Nigel Kennedy

I was the youngest person in the audience at Nigel Kennedy's concert at the Grand Opera House, York, eager to see his interpretation of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". Yet Kennedy's faux-Cockney accent, his trampish 'street' attire, and affected rock-star mannerisms would have been better suited to a Manchester indie club, rather than the middle-class local theatre in York. I'm sure Kennedy would take this as a compliment; but, dear reader, I mean to be quite rude. Kennedy is just about the most pretentious 'cat' (his word, not mine) this side of the Atlantic. Everything about him is contrived, from his wide-boy flirtation with the more attractive of the orchestra, to his seeming lack of knowledge about his own art: "Are their twelve or fifteen pieces in Bach's variations?" Of course Kennedy knows music Bach to front (I couldn't resist), due to his talented ancestry, and his privileged education. This act is both unnecessary and unfunny. I was surprised that his proclamation, "I'm a lucky fucking bastard!" garnered even the slightest titter from his long-toothed audience. However, the real lucky bastards were the audience when Kennedy shut his trap and began to do what he does best.

The first half of the show comprised of the "Four Elements", a piece written by Kennedy, inspired by Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", which was to be the grand finale in the second act. Kennedy took us through a lively and energetic hour of music. The finest moments were when the music was stripped back to acoustic string instruments. Kennedy led on the violin, complimented by the expert backing of the Orchestra of Life and Voices. This was when the magic happened. Kennedy conducted the orchestra to play with the perfect oscillation of volume and timbre - yes, that’s as technical as it gets - with the slight addition of the four vocalists adding just the right texture to this acoustic base. Sadly, experimentation for its own sake led Kennedy to introduce a few too many genres into the mix. Half-way through the first half, emphasis shifted to Alice Cooper-style guitar riffs and overpowering drums. I am open minded about fusing different genres of music, but when Kennedy had vocalists, orchestra, and blues instruments already playing, the rock element became abstruse. I struggled to hear any of the violins due to the cacophony of sound that blared from the stage. Nigel, who are you trying to be?

I was marshaling my negative review in the interval, struggling to find enough synonyms for "din", but what happened in the second act was quite astonishing. Kennedy used the experimental techniques from "Four Elements" to great effect in Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." We began with a high-octane interpretation of Spring. The players came alive; it was music for the eyes and the ears! When Kennedy reached for his electric violin I almost left the auditorium, but his heavy metal twist worked this time when applied to Summer and Autumn. Despite his joke about the trumpeter "Thomas 'Shrek' Novak", this talented brass musician was one of the highlights of the show. He played brass like Vivaldi had meant it to be part of the composition; Novak was seamlessly groovy. Winter was left to speak for itself. Plain old instruments. Magnificent music.

We were all ready to give Kennedy a standing ovation, but there was more. Kennedy delivered a breathtaking solo performance of "Danny Boy." You couldn't hear a pin drop, not even the most ailing pensioners dared to punctuate this piece with coughing and wheezing. What a way to end an evening - a piece everyone knows made fresh again by a real master. For all his 'japes' and ridiculous play-acting, Kennedy can certainly use his instrument. This writer went home and reluctantly downloaded some of Kennedy's stuff. Although I have helped fatten the bloat king, I've spent the last few hours listening to his "Danny Boy" on my iTunes through bleary eyes, imagining Ireland's frosty vistas.

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