In repertory as contrasting as could be‚ prize­winning young Canadian violinist James Ehnes demonstrates in these two Analekta releases his mastery both as interpreter and in technique. The Bach brings traditional readings which may not be quite as distinctive as those on the classic sets I have listed above‚ but they have a concentration which combined with Ehnes’ flawless technique make them consistently compelling. Ehnes tends to favour broad speeds in the slower movements‚ so that the initial impression made by the opening Adagio of the Sonata No 1 makes is of heaviness. Like Perlman but unlike Grumiaux‚ Ehnes observes second­half repeats as well as first and treats such opening movements relatively plainly‚ so initially one wishes the performances would more readily catch fire. That they certainly do‚ so that on repeated hearings Ehnes’ approach is readily acceptable‚ those slow openings consistent with the unforced concentration of the rest. Final movements tend to be taken fast‚ with exhilarating results‚ and with slow movements such as the Sarabande of the Partita No 1 beautifully sustained in tenderness. Not only that: in the biggest challenge of all‚ the great Chaconne which concludes the D minor Partita‚ No 2‚ Ehnes crowns the whole sequence with his finest performance‚ readily sustaining its massive scale. So the minor­key variations of the first half lead with seeming inevitability to the moment of resolution when at a hushed pianissimo D minor resolves on D major (disc 2‚ track 5‚ 8'10") with Ehnes at his most dedicated. The disc of French showpieces follows the attractive pattern shown recently by the young French violinist‚ Renaud Capuçon‚ on Virgin‚ with the Berlioz‚ Massenet and Milhaud pieces as well as two of the Saint­Saëns included on both discs. Yet curiously‚ two of the items are purely orchestral‚ with the Québec Symphony under Yoav Talmi challenged to the limit in Berlioz’s Corsaire Overture and Ravel’s brilliant arrangement of Debussy’s early piano piece‚ Tarantelle Styrienne. The exuberant account of that last piece is very welcome‚ though more items involving Ehnes might have been even better. Though warmly romantic in his playing‚ Ehnes with his bright‚ sweet‚ pure tone‚ is never soupy in a traditionally romantic way. Intonation is flawless with a clear‚ middle­of­the­note focus. When‚ as in the slinky opening section of Saint­Saëns’s Havanaise‚ he has to resort to under­the­note colouration‚ he still retains his freshness‚ and‚ as in Bach‚ his hushed concentration at the start of Chausson’s Poeme is magnetic. He takes Massenet’s ‘Méditation’ relatively slowly‚ but then‚ avoiding sentimentality‚ he builds up from the tenderly songful opening section to a most powerful climax. Most interesting of all is his approach to the Cinéma fantasie version of Milhaud’s Brazil­inspired Le boeuf sur le toit. Where Capuçon in this jazzy fantasy makes the violin the first focus of attention‚ Ehnes is very much a member of the team‚ an impression enhanced by the close­up sound. The beefy energy of the piece with its regular‚ jaunty evocations of Charlie Chaplin builds via a powerful account of the cadenza to a frenzied close‚ full of fun. A fine disc with an attractive theme‚ not just a display vehicle.