Violinist James Ehnes, a Seattle favorite and a regular at orchestral and chamber venues here, records his sixth disc for Analekta in this Vol. 1 of Bach's Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord (with the nimble Luc Beausejour at the keyboard). The performances don't try to conform to all the early-music conventions, and Ehnes does not eschew vibrato, but considerable care is taken nonetheless in matters of ornamentation, phrase-shaping, restraint and clarity. The results are stellar, giving both unrepentant modernists and early-music purists reason to think in new ways about Bach.

BACH: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, Vol. 1; James Ehnes, violin, and Luc Beausejour, harpsichord (Analekta) *** Canadian violinist Ehnes is a real up-and-comer, booked with top orchestras internationally (including a guest turn with the Minnesota Orchestra earlier this month) and winning good notices for a wide-ranging series of recordings. His take on Bach's initial Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord offers another quality addition to the catalog. Ehnes doesn't have the improvisational fire or timbral gutsiness of such period-instrument players as Podger, but he boasts his own pure-toned elan, with his plaintive opening to the B Minor Sonata (BWV 1014) emanating the patient, serene quality of a prayer that knows it will be answered. Ehnes isn't always well-served by his partner, whose harpsichord tends to obscure the violinist at his quietest.
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