February 09, 2006 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Arts Centre Orchestra concerts of Wednesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 16 at 20:00 offer a double hit of Sibelius – the evocative Valse Triste and the masterful Violin Concerto performed by Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes (pronounced EN-nis). Conductor Lawrence Foster will also lead the musicians in the rarely performed Symphony No. 2 by Saint-Saëns on these Mark Motors Audi Signature Series concerts in the NAC’s Southam Hall.

James Ehnes was described by the New York media after last month’s performances with the New York Philharmonic as “a connoisseur’s player in a connoisseur’s piece” and “utterly seamless. Mr. Ehnes’s sound was focused, sweet – but it was never sugary. Technically Mr. Ehnes seemed capable of anything.” The violinist from Brandon, Manitoba, has been garnering raves and awards internationally in the years since he won the CBC Competition for Young Performers at the National Arts Centre in 1993 when he was just 17. Later this month, he will give the Japanese premiere of the Oliver Knussen Violin Concerto originally composed for our own Pinchas Zukerman and performed at the NAC in 2004. The Sibelius Concerto will put Ehnes’s renowned dexterity to the test, but he is more than up to the challenge. The solo part is one of the most difficult in the entire repertoire abounding in virtuosic passages.

James Ehnes has performed in over 20 countries on four continents with many internationally renowned orchestras under such celebrated conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Iván Fischer, Richard Hickox, Paavo Järvi, Sir Charles Mackerras, David Robertson, and Christian Thielemann. Ehnes has an impressive discography, including recordings for the CBC, Analekta, Black Box, Chandos, Telarc, and Sony Classical labels in repertoire ranging from Bach to John Adams. His CBC discs with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal of Max Bruch’s Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 with Charles Dutoit and Concerto No. 2 and Scottish Fantasy with Mario Bernardi won back-to-back Juno awards in 2001 and 2002 for Best Classical Recording. In January he released his latest recording – Mozart’s five Violin Concertos and three single movement works – which he recorded with an ensemble of extraordinary musicians hand-picked from around the world (including several from the NAC Orchestra) directed by Ehnes himself. The CD was released in celebration of Mozart’s and Ehnes’s shared birthdays on January 27 – Mozart’s 250th and Ehnes’s 30th.

Lawrence Foster is a frequent guest conductor with the orchestras of Los Angeles, Montreal, Chicago and Houston, as well as the Deutsche Oper of Berlin among others. He has been Music Director of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lisbon, since 2002 and is Music Advisor to the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra of which he was formerly Music Director. He was also formerly Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalunya of which he is now as Principal Guest Conductor.

Tickets for these Mark Motors Audi Signature Series concerts on February 15 and 16 are on sale now at $27.00, $47.50, $58.00 and $60.00, with box seats at $79.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111.  Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances.  To reserve your seats call 947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.  Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card.

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For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca