# Nigel Kennedy cancels concert



## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

It seems that violinist Nigel Kennedy has pulled out of a concert because the sponsor, Classic FM, insisted he not play a Jimi Hendrix tribute he had planned, but rather, Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

I suspect I'm one of the few members here who has no strong preference for one work over the other, or would have no strong preference, if The Four Seasons was not one of the most frequently performed classical works of all (many would say, over-performed), while the Hendrix tribute would have been something new and sounded interesting. It might have been wonderful, and it might have been dreadful.

But I do have a strong preference for letting a performer play whatever he or she wishes to play on stage, and letting the audience be the sole arbiter. The professional musician is subject to the ultimate artistic discipline: Either people will be willing to pay to hear his/her music, or he/she will be unable to earn a living as a musician. No other discipline or limitations need be imposed. IMO, for all his showmanship, Kennedy is a great violinist. His Elgar concerto remains one of the standard recordings. I'd say to Classic FM, you needn't hire him, but if you do, back off and let him do his Nigel Kennedy thing.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/20/violinist-nigel-kennedy-cancels-concert-after-classic-fm-stops-hendrix-tribute?fbclid=IwAR05H7SrtDkXyifi3RJwzfgqHW4cePPdTKa7lTG72KP56i4mE6vr6BKOfVE


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

What were they afraid of, Kennedy playing the violin with his teeth or maybe getting down on his knees and ritualistically setting fire to it? But who the hell wants to hear _The Four Seasons_ for the eight zillionth time? Oh - I was forgetting this is Classic FM we're talking about...


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Nigel is a fabulous musician and as fluteman says, his Elgar vc is top flight. Why oh why can't CFM just let him do his thing? Who knows, it might even help towards a new generation of CM fans.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Always been a fan of Nigel Kennedy, even if it is quite easy to find him irritating at times! And yes, some of his early recordings were excellent.

As to Classic FM, I though it was clear to most people (Nigel included) that the FM bit stands for "Fock Me, this is bland" and the Four Seasons is about as adventurous as they'll ever go.


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## 1846 (Sep 1, 2021)

It's very strange. One doesn't book Nigel Kennedy without expecting the unexpected, and that anyone booking this artist would be ready for anything and would welcome what came their way. I love Vivaldi; I'm not into Jimi Hendrix, but if I had the opportunity to hear Nigel Kennedy live, I'd be happy for whatever he chose to play.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

In a way, I'm not surprised at this news, because Nigel Kennedy has for a while now been one of those musicians who doesn't want to be straitjacketed by the classical industry. The last I heard of him, he was living in Poland and producing albums there with his own group. I've got _The Four Elements_, and I think its quite an accomplished fusion of classical, rock, jazz and much else. I like how he sees more connections between different types of music than boundaries.

I remember him in an interview many years ago saying that early in his career, he reached a fork in the road. He could have gone on being the touring virtuoso, playing the same concertos around the world, or he could follow his passion and do something different. While he's probably the best example of this alternative approach, others have done similar things, like Yo-Yo Ma with his collaborations with musicians outside the classical realm.

Yehudi Menuhin, who worked with Ravi Shankar and Stephane Grappelli, also broke out of the virtuoso stereotype. In his autobiography, he wrote that he tried to play as much contemporary classical as possible, but the reality was that there wasn't much demand for it. He played many pieces that where premiered, and in a few cases recorded, then didn't see the light of day again. In comparison to that, crossover had the advantage of attracting a wide audience - many otherwise not interested in classical, old or contemporary - and it was a refreshing change from what people expected.

I'd be equally happy to hear Nigel Kennedy play Vivaldi or Hendrix, or both. I like how he places importance on improvisation, as a way of interacting with fellow musicians and giving the audience something unexpected. Musicians need to be encouraged to experiment, and most importantly, to be themselves. Classical is changing to something substantially different to what we knew before, it needs to do that to stay alive and make connections to the wider society.


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## FrankE (Jan 13, 2021)

CnC Bartok said:


> Always been a fan of Nigel Kennedy, even if it is quite easy to find him irritating at times! And yes, some of his early recordings were excellent.
> 
> As to Classic FM, I though it was clear to most people (Nigel included) that the FM bit stands for "Fock Me, this is bland" and the Four Seasons is about as adventurous as they'll ever go.


