THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2017-2018
James Ehnes has
established himself
as one of the
foremost violinists
of his generation.
Gifted with a rare
combination of
stunning virtuosity,
serene lyricism
and an unfaltering
musicality, Ehnes is
a favorite guest of
many of the world’s
most respected
c o n d u c t o r s
including Ashkenazy,
Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Denève, Dutoit, Elder,
Ivan Fischer, Gardner, Paavo Järvi, Noseda,
Robertson and Runnicles. Ehnes has performed
with many orchestras including, amongst
others, the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland,
Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New
York, London Symphony, Philharmonia, BBC
Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, DSO
Berlin and the NHK symphony orchestras.
He has an extensive discography. His live recording
of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and
the Philharmonia Orchestra won a Gramophone
Award, and his recording of the Korngold, Barber
and Walton violin concertos won a Grammy Award
for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance and a
JUNO award for Best Classical Album of the Year.
His recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with
the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and
Andrew Manze was released in October 2017.
Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four,
became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist
Francis Chaplin aged nine, made his orchestral
debut with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
aged 13 and graduated from The Juilliard School
in 1997, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for
Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and
in 2010 was appointed a Member of the Order of
Canada.
James Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of
1715. He currently lives in Bradenton with his family.
49
JAMES EHNES
Violin
Final fanfare takes cues from three cities
By Kurt Loft
As The Florida Orchestra winds down its
50th anniversary season, it debuts the final
work in its ambitious Florida Fanfare Project:
Fanfare for Three Cities. “The orchestra wanted
something celebratory and I hope I achieved
that in this new piece,” said Manuel de
Murga, associate professor of music
at Stetson University in Deland,
who composed the short work.
Fanfare for Three Cities doesn’t
follow a specific “program’’ or
literary theme, outside of an
indirect reference to Tampa,
St. Petersburg, and Clearwater,
where the orchestra performs.
“I was thinking about The Florida
Orchestra’s history and mission
statement,’’ de Murga said. “About how it
exists to enrich the life of people in the Tampa
Bay area and to raise the human spirit. So I
began thinking about the tri-city area, and that
inspired the title of the piece.’’
De Murga uses the three cities idea as his motif.
“The number 3 ends up playing a key role in the
piece,’’ he said. “There’s a melody that makes
three appearances and features three sections
of the orchestra. But it’s not literal. It’s more
about the number 3 and its recurrence.’’
Fanfare for Three Cities is on a
Masterworks program featuring
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 on
May 4-6, giving listeners a blend
of the new and the familiar.
But new works like this play a
much larger part in the concert
experience, said Ed Parsons,
the orchestra’s general manager.
“It’s the orchestra’s mission to
serve music as a living art form, not
just to play the old dead masters,’’ he
said. “There’s a lot of vibrant new music out
there, music that’s a part of our modern life.
So it’s important to promote composers, to
commission new works, and to keep this art
form alive.’’