|
|
NIGEL KENNEDY was born in Brighton and studied at the Menuhin School and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. His interests extend to all areas of music: as well as giving recitals and concerts, he pertorms rock and jazz with his own group. Since his Festival Hall debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Muti in 1977, he has appeared with all the mator British orchestras and at every leading UK festival. In Europe, his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic took place in 1980, and he has since appeared with the Oslo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic and Stockholm Radio Orchestras. He has toured Australia, New Zealand, the Far East and the USA.
Nigel Kennedy records esclusively for EMI. His releases include Tchaikovsky's Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Kamu, Bartók's Solo Violin Sonata (together with Mainly Black, his own arrangement of Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige Suite), Walton's Violin and Viola Concertos (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Previn), Sibelius's Concerto (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Rattle) and Bruch No.1 and Mendelssohn (English Chamber Orchestra/tate). His recording ot the Elgar Concerto on EMI Eminence (LPO/Handley) earned a gold disc and in 1985 was named Record of the Year by Gramophone magazine and won the BPI Classical Award. His first electronic I5ZZ record, Let Loose, was released in 1987.
What strikes me most about The Four Seasons is how Vivsldi evokes such strong images in such a direct way. The fast passages bristle with energy, the melodies communicate with beauty and simplicity; and the huge contrasts in the music enhance the effect of this on the listener.
As far as my performance is concerned, I don't think anything is added to this recording, or to the performance on it, by describing the technique used to get the result. Suffice it to say that I have tried not to be seduced either by the 'authentic' movement-which, although reviving one set of historical skills, shows it has inherited the usual 20th-century disrespect for the past by ignoring the skills developed for musical communication over the last 150 years-or by the 'romantic' approach of doing what you feel like but with exactly the same vibrato and tone colour throughout.
Once I've established an instinctive relationship with the music, I need to use every kind of technique I know to communicate that to the listener, and this communication has to come before any discrimination about the period of the music. In my opinion, if a piece of music belongs only to the time in which it was written, it should not be played today. Vivaldi's Four Seasons has far more to offer us than mere historical interest. Of course, it's the music that counts in the end,and you,the listener,will decide its value. So I hope you enjoy it.