2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Luke (Belgium), November 4, 2008
This review is from: Legend: Nigel Kennedy (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)
Let me just make a few general considerations about what I think is the idea behind this guy or the way he is marketed.
Is it not great to have a fellow as Nigel, who can bring a new wind in this snobbyisch, self indulgent world (or at least a lot of people think so) of classical music?
Anyhow, there is a market for such a guy. He can bring new fans to classical music? Couldn't he?
I for myself was fascinated. Look at the guy, totally non-conformist, refusing to wear the clothing all the others wear. Gel in his hair. The looks of motorcyclist or some pub keeper.
And then he was a pupil of the great Yehudi Menuhin.
Wow, that is some explosive mixture and who wouldn't be charmed. At least I was, being an old hippie and all (or at least somewhat feeling in this way).
Only, only, this CD is the worst classical CD I have ever bought. Kennedy doesn't deliver at all.
The Beethoven part is a live recording. It hears like he's is not playing the violin, it's more like fiddling. That guy doesn't lift his bow! In a lot of places it sounds false too. Moreover the whole recording sounds bland and dull. Where are the high notes?
I have read some other commentaries and in such a case reactions are often like: "do you have a good sound system"? Well, I think I have, but we need not to discuss this, since after Beethovens concerto there is the one from Bruch and this is a studio recording. Here the sound is very good. It has all the brilliance needed. There is still Kennnedy's playing though. Again, this is fiddling, totally uninspired, boring. He can't make me shed a tear like so many other violin players can.
The DVD sounds well, but there is still this odd way of his playing. Should this be performing classical in a non-conformist way? Also, the images don't match the playing. It's understandable but it's boring.
Still it's undeniable that the man has his fans, lots of them, but I'm certainly not.
After this disillusionment I don't dare buying any CD from him anymore.
And I cannot understand how a grand editor of classical music such as EMI could release a CD of such poor recording technique.
Let Nigel play with Kroke or play jazzy stuff it seems to me. To my humble opinion, he's certainly more in his natural habitat there.
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