Canadian superstar violinist shares his thoughts on career and life.
The brilliant Canadian violinist James Ehnes is making one of his welcome returns to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra this week, playing the magnificent Elgar Violin Concerto. It’s a huge work, daunting in all respects, one that requires the technique of a super-virtuoso, and the emotional depth and poetic soul of a true artist. It is a work that never fails to move me, a “desert island” violin concerto in my book, surpassing my other favourites of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Sibelius and Korngold. I collect recordings of the Elgar religiously, having cut my teeth with Pinchas Zukerman’s version conducted by Daniel Barenboim on CBS way back in the 1970’s. Since then I’ve enjoyed many others, including the version recorded by Ehnes back in 2007. I’m curious if his interpretation has changed over time. So when I was asked by the TSO publicity department to interview Ehnes, I jumped at the chance. Given his incredibly busy schedule, a face to face interview wasn’t possible at this time, and I settled for essentially a Q & A by email exchange. Superficial interviews are not my thing frankly, so I’m very thankful that he took the time to answer my complicated questions with detailed, nuanced and thoughtful answers, reflecting on his career and his life:
JS: First of all, a belated Happy 40! It is of course still a very young age for an instrumentalist. If we count your solo orchestral debut in 1989, at age 13, as your professional debut, you’ve already had a 27-year career. How does it feel to be called an “Elder Statesman” and a “National Treasure” at such a young age?
JE: Even though 40 is just a number and I don’t actually feel any different than I did at 39 or 38, there is this significance to the number, even if it is artificial. In this business, you’re always looking forward to the next gig; you’re always pushing. It can be such a struggle to establish your career. This 40th birthday has given me the opportunity to look back and feel proud of what I’ve accomplished, while also thinking about what’s next. It’s nice to get to this point and think, “Wow, I have been doing this for a long time.” I’ve developed wonderful relationships with incredibly inspiring musicians, great orchestras, and wonderful presenters. It’s not a business where you can ever sit back and say now it’s self-sustaining. It never is. You have to be at your best every time; you have a responsibility to your audiences. I look back at the TSO, for example…I’ve been playing with the TSO for 20 years. That’s a nice feeling.
JS: Tell us a little about your national tour, James Ehnes @ 40, this spring. According to your website, the tour begins April 28 in Ottawa for 13 performances across Canada, with Andrew Armstrong, your pianist. I noticed that there are several Canadian works in the program, including one composed by conductor Bramwell Tovey. Was this commissioned by you? Can you tell us a bit about this piece? And the rest of your tour program?
JE: This tour is really a birthday present to myself. I wanted to try to visit every province and every territory, and it’s been amazing. There are actually very few places I haven’t been to before. I’m finally getting to PEI, so I’m excited about that. With this being a cross-Canada thing, I thought it was very important to have a Canadian piece, so I commissioned Bramwell Tovey. He has been a close friend and collaborator for many years, so it was natural to approach him. One of the many things Bramwell really nails with this piece is the nature of this tour, which includes some of the great cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa, with audiences that are well versed in classical music. But the tour also brings me to places like Iqaluit and other communities where there are not that many concerts. How do you write a piece that appeals to these different audiences? I think Bramwell really found that perfect balance and wrote something that touches everyone. It’s been one of the great highlights of the tour so far. I love playing it every single time. It feels very improvisatory, so it always feels fresh.
JS: You are playing the Elgar Violin Concerto with the TSO this week. You recorded this piece back in 2007, nine years ago. Can you share with us your thoughts on this concerto? Has your approach to the work, your interpretation, changed in the intervening years?
JE: I couldn’t say if it’s changed. That would be a question for someone else, to listen to me then and listen to me now. The way I feel about the piece hasn’t changed, but it is an ambitious work, both emotionally, and musically. It really is an epic emotional experience, unlike anything else in the repertoire.
