Violinist James Ehnes, who is widely considered one of the most dynamic and exciting performers in classical music today, stays on top because he plays by the book — literally. And in the context of his appearance at Strathmore Thursday as guest of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Ehnes holds firm to the belief that a good violinist does not mess with Mozart.
“Sometimes musical performers forget that their primary responsibility is not to themselves; they’re not playing a piece for their own amusement, but they’re playing for an audience,” said Ehnes, who will perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 as part of the evening’s repertoire. “As a performer, you might have played it 30 times and there’s a part of you that thinks you would be justified to find a different way of doing it to keep yourself interested. But there’s a real danger in that.”
| ONSTAGE |
| BSO Classical Concert: Mozart and Debussy |
| » Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| » When: 8 p.m. Thursday |
| » Info: $28 to $90; 877-BSO-1444; bsomusic.org |
Of the five violin concertos Mozart wrote while still in his teens, it is his third that is most often performed and thus, one of the most well-liked and widely accepted compositions for violin and orchestra in the classical canon.
“I would be willing to bet that … at least 75 percent of [audiences] have never heard the piece in live performance before,” he continued. “And it is [my] responsibility to be true to it. It’s not up to the musician to indulge himself with his own interpretation.”
How, then, does a violinist keep such an iconic piece of music fresh time after time?
“I tell my managers to keep revolving the repertoire,” Ehnes explained. “There’s a certain amount of extra work for me because I have so many pieces at hand, but it’s so much more satisfying, because every time I come back to it, I am excited!”
The program, under the baton of Louis Langree, opens with Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, “Paris” followed by his violin concerto. In the second part of the program, the orchestra jumps ahead a century to perform two, all-time Debussy favorites; “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” and “La Mer.”
