Nigel Kennedy

Why Kennedy reversed the running order at the Dome I may never know but I am glad he did. In the first half he gave us his extraordinary take on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Perhaps better seen as variations they were both fascinating and accomplished, but also at time totally infuriating. There is little doubting the man’s immense talent though and he plays with a joie de vivre that is undeniable and I am very glad that I had this experience, which despite not liking in its entirety I would have been hard pressed to not give four or maybe five stars. But after the interval we had his work The Four Elements, a great sprawling mess of a piece that plucked random ideas from space and threw them together in a way that simply saw me lopping away those stars. The four vocalists who charmingly “Swingled” their way through the first half now seemed lost and despite the brilliance of every member of the Orchestra Of Life I simply did not engage with a work that lurched from classical themes to heavy rock riffs and Chick Korea-esque meanderings. So for Nigel the violin virtuoso a clear and indisputable 5 stars but for the whole evening I’m sorry, only 3.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 23 January 2012

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