Nigel Kennedy

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Nigel Kennedy (born December 28, 1956 in Brighton, England) is a violinist and violist. He was a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School, under Yehudi Menuhin himself, and later at the Juilliard School in New York under Dorothy DeLay. He is most famous for his recordings of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. For a time he preferred to be known by just his surname Kennedy.

1 Career
2 Discography
3 Instruments
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Career

Kennedy has done much a to popularise classical music, particularly among young people. He has also performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti.

Although his carefully maintained loutish persona is seen by some as abrasive (including a 'mockney' accent instead of the received pronunciation he had when he was interviewed as a child) and limiting to his career. Kennedy was attacked for his approach to classical music by John Drummond in 1991.[1] Many respected musicians though, hold him in high esteem. With one of these, cellist Lynn Harrell, he has recorded a well-received album of duets. Currently, he has been exploring Polish music with the Polish jazz band Kroke. When not touring, he divides his time between residences in Malvern, Worcestershire and Kraków, Poland.

Kennedy expresses concern for the immediate appeal of live performance, and often records entire works or movements in single 'takes' to preserve this sense in his recordings. He also introduces improvisatory elements in his performances, as in his Jimi Hendrix-inspired cadenza to the Beethoven violin concerto and his jazz and fusion recordings. Away from his musical career, Kennedy is a supporter of football clubs Aston Villa and Cracovia. Recently he has appeared on Cracovia's 100th anniversary in club replica kit.

In 1999 Sony Classical released a recording entitled The Kennedy Experience, which featured improvisational recordings of Jimi Hendrix compositions. According to a BBC interview with Kennedy, the violinist stated that this recording is "an album of music inspired by Jimi Hendrix. It is an extended instrumental work in six movements - each movement a classical interpretation of a Hendrix song". On the recording, Kennedy is accompanied by seven other musicians, and the lineup includes two cellos, an oboe, two guitars, a dobro, flute, and double bass.