JS: You have nearly 100 performance dates in the 2015-16 season, a very heavy schedule. You often play the same piece many times in the course of a season. How do you as an artist “keep it fresh” every night? For yourself and for your audience?
JE: It’s pretty unusual for me to be playing the same piece over and over. It can be a legitimate concern. But working with inspiring colleagues like Andrew Armstrong—a wonderful friend and colleague—keeps things fresh and special every night. I’m also working on a lot of different things: later on next month, I’m playing all of the Beethoven string quartets. Then, I’m playing all of Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas later in the summer. That keeps me engaged and sharp.
JS: Your bio mentions that your father is a long-time trumpet professor at Brandon University. Have you ever considered taking up the trumpet? Why did you choose the violin? Did you study any other instrument?
JE: I don’t know exactly why I chose the violin. It was what appealed to me when I was little. I heard all the instruments of the orchestra because of my father—and my mother, who was a dancer. They have a love of music. The violin was, for whatever reason, the instrument that spoke to me, but I also studied piano and played quite seriously for a lot of years. And I played the French horn in the junior high band. But I never played the trumpet!
JS: When did you decide to become a professional musician? If you had not become a violinist, what do you think you might have taken up as a profession?
JE: I never really made the decision to become a professional musician. I started going down that path because I was doing well as a student and started getting engagements. In my late teenage years, I just asked myself, “Am I going to step off this path, or am I going to continue on it?” And I decided I liked the way this was going. As far as what else I’d be doing, it’s a fascinating question. Who knows! There are a lot of things I think I would find interesting. I could have enjoyed doing something with science, and I could have really enjoyed doing something mechanical. Maybe some sort of field where I could do both of those things.
JS: With your long career and a wealth of experience, do you teach the next generation of violinists? Do you give masterclasses, or do you also have private students? Do you enjoy teaching? Do you plan to devote more of your time teaching the younger generation?
JE: I don’t do any private teaching, but I teach a fair number of classes when I travel. I also have a regular association with the Royal Academy in London. But, at this point in my life, it’s not something that I see myself devoting more time to. Though it is a tremendous amount of work, and a great responsibility, I certainly enjoy it and find it rewarding.
JS: You also have the Ehnes Quartet. What are your thoughts on being a soloist versus a chamber musician? Is it fair to ask— which one do you prefer: solo or playing chamber?
JE: Each different style that I play makes me better at the others. Music is music, and I don’t think that any styles are fundamentally different. It’s the little issues of technical refinement that the different types of music call for that make you a well-rounded musician. I equally enjoy chamber music, quartet or solo playing, and recitals, and I feel very lucky to get to have the variety.
JS: With a 27-year career behind you at only 40—what are you plans for the future? Perhaps play another 27 years? Would you share with your readers your thoughts on future plans? Any pieces that you haven’t yet performed or recorded that you plan to perform?
JE: I’ve got some exciting projects coming up over the next two years. A big thing for me is going to be the challenge of balancing a schedule with my kids growing up. My daughter is 4, and my little boy is almost 2. I don’t want to be on the road all the time, particularly once they start school. I’m going to have to balance that very carefully. Musically speaking, there are fewer new things to do, in a certain way; it’s not so much about playing my first Beethoven concerto, my first Brahms concerto. Rather, I will be coming back to those pieces. Every experience with orchestras, presenters, conductors, and colleagues will become even more meaningful to me. There’s something really wonderful about that. Aaron Jay Kernis is writing a concerto for me that will be premièred with the TSO next season. I’m super excited about that. There are works I haven’t played in a long time, quartet literature we’re looking forward to learning—so there are always projects.
JS: A final question – what advice would you give to a violin student who’s contemplating a professional career? What are the secrets of your success?
JE: Be proactive about making opportunities for yourself. No one is going to be as passionate about your career as you are. If you’re excited about something, the best thing you can do is share those ideas and share that music. I believe that’s what audiences respond to, and that’s certainly the best way to build a performing career.
#LUDWIGVAN
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