Maestoso - Quickly

Album Credits

Performance Credits

James Ehnes   Primary Artist,Violin
Stephane Deneve   Primary Artist,Conductor
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Gemma New   Conductor

Technical Credits

Bradley Michel   Editing,Mastering,Recording Producer,Mixing
Benjamin Ealovega   Photography
James Ehnes   Liner Notes
Stephane Deneve   Liner Notes
Sean Hickey   Managing Director
Liz Sullivan   Photography
Richard Freed   Liner Notes
Paul Hennerich   Engineer
Renaud Loranger   A&R,Executive Producer
Jay Fram   Photography
Kyle Pyke   Engineer
Erik Finley   Executive Producer
Silvia Pietrosanti   Marketing
Robert Marstiller   Assistant Engineer
Marjolein Coenrady   Cover Design
Francesca Mariani   Design,Product Manager
April Ojascastro   Assistant Engineer
Audrey Kwong   Project Manager
Brian Schulz   Assistant Engineer
Bryan Pentazo   Assistant Engineer
Dilip Vishanat   Photography
Ethan Chapin   Assistant Engineer
Kasper van Kooten   Product Manager,Design
Leonard Bernstein   Composer
John Williams   Composer
Paul Schiavo   Liner Notes