Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (the original version)

Nigel Kennedy - violin
With the English Chamber Orchestra.

This album captures the talent of Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' - a brilliant interpretation.

"What strikes me about The Four Seasons is how Vivaldi 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."
- Nigel Kennedy

BIOGRAPHY:
For the past 25 years, Nigel Kennedy has been acknowledged as one of the world's leading violin virtuosos and is, without doubt, one of the most important violinists Britain has ever produced. His virtuosic technique, unique talent and popular appeal have brought fresh perspectives to both the classical and contemporary repertoire.

As a child, Kennedy was Yehudi Menuhin's most famous protégé, studying first at the Menuhin School - following Lord Menuhin's death, it emerged that the legendary violinist had personally paid the young Kennedy's fees throughout his education at the school - before moving to the Juilliard School of Music in New York to study under the celebrated teacher, Dorothy DeLay.

During his career, Kennedy has undertaken major tours throughout Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the USA, performing with the world's major orchestras and conductors; he has made appearances at the most important festivals in Europe and the United States. Major debuts have included his 1977 London Royal Festival Hall performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, with the Philharmonia under Riccardo Muti, his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1980 and his New York orchestral debut in 1987.

Kennedy has attracted an enormous amount of UK and international media attention throughout his extraordinary career. His television appearances have been wide and varied; his interpretations of both Bruch's Violin Concerto and the Vivaldi Four Seasons were the feature of television specials and he has been the subject of ITV's This is Your Life. He has given two Royal Command Performances in the UK, at Birmingham's NEC for the Prince's Trust and the London Palladium for the Royal Variety Performance before Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

A major EMI artist since the very start of his career, Kennedy's multi-award-winning discography is extensive. He has made two highly-acclaimed recordings of Elgar's Violin Concerto; the first, with the London Philharmonic and Vernon Handley, achieved gold disc status, was voted 1985 Record of the Year by Gramophone magazine and was awarded Best Classical Album of the Year at the BPI Awards, selling in excess of 300,000 copies. His recordings of the Brahms and Beethoven violin concertos have each sold over 100,000 copies and Kennedy's landmark recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling classical work of all time. Over 2 million copies have been sold and the album remained top of the UK classical charts for an amazing six months.

Other major recordings include the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic; the Bartók Solo Sonata together with Mainly Black, Kennedy's own arrangement of Ellington's Black Brown and Beige Suite; the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle; Walton's Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and André Previn and the Bruch and Mendelssohn concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate. EMI has also released an acclaimed disc of Kennedy's own compositions, Kafka. Kennedy's recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic, under the direction of Klaus Tennstedt, was released in March 1991 and, in June 1992, Kennedy joined forces with the NDR-Sinfonieorchester and Klaus Tennstedt to record the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Also in Kennedy's catalogue are chamber works by Debussy and Ravel, and Berg's Violin Concerto.

Kennedy launched Always Playing, a popular book about part of his life - the violinist is loathe to call it a biography - at the Edinburgh Book Fair in August 1991, published in paperback the following year.
In 1992, Kennedy took the controversial and highly publicised decision to withdraw completely from public performance. During this period, EMI issued A Portrait of Nigel Kennedy.

Following a five-year sabbatical, in April 1997, Kennedy made a triumphant return to the international concert platform. Even though the performance took place during the run-up to the British General Election, news of Kennedy's reappearance occupied the front pages of national newspapers. The Times critic declared, "Only one British violinist in my lifetime has produced anything as bold and exhilarating as that. It is his playing, though, that most reveals Kennedy's new maturity. No other violinist on earth could manage the astonishing stylistic transition presented." The Daily Telegraph stated, "Here was a reminder that Kennedy is a violinist in a million."

Since then, Kennedy has been in constant demand on the international circuit, touring major venues in countries throughout the world, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. In 1998, he made a highly acclaimed North American tour, his first for over five years and, since then, he has returned to the USA many times.

On his return to the studio, Kennedy re-recorded the Elgar Violin Concerto, alongside Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, with Sir Simon Rattle and the CBSO. The Daily Telegraph reviewer commented, "the unaccompanied cadenza in the finale has a greater spine-tingling eeriness than I have ever experienced before and the closing bars unleash a quite shattering intensity." In 1998 Kennedy devoted a recital disc to the works of the great violinist and composer, Fritz Kreisler. He has also produced and released The Kennedy Experience, works based on and inspired by the music of the legendary Jimi Hendrix. In 1999, Kennedy joined forces with one of the world's leading 'cellists, Lynn Harrell, to produce a critically acclaimed disc of chamber works by Bach, Ravel & Kodaly; later that year, EMI released Classic Kennedy, a collection of short pieces with the English Chamber Orchestra, which shot straight to number 1 in the UK classical charts. The following year, Kennedy released a concerto based on the work of rock band, The Doors.

2000 saw the release of Kennedy's first recording of works by Bach, a programme featuring four of the composer's best-known works: the Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, the Concerto for Oboe and Violin in D Minor and the A Minor and E Major violin concertos. Directed by the violinist himself, it also represents the first recording collaboration between Kennedy and one of the world's oldