Search - Jean Sibelius, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Okko Kamu :: Tchaikovsky & Sibelius: Violin Concertos Nigel Kennedy

Tchaikovsky & Sibelius: Violin Concertos Nigel Kennedy
Jean Sibelius, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Okko Kamu
Tchaikovsky & Sibelius: Violin Concertos Nigel Kennedy
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

Nigel Kennedy (oops, now he's just "Kennedy") has spent more time thinking about music than playing it, and it shows. In England, he's held up as some sort of victim of the terrible commercial world of classical music p...  more »

     
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Nigel Kennedy (oops, now he's just "Kennedy") has spent more time thinking about music than playing it, and it shows. In England, he's held up as some sort of victim of the terrible commercial world of classical music promotion and exploitation, against which he is a voice of lonely rebellion. Maybe. But he's also a thoroughly mediocre violinist, and these performances are best passed over and forgotten. --David Hurwitz

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CD Reviews

Unrecognized Brilliance
Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 08/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, I don't know if I want to jump into this controversy... but I will. I don't understand what Hurwitz and others mean when they talk about this CD being "flat" and "lifeless". I thought Kennedy had remarkable power and particularly smooth articulation throughout both pieces, especially on passages with rapid octave scales--they could have sounded like toneless "non-notes," but instead each one was clearly defined. (I wanted to avoid the "I'm a violinist so I know Kennedy's a good player" spiel, but I am, and he is). It's definitely true that Kennedy doesn't give these pieces the small Romantic-era flourishes and musical shaping that Oistrakh and others did. In some places, particularly in the slow movements, this is a detriment. In others, though, it's a welcome relief, especially in the aforementioned octave passages where everyone else's tendency was to try to throw passion and feeling into parts of the music that intrinsically need to move along. My overall feeling is that this is one of the better recordings of these two concertos out there, if only for the precision of the playing...."
Dazzling
E. Ban | Chicago, IL, United States | 06/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike many other artists, Nigel expresses the message of music through simplicity. He puts flare into the music very selectively, not into everything played. The simplicity of his playing makes the violin sound almost like a human voice."
Kennedy - A real ARTIST
E. Ban | 10/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is really crude to call Kennedy a mediocre violonist. I am a great fan of the old school: Oistrakh, Szeryng, etc. and have a vast collection of classical CDs. I have no particular interest in "hyping" Kennedy. What I love about him is the passion he puts into his playing. He puts his heart on the violin and plays it. He is the ultimate artist, the sort of Van Gogh and Gauguin were. He comes in front of us and shows who he really is, good and bad. His music comes from the bottom of his heart, from his soul, unlike many other "great" violonists who play with their hands only. Music is art, not just robotics. Music is feeling, and it is extremely rare when a MUSICIAN is a REAL ARTIST. Kennedy is a GREAT one. I do not care how well he succeeds in attacking the octaves, what I do care about is the human feeling he conveys. Forget about CDs, go and see Kennedy live!"