Classic Frequent Monotony


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Sid James said:


> In a way, I'm not surprised at this news, because Nigel Kennedy has for a while now been one of those musicians who doesn't want to be straitjacketed by the classical industry. The last I heard of him, he was living in Poland and producing albums there with his own group. I've got _The Four Elements_, and I think its quite an accomplished fusion of classical, rock, jazz and much else. I like how he sees more connections between different types of music than boundaries.
> 
> I remember him in an interview many years ago saying that early in his career, he reached a fork in the road. He could have gone on being the touring virtuoso, playing the same concertos around the world, or he could follow his passion and do something different. While he's probably the best example of this alternative approach, others have done similar things, like Yo-Yo Ma with his collaborations with musicians outside the classical realm.


Very true, and there are many others aside from Yo-Yo Ma and Nigel Kennedy, either collaborating with non-classical or non-western artists, expanding their repertoire on their own, or both. Good to see none of the posters here make the same blunder Classic FM is making, not only in underestimating, but in utterly misunderstanding, both classical music and its audience.

Nigel Kennedy knows perfectly well that many if not most coming to his concerts are, like 1846, more interested in Vivaldi than in Jimi Hendrix, and that the onus is on him to prove to those people that he can give them something worth listening to from Hendrix that they didn't necessarily know about before. Even I, a fan of both, give him no free passes. I'm not interested in gimmicks. That is the challenge every true artist faces -- doing something individual and unique that is genuinely worthwhile.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Classic FM has just proven itself to be an irrelevant entity, IMO. Nigel Kennedy playing a Hendrix tribute would have been so much more interesting and exciting rather than yet another performance of the Four Seasons, which has been heard thousands of times.

I applaud Kennedy; he has gained rmucho respect in my eyes.


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## FrankE (Jan 13, 2021)

I'm not a fan of Hendrix but that sounds interesting and I'd rather see that than than re-enact a very long wait on the telephone for aggro from the Department of Worker Punchings


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

HenryPenfold said:


> Nigel is a fabulous musician and as fluteman says, his Elgar vc is top flight. Why oh why can't CFM just let him do his thing? Who knows, it might even help towards a new generation of CM fans.


I have the Kennedy Elgar VC on EMI. Great disc.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

fluteman said:


> It seems that violinist Nigel Kennedy has pulled out of a concert because the sponsor, Classic FM, insisted he not play a Jimi Hendrix tribute he had planned, but rather, Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
> ...





elgars ghost said:


> What were they afraid of, Kennedy playing the violin with his teeth or maybe getting down on his knees and ritualistically setting fire to it? But who the hell wants to hear _The Four Seasons_ for the eight zillionth time? Oh - I was forgetting this is Classic FM we're talking about...


More likely, the Brits were terrified that Kennedy might play the American "Star Spangled Banner." Classic FM tends to favor music by English composers, like Vivaldi, don't they?


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I had the pleasure of seeing Nigel at the Concert Hall in Glasgow a few years ago. He was brilliant and he did play his Hendrix medley. He played a lot of Vivaldi violin concertos too. All equally impressive. During his Hendrix medley he left the stage and wandered freely through the audience engaging with us all. At the start of the concert he noticed quite a number of empty seats in the stalls so he invited all of us in the gallery and gods to come down to the stalls to make it look busy. Everyone did and the atmosphere was just one huge party. A fantastic night.


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## BoggyB (May 6, 2016)

CFM can be a good entrance to classical music for newbies and the curious, but after a few years when you realise it's mostly repetition, the true fan will go off on his/her own journey. And years later, if you turn it on and hear an ex-news-anchor introducing Beethoven's Fifth, you know you did the right thing stopping.

I sometimes turn CFM on to hear what's on. Do you know, in all my years, I've never once heard Bruckner on there (not including in the annual Hall of Fame, when they have no choice). Kennedy has probably done the right thing. Good on him. But I want CFM to stay afloat, doing its donkey-work for the masses.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

The fact that one of the Jimi Hendrix songs which Nigel Kennedy was going to revamp is the sublime _Little Wing_ makes the decision by the unimaginative ostriches at Classic FM all the more regrettable. Kennedy himself must be thoroughly fed up with _The Four Seasons_ by now anyway. I think Classic FM are also trying to push through their bland agenda by nannying the audience here - as if they are making their minds up for them by saying that anything deemed non-standard will be met with incomprehension or resentment. As it's the general public who actually are forking out the money I think they are grown up enough to be allowed to decide for themselves!


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

FrankE said:


> Classic Frequent Monotony


...it's about time they changed their name to something more appropriate, like "Adagio FM"


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

golfer72 said:


> I have the Kennedy Elgar VC on EMI. Great disc.


Which one? He recorded it twice. The first with Handley was the recording that put him on the map, but there is a second recording with Rattle (following memorable live concerts) which, coincidentally, I was listening to yesterday. It's a wonderful performance.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Kennedy has also recorded a brilliant Walton Violin Concerto paired with him playing the Viola Concerto too. A great player and good on him for pursuing his artistry.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Will everyone please stop knocking Classic FM.

I play their smooth classics programme every night and I love it - what I actually do is put in on lowish volume on a tuner/twin cassette deck (remember those) I still have, on a thirty minute timer and it invariably sends me to sleep. 
Before doing this I used to struggle to get to sleep - so I am indebted to their bland playlist.



ETA. - I should have pointed out I have no idea what music is being played it just turns into a mush of bland sound with the occasional Pie Jesu thrown in.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Malx said:


> Will everyone please stop knocking Classic FM.
> 
> I play their smooth classics programme every night and I love it - what I actually do is put in on lowish volume on a tuner/twin cassette deck (remember those) I still have, on a thirty minute timer and it invariably sends me to sleep.
> Before doing this I used to struggle to get to sleep - so I am indebted to their bland playlist.


Malx - you ought to detune your radio and try the between-stations white noise instead. At a low-ish volume it sounds like distant rain.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

The story is even worse than we have so far mentioned. They wanted him to play the 4 Seasons, yes, but they also insisted he do so with a conductor whereas he wanted to conduct from his violin. Anyone who listens to CFM needs to start a boycott immediately, even at the cost of sleepless nights.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Enthusiast said:


> The story is even worse than we have so far mentioned. They wanted him to play the 4 Seasons, yes, but they also insisted he do so with a conductor whereas he wanted to conduct from his violin. Anyone who listens to CFM needs to start a boycott immediately, even at the cost of sleepless nights.


 I've boycotted them from the beginning.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

If I hear Scheherazade once more…….! Every blooming day at the same time. And I like Scheherazade, least ways I used to like it.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Barbebleu said:


> If I hear Scheherazade once more…….! Every blooming day at the same time. And I like Scheherazade, least ways I used to like it.


If you are listening often enough to know that its on the same time every day methinks you must secretly love the station


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

If I'm being fair it seems to me that both parties have to take some of the blame. CFM must know what Nigel Kennedy is like and what he is likely to do but equally surely Nige must know what CFM's expectations are likely to be.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Barbebleu said:


> I had the pleasure of seeing Nigel at the Concert Hall in Glasgow a few years ago. He was brilliant and he did play his Hendrix medley. He played a lot of Vivaldi violin concertos too. All equally impressive. During his Hendrix medley he left the stage and wandered freely through the audience engaging with us all. At the start of the concert he noticed quite a number of empty seats in the stalls so he invited all of us in the gallery and gods to come down to the stalls to make it look busy. Everyone did and the atmosphere was just one huge party. A fantastic night.


Well, that explains why Classic FM wouldn't let him do his thing. It wouldn't do to have "A fantastic night." SMH.



Malx said:


> If I'm being fair it seems to me that both parties have to take some of the blame. CFM must know what Nigel Kennedy is like and what he is likely to do but equally surely Nige must know what CFM's expectations are likely to be.


Not really, because if they didn't want Nigel Kennedy, they could have hired any one of dozens of other major soloists. Once they hire him, he is a well-known quantity, and they need to accept him for who he is. The burden is on him to put on a great concert, he has proved capable of doing it, and that should be the end of it.


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## FrankE (Jan 13, 2021)

Malx said:


> If I'm being fair it seems to me that both parties have to take some of the blame. CFM must know what Nigel Kennedy is like and what he is likely to do but equally surely Nige must know what CFM's expectations are likely to be.


I think CFM are perhaps demonstrating unrealistic expectations of what the audience wants. I think most would want to widen their concert-listening repertoire and very few would be like "oh go and play that piece you've been doing since 1989 again"
His and the English Chamber Orchestra's Vivaldi Four Seasons was the best-selling classical album ever selling over three million copies, so perhaps it's something to do with the record company?
At 32 years it's not a significant anniversary of the recording.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Do we know what the original contract specifics were - I doubt anyone outside of the participating parties do. Which is why I believe there is potentially an element of blame on both sides.
Am I to believe that Kennedy was asked to do a concert of what ever material he choses by CFM - seems to me whoever negotiated this deal made a right mess of it.

Anyway I'm off to listen to some music.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

It seems that CFM feared being seen as having dumbed down if they had broadcast Kennedy's Hendrix but the opposite would have been the case. The blandness of their fayre may be as dumbed down as they could get.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Perspective from the States:

Perhaps CFM plays the bon-bons and war horses repetitively, but consider other alternatives.

Here in the States over the past couple of decades now we've witnessed a major decline in the number of "classical music" oriented radio stations which used to be reliable sources for a _different _kind of radio fare from the usual AM and FM programming. Quite a few of the losses were with Public Radio stations (NPR) though there have been changes to commercial stations. And an inordinate number of the stations changed to two sorts of programming which run amok here in the U.S. -- so-called "Country Music" and Conservative Political/Religious Talk Radio.

Of course, Sirius satellite broadcasting is almost the radio norm any more, but check out the dial there and count the number of pop/rock/country/talk radio offerings in comparison to the meager handful of "classical" offerings.

All of us here on the Talk Classical Forum have access to a wide range of "classical" fare, and we keep up with what is new and happening in the world of our hobby-interest music. But let us not discourage a station, well-established and firmly grounded, that provides access to what most of us would consider "introductory" fare in terms of "classical" music. If a newbie is excited after hearing for the first time the Beethoven Fifth or _Scheherazade_ or _The Four Seasons_, we should all feel good that the music is remaining alive and is still able to recruit new fans who, quite possibly, will be joining with us on this very Forum someday. I say this realizing that it was just such bon-bons and war horses as promoted by CFM that addicted me to this world of "serious" music. Of course, I haven't remained mired in a handful of such classics, but have gone on to explore music of various genres, ages, styles ... and I never stopped exploring.

I agree that Kennedy did the right thing for himself and his fans and the audience in general. But I do wonder if someone out there, someone who has never heard "classical" music or the Vivaldi concertos, will continue to remain in the dark because of this action. I certainly hope not. Though I do know quite a few folks who seem content with Country Music and Conservative Political/Religious Talk Radio. And I know that I am terrified more by _that_ particular audience than by one which favors "classical" classics, even if they are played over and over again.

So Bravo to Kennedy. And Bravo to CFM. Ideally, though, perhaps the administration at CFM will come to some sort of understanding that a few tweaks here and there in their programming will serve only to enhance the station rather than kill it. One thing I suspect none of us wants is a dead classical music radio station, even if the corpse is that of Classic FM.


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

SONNET CLV said:


> Perspective from the States:
> 
> Perhaps CFM plays the bon-bons and war horses repetitively, but consider other alternatives.
> 
> ...


I don't remember when this elevation of Jimi began. A few decades ago, I guess. He died so young. Your post seems to rank Hendrix above Country Music. I'm just curious what your thinking is.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Luchesi said:


> I don't remember when this elevation of Jimi began. A few decades ago, I guess. He died so young. Your post seems to rank Hendrix above Country Music. *I'm just curious what your thinking is.*


I'm just not a big fan of "Country Music", especially as it is produced today. I admit to recognizing Hank Williams as a true great in American music, one of our greatest songwriters, and I enjoy bluegrass banjo and fiddle music which, at its best, requires great skills. For the most part, though, contemporary "Country" with its twangy pretentiousness and overly conservative attitudes doesn't sit well with me. Heck! There's a lot of music out there, and I suspect I could defend "Country" for its various strengths (which are often in lyrics and point-of-view), but I simply prefer other genres (classical, jazz, classic rock...) so much moreso.

I played guitar in a college-town rock band for a couple of years back in the day when Hendrix was still fresh. I recall playing "Purple Haze" and "Crosstown Traffic", both favorites. I recall also, a few years earlier than that, as a youngster, when I first heard Hendrix's music and "didn't get it." (But remember, I didn't get Stravinsky's _Rite_ or the Bach Cantatas either at that age.) I still have several Hendrix records in my collection, and I still listen to them on occasion, though my musical tastes have largely changed from the days back then when I attempted Hendrix music on my ol' Fender electric geetar. I hold that Terry Kath of the band Chicago is the best of the rock guitarists, better even than Hendrix. But I think Jimi thought as much about Kath. At least he once said something to the effect that Kath was a better player than he himself was.

Back in the day I also played some Chicago tunes, my favorite for guitar (I generally played lead) was "25 or 6 to 4" with that superb, and my all-time favorite, lead guitar solo. I'm still working on the subtler details of that lead, some 50 years on, and give it a shot each time (rarer and rarer on occasion nowadays) I take out my old electric, but I've mostly forgotten my way around the "classic rock" chords and riffs. Perhaps playing guitar is not quite like riding a bicycle. I don't know. I haven't been on a bicycle for some years now, either.

So, don't let my personal likes and dislikes prove any sort of arbiter of tastes on this Forum. It's just that, chances are if you were to stop by the cabin and hear music blasting from my stereo speakers, it likely won't be contemporary Country Music. But it might be most anything else.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Which one? He recorded it twice. The first with Handley was the recording that put him on the map, but there is a second recording with Rattle (following memorable live concerts) which, coincidentally, I was listening to yesterday. It's a wonderful performance.


Handley with LPO


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Kennedy has always thrown rock music into his repertoire as he's a fan of some of the old classic bands like Zeppelin, The Who and the Doors. Safe to say that if I were going to see him I'd expect a mix of rock, jazz-rock, jazz and classical (he's also thrown in the odd country tune every once in a while). Classic FM are about as relevant to me as the dinosaurs. I loathe radio as a medium. Listening to music dictated to me by others might be OK for some but not for me. I have no time to waste anymore listening to music I don't want to hear because it's either pish or I've heard it a million times before. Well done to Kennedy for telling the incredibly dull people at Classic FM to stick it. 

PS. Like EG I'd love to hear his take on 'Little Wing' which I regard as one of the greatest rock songs ever written (the solo on 'Hendrix in the West' massively eclipses the studio version, IMO).


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Quite simply the Four Seasons is the sort of piece Classic FM listeners want to hear. They probably don’t want to hear Jimi Hendrix. Kennedy should know that as a professional. I must confess I am prejudiced do find him intensely annoying with his faux working class accent and punk hairdo. He is okay as long as he plays his violin and does not open his mouth. If he doesn’t want to play the four seasons then there are many people who will and play it just as well as he does.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

JTS said:


> Quite simply the Four Seasons is the sort of piece Classic FM listeners want to hear. They probably don't want to hear Jimi Hendrix. Kennedy should know that as a professional. I must confess I am prejudiced do find him intensely annoying with his faux working class accent and punk hairdo. *He is okay as long as he plays his violin* and does not open his mouth. If he doesn't want to play the four seasons then there are many people who will and play it just as well as he does.


The great thing about experiencing recorded music (at home or in one's private space via one's personal playback system) is that the artists' looks, actions and gimmicks don't necessarily apply. If the musicianship is good and if the music is good one can enjoy it without being turned-on or -off by hair color, outfit, light shows, tongues sticking out into the air and wagging, stuff flying through the air, and ... whatever.

Of course, no amount of "gimmicks" (and I know I should use "number" instead of "amount") can ruin a great musical performance, but a great musical performance cannot be cobbled together by adding gimmicks. So, when I listen to my Nigel Kennedy albums* in the quiet, solitary solace of my listening room, I don't even think about what color hair or cut of outfit the "fiddler" is sporting during that recording session. The music is all.

______________

* Those albums are several, including Kennedy's recording of _The Four Seasons_ with the English Chamber Orchestra, his Beethoven Concerto with Tennstedt and the Sinfonie-Orchester des NDR, the EMI Classics release of his performances of both the Walton Violin Concerto and the Viola Concerto, and two versions of the Elgar Concerto, one with Rattle and the Birmingham (which features also a wonderful reading of the Vaughan-Williams _Lark Ascending_) and one with Handley and the LPO. And on any of these discs, I know not what the violinist looked like or was wearing at the time of recording. And I don't care. The music is all.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

SONNET CLV said:


> The great thing about experiencing recorded music (at home or in one's private space via one's personal playback system) is that the artists' looks, actions and gimmicks don't necessarily apply. If the musicianship is good and if the music is good one can enjoy it without being turned-on or -off by hair color, outfit, light shows, tongues sticking out into the air and wagging, stuff flying through the air, and ... whatever.
> 
> Of course, no amount of "gimmicks" (and I know I should use "number" instead of "amount") can ruin a great musical performance, but a great musical performance cannot be cobbled together by adding gimmicks. So, when I listen to my Nigel Kennedy albums* in the quiet, solitary solace of my listening room, I don't even think about what color hair or cut of outfit the "fiddler" is sporting during that recording session. The music is all.
> 
> ...


As a matter of interest I also have the albums stated. I also listen to them with enjoyment. Just wish Kennedy would shut up and let his violin do the talking.


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

JTS said:


> As a matter of interest I also have the albums stated. I also listen to them with enjoyment. Just wish Kennedy would shut up and let his violin do the talking.


Could be thinking if he causes a fuss it will help make him more money.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Johnnie Burgess said:


> Could be thinking if he causes a fuss it will help make him more money.


Well of course no 'artist' would pass up the chance of making more money would he? Not even the likes of Heifetz - or even Beethoven!


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Nigel Kennedy is among the most successful Classical musicians of his generation. IMO Classic FM was wrong, and Kennedy made the decision to pull out based on their autocratic treatment of him as an artist.

From the Guardian article:



> For Classic FM, he had planned to perform one of Hendrix's most acclaimed songs, Little Wing, with its "Celtic-sounding melody" given a new rendition in the style of Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was inspired by Celtic songs.
> 
> According to Kennedy, he finally decided to pull out after being told that he would not receive adequate rehearsal time, alongside Classic FM telling him how to perform The Four Seasons.
> 
> ...


I applaud his decision and think Classic FM is an obsolete institution.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

It's hard to evaluate Kennedy's playing without being distracted by his Johnny Rotten-wannabe schtick, sorry.


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

Classic FM should invite Alma Deutscher to replace him to make some members of this site head explode. :devil:


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

SanAntone said:


> I applaud his decision and *think Classic FM is an obsolete institution.*


Classic FM obsolete? No doubt that's why 5.5 million people tune into it? All Philistines no doubt because they don't like Kennedy's punk hair-do?


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

JTS said:


> Classic FM obsolete? No doubt that's why 5.5 million people tune into it? All Philistines no doubt because they don't like Kennedy's punk hair-do?


Kennedy's appearance has nothing to do with the quality of Classic FM programming. For me, programming that gives us the same old warhorses and bon-bons hundreds/thousands of times does not add up to good programming; in terms of imagination, it's a bottom-feeder.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Bulldog said:


> Kennedy's appearance has nothing to do with the quality of Classic FM programming. For me, programming that gives us the same old warhorses and bon-bons hundreds/thousands of times does not add up to good programming; in terms of imagination, it's a bottom-feeder.


Just that 5.5 million people enjoy bottom-feeding, apparently! Sorry about that!


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Bulldog said:


> Kennedy's appearance has nothing to do with the quality of Classic FM programming. For me, programming that gives us the same old warhorses and bon-bons hundreds/thousands of times does not add up to good programming; in terms of imagination, it's a bottom-feeder.


Well I don't listen to Classic FM but I find it gratifying that people want to listen to the old warhorses. If you want the latest cutting edge avant garde I'm sure you can find it elsewhere.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

For anyone who is interested, The Guardian has an interview with Kennedy this morning:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/28/nigel-kennedy-classic-fm-fight-hendrix-beethoven-vivaldi-des-oconnor-duke-ellington

It includes lots of memories like this:



> Kennedy later studied at New York's Juilliard School, part-funded by busking. He was 16 when Stéphane Grappelli invited him on stage at Carnegie Hall, but his teachers told him that playing jazz would damage a classical career, so he initially refused. "Then I realised that here was this teenage precious brat telling one of the greatest violin players ever that it would be bad for me to play with him. So I got through half a bottle of Scotch, tumbled on stage and it was one of the most memorable times of my life." Later, a record company executive said this made Kennedy "the wrong person to play Mozart".


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Enthusiast said:


> For anyone who is interested, The Guardian has an interview with Kennedy this morning:
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/28/nigel-kennedy-classic-fm-fight-hendrix-beethoven-vivaldi-des-oconnor-duke-ellington
> 
> It includes lots of memories like this:


Just tells us what we know already. The guys a plonker who has never grown up!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

He's also a very talented musician. Plonker? I'm not sure. He's had an interesting journey and done some interesting things. You can sort of make sense of where he comes from and where he might be going. Personally, I don't feel the need (or see the relevance) of guessing about his personality ... just so long as he doesn't abuse or exploit people as some supposedly great musicians are known to have done.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Read the article in The Grauniad.

And I'm still very much on Nigel's side! Yes, he's still irritating at times, but if the worst he has done is compare Vivaldi to Des O'Connor, that makes him quirkily humourously a bit naughty, not the classical music equivalent of Pol Pot.


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