James Ehnes, “A violinist in a class of his own” – The Times, brings Brahms’s gorgeous violin concerto (and his 1715 Stradivarius violin) to Sun Valley for this concert that previously was to feature Leonidas Kavakos, who unfortunately had to withdraw for medical reasons. Written for the greatest violinist alive in Brahms’s day, this concerto tests the soloist’s technique and musicianship, but the virtuosity remains in service of the music at all times. And it’s delightful music, from the turbulent first movement to the foot-stomping, Hungarian-inspired finale. The program opens with A Joyous Trilogy, by American composer Quinn Mason. In Mason’s words, he intended his piece to be “the very embodiment of happiness, an accessible work that would put any listener in a good mood.”

This concert offers an unusual piece: a concerto for violin, cello, and piano, performed by Festival Orchestra musicians. Few composers have tried this format, but of course Beethoven succeeded. The themes are fairly simple for Beethoven, but–then again–so is the first movement of his Moonlight Sonata, and no one complains about that. Throughout the piece, Beethoven finds elegant ways to give each instrument solo turns with the various melodies, including throughout the sunny finale. The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, a piece that, in the composer’s words, “draws on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement.”

Many of Mahler’s symphonies depict a triumphant journey from darkness into light . . . but not this one. This is Mahler’s Tragic symphony–a name he gave it himself. The end is bitter, catastrophic, devastating, and hopeless. But it’s also a work of transcendent beauty, longing, and tenderness. Mahler described one passage as “shadowy memories of my life pass before me, like long-forgotten ghosts of departed happiness.” Please note that this program will last just under 90 minutes.