Nigel Kennedy is AWESOME. The concert of his which I went to last night was one of the best I've ever been to. Nigel Kennedy's brilliance as a violin virtuoso was undeniable as he bowed his way through the many violin concertoes, the most famous four being The Four Seasons by Vivaldi which was played in the second half. In the first half he played four other concertoes by Vivaldi. In both halves of the concert, he also gave the audience more than they paid for by performing some extra pieces which were not in the programme.
Known as the bad boy of the classical music world, Kennedy came on stage spotting a mohawk-inspired hairdo, black leather jacket and his white shirt tucked out. He is known to spout expletives in his sentences (and he did do so last night!) but we love this bad boy.
What really impressed me was his rapport with the audience. This was very unlike the staid classical music concert one usually goes to. He charmed the audience with good-humoured chatter and engaged audiences with his friendliness as he knocked knuckles with audiences in the front row. That's his form of handshake. Once, he even asked one member of the audience for the programme so that he could check which piece he was supposed to play next.
Kennedy's passion, high energy, good humour and fierce virtuosity clearly inspired the rest of the chamber orchestra who delivered a fine performance. At the end of each movement, he made sure to acknowledge his team by knocking knuckles with one or two of the guys and kissing one or two of the ladies' hands. Kennedy was a bundle of energy. He never sat down at all. All the time he was playing, he was standing up, moving around the stage, stomping a foot now and then, jerking a knee as a note goes up.
I love this description from a review of the concert in The Sydney Morning Herald:
"In an effort to make the individual moment vivid, or interesting, he lunges and pulls back, cherishes one phrase and grinds another into the dust, always discarding the husk to cherish the kernel of immediacy and excitement at the centre of the musical experience. A terrible beauty is born."
At the end of L'Inverno (Winter), Kennedy strode off stage and came back on with a football in hand. Known to be a big fan of the football club Aston Villa, Kennedy kicked the autographed Aston Villa football into the audience. How cool's that???
During the encore, he showcased his musical diversity by playing rock legend Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and an Irish jig. During the Jimi Hendrix number he even got off the stage and interacted with the audience.
The audience clearly loved him and we lapped up all his humour together with the lovely music. There was so much laughter throughout the night.
The concert was meant to end at 10:10pm but it ended an hour later with all the extra pieces and the encore he performed. I can't believe some people actually left early. They started leaving before Kennedy and team came back on stage to take their bows after they exited. It's so rude to not acknowledge the performers for such a brilliant show. Oh well, it was those people's loss 'cos they missed the football kicking and the encore pieces. Kennedy and team received a standing ovation from most people, and deservedly so!
Nigel Kennedy's one helluva performer. And to hear The Four Seasons being played by him, probably his most famous recording ever, was an amazing experience. Unforgettable.
Posted by DSD at December 9, 2003 11:53 PM | TrackBackyou lucky sod!
it's wonderful to see and hear people who enjoy what they do....wished i was there....damn!
Yes, I'm envious too! Sounds like it was an energetic performance. I should try and find some of his music to listen to.
Posted by: Van Heng at December 12, 2003 3:46 PM