IN CONCERT
What: James Ehnes with the Victoria Symphony
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $32-$85
More information: victoriasymphony.ca
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Manitoba-raised virtuoso violinist James Ehnes says he appreciates having built a career where he can choose his own projects and schedule.
鈥淣ow that my daughter鈥檚 in kindergarten, I鈥檓 trying not to be away as much,鈥� said Ehnes, 41, who lives in Florida with his wife and two children. 鈥淚 like to also be able to look at a calendar and choose whether to play a piece I鈥檓 particularly passionate about or to visit a place I love.鈥�
Ehnes鈥檚 visit to Victoria this week fulfils both criteria. He is set to perform Benjamin Britten鈥檚 Violin Concerto, 鈥渁 piece I love to play that doesn鈥檛 come up often,鈥� Ehnes said. The piece was written as a requiem for fallen soldiers in the Spanish Civil War and future wars, with Spanish themes, sombre motifs and a moving climax.
鈥淏ritten鈥檚 music is unusual 鈥� This is a dramatic piece that leaves you thinking about it,鈥� Ehnes said.
He is also looking forward to returning to Victoria, where he has performed concerts with the symphony since he was 17. This will be his first time working with the orchestra with Christian Kluxen at the helm.
鈥淭he more time I spend in Victoria, the more my love for the city deepens,鈥� said Ehnes, who has fond memories of bringing his family here last year on a Canadian tour. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great place to visit with little kids.鈥�
Born and raised in Brandon, Ehnes started playing the violin at age four. The child prodigy grew up in an artistic household 鈥� his father was a trumpet professor and his mother a ballet dancer 鈥� and went on to study at Julliard in New York. He has won a Grammy Award and a dozen Juno Awards for his classical recordings.
For the past 18 years, Ehnes has played a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin valued at $8 million. He said that when you work with a violin for years and years, 鈥渋t is very much like a partner. You benefit knowing what that piece of equipment is capable of.鈥�
Ehnes has the violin on loan from the Fulton Collection, founded by a former Microsoft executive who was also a violinist and collector of stringed instruments.
This particular violin, made by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy, in 1715, was originally owned and played by Belgian violinist Martin Pierre Marsick. It has become known as one of two Marsick Stradivarius violins.
There are about 650 Stradivarius instruments still in circulation. Ehnes said playing one is about quality for him, not any kind of mystique or inspiration from the past.
鈥淚 have no interest in any hocus pocus 鈥業 feel the soul of anyone鈥� kind of stuff,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his tool just happens to be the best, from this great era of violin-making.鈥�
