Marketing is an interesting phenomenon. Billed as “Tchaikovsky 5” no doubt to get traditionally minded punters through the doors, this concert delivered some fine music making, but the supposed main attraction was not the highlight by any means. The night, in fact, belonged to brilliant, young Canadian violinist, James Ehnes whose dazzling performance of the Violin Concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis reconfirmed him as one of the most prodigiously talented violinists of his generation. Kernis (b. 1960) teaches at Yale and wrote the concerto for Ehnes as the result of a commission from four orchestras: the MSO, the Toronto Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and the Dallas Symphony.

James Ehnes. Photograph ©  B Ealovega 

As colourful and busy as a Mambo print, Kernis’s concerto (a major work that lasts about half an hour) draws deeply from the well of 20th century music. Cast in three movements, the first is a substantial Chaconne based on a downward theme. Opening dramatically, the movement uses the full resources of a large orchestra to create a succession of vivid episodes. Kernis’s love of French mid-century modern idioms is evident here and throughout the work. While he mentions Messiaen...