The 2021 Gramophone Classical Music Awards were broadcast on Tuesday 5 October and announced James Ehnes as the recipient of the coveted Artist of the Year award.
Following the launch of his online series ‘Recitals from Home’ in June 2020, Ehnes was described as being "at the absolute forefront of the streaming evolution" (Le Devoir), and his recordings have since been met with great critical acclaim by audiences worldwide.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of concert halls, Ehnes recorded the six Bach Sonatas and Partitas and six Ysaÿe Sonatas from his home, using state-of-the-art recording equipment, in March 2020. He then released six episodes over a period of two months.
Ehnes wrote: “When the concert halls of the world closed in the middle of March, I, like all performing musicians, found myself in a strange new world, with no opportunities to share music and no artistic outlet. I was completely unprepared to share music from my home, having no recording equipment and, just as importantly, no understanding of the process! When I was contacted by several European festivals to create some content for online events, I reached out to some friends in the recording world for advice, and made an investment in some microphones, an audio interface, a few tripods and a studio light. I was delighted to discover that my living room made a rather nice recording studio, and both my and my wife’s iPhones made perfectly acceptable cameras.
The Bach 6 Sonatas and Partitas and the 6 Sonatas of Ysaÿe are, of course, two of the most important cornerstones in the solo violin repertoire, and I’ve felt tremendously lucky during this time of musical isolation to have this music in my life. I first recorded the Bach Sonatas and Partitas twenty years ago, and had been thinking for the past several years that it might be a good idea to revisit them. I would never have expected I’d end up recording them in my living room. And being able to record the Ysaÿe Sonatas, pieces that have been dear to me for many years, for the first time, has been a joy.”
The Ysaÿe sonatas were since released by Onyx Classics in April 2021. The disc was named an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone in June 2021. Of the disc, The Strad wrote: “compelling narrative, technical genius, wit – what more could one ask for?”
The award also celebrates the culmination of his recording cycle of the Beethoven Violina Sonatas with pianist Andrew Armstrong. This final disc, which comprises Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10, was also shortlisted for the Gramophone Chamber Music award category and was described as “a wonderfully positive conclusion to a life-enhancing cycle”.
