CD-Charts Position 1
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Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4 / Horrace Silver: Creepin In /Nigel Kennedy

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date April 14, 2008
i too am a fan of nigel kennedy , but this recording doesnt do anything for me though as ever it is exceptionaly well played...but the combination of "modern" bits in among the classical music only distracts me..i like one or the other but if you are more adventurous than me,i highly recomend it!

CD-Charts Position 2
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Nigel Kennedy - A Very Nice Album

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date June 16, 2008
I bought this cd 3 days ago, have played it a dozen or so times and I absolutely love it. If your only exposure to Nigel Kennedy is through his purely classical repertoire you may need to approach this album with caution as it it is definitely not a classical album. However if you are a fan of his album with Kroke, his 'Blue Note' jazz album and the better tracks on 'Kafka' you will love this. All the tracks here are written by Kennedy himself. Furthermore all tracks are played on electric violin resulting in a very different sound from the sonorous tones usually associated with Kennedy. Kennedy even sings (albeit not very well) on a couple of tracks. His limited vocal abilities however, rather than irritating tend to add a comic effect conducive ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Vivaldi - The Four Seasons

from: EMI Classics

Release Date May 08, 1997
I am constantly playing this in the car because I love it so much, other recordings are good but this is just a little bit different, in the Allegro movement of Spring if you listen to the bit before the whole violin and viola section thunders it's way to the tumultuous tweeting solo, you will notice that Nigel bow's 4 times in quick succession instead of the usual 2, the cadenza allows for this and Nigel exploited it with typical panache. It's good to see him back in the limelight once more with his new recording, now lives in Krakow with his Polish missus.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Nigel Kennedy - The Platinum Collection

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date March 05, 2007

EMI classics have done their Platinum treatment on Nigel Kennedy, offering 3 of his popular albums at knockdown price.

Two of the albums - Vivaldi's Four Seasons and the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos from 1988 and 1989 - present Kennedy's traditional classical playing while the 1999 album Classic Kennedy is a collection of classical and folk music, mostly transcribed for the violin from other instruments, which gives the violinist freedom to express his improvisational skills.

The Four Seasons album with the English Chamber Orchestra is played with an edge giving the violin more prominence than is sometimes heard (this is a collection of violin concertos remember). The Bruch / Mendelssohn concertos are often-played ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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East Meets East

from: EMI Classics

Release Date June 02, 2003
Although not having any classical music training, nor the ability to write a critical analysis, all I can say is that from the opening notes to the closing chord I was absolutely captivated.
It's a hypnotic collection of pieces which simply draw you into following their every turn, step, phrase and passage. The melodies are haunting and indeed sinuous, sensual, emotive...you really can't avoid flowing with them.
The technical aspects mean nothing to me other than I have a deep appreciation for the work and energy of Kennedy as well his phenomenal ability to make me want hear again and again whatever he does - be it jazz, Hendrix and now this.
I agree with the others - it's a must have, but not a shelf filler. This shows up in my top ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Nigel Kennedy Plays Jazz

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date October 01, 1999
Although not having any classical music training, nor the ability to write a critical analysis, all I can say is that from the opening notes to the closing chord I was absolutely captivated.
It's a hypnotic collection of pieces which simply draw you into following their every turn, step, phrase and passage. The melodies are haunting and indeed sinuous, sensual, emotive...you really can't avoid flowing with them.
The technical aspects mean nothing to me other than I have a deep appreciation for the work and energy of Kennedy as well his phenomenal ability to make me want hear again and again whatever he does - be it jazz, Hendrix and now this.
I agree with the others - it's a must have, but not a shelf filler. This shows up in my top ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending; Walton - Viola Concerto; Violin Concerto

from: EMI Classics

Release Date March 01, 2004
This CD features three of the great twentieth century British works. It begins with Walton's Violin Concerto which, written in 1939 and revised in 1943, is serenely indifferent to its historical context. (In fact, much of it was written in the south of Italy and, certainly, its ethereal atmosphere is more suggestive of the Mediterranean than the blackout.)

As for the maverick soloist Nigel Kennedy, this piece is in many ways an ideal vehicle for him to display his talents. The second movement in particular, 'Presto capriccioso alla napolitana', makes huge demands on technical virtuosity. Kennedy is almost unfailingly accurate with intonation in the higher registers. His double-stopping is especially impressive. The Violin Concerto is a piece that ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Bruch - Violin Concerto/Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto

from: EMI Classics

Release Date November 14, 1988
Clear? Utmostly classical if not classic violin playing that is so beautiful that it sounds like a visit at the museum, or, and I am afraid it is how I feel about it, like some perfectly sampled, rendered and tempered violin playing produced by a synthesizer. It is difficult to feel any personality in that too "perfect" music, and Bruch is perfect in his own turn to amplify that feeling with his first concerto which was composed following the most surprising method. It was rewritten several times under the solicited and welcome influence of several other people, to make sure in a way it would correspond to the ambient taste more than to the composer's unique feelings. And he must have disliked this opportunistic work enough to have sold it, all rights attached, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Blue Note Sessions

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date October 02, 2006
I think that anybody questioning Kennedy's ability should spend a few hours viewing him on YouTube - or better still, in concert. He has quite understandably been hailed as the world's greatest musical performer by some. I admit that the Blue Note Sessions are quite laid-back, but having seen some of the material performed live by Kennedy only five days ago at Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in London, and having purchased this particular album, I can only say that my respect for Kennedy grows almost daily. Nobody should even begin to question Kennedy's genre-crossing abilities. I doubt anybody except Kennedy could pull off the performance at the Brits classics awards that can be viewed on YouTube. His abilities are stunning. Watching him perform the Blue Note and other material ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Kafka

by: Nigel Kennedy

Release Date October 01, 1999
I think that anybody questioning Kennedy's ability should spend a few hours viewing him on YouTube - or better still, in concert. He has quite understandably been hailed as the world's greatest musical performer by some. I admit that the Blue Note Sessions are quite laid-back, but having seen some of the material performed live by Kennedy only five days ago at Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in London, and having purchased this particular album, I can only say that my respect for Kennedy grows almost daily. Nobody should even begin to question Kennedy's genre-crossing abilities. I doubt anybody except Kennedy could pull off the performance at the Brits classics awards that can be viewed on YouTube. His abilities are stunning. Watching him perform the Blue Note and other material ... Read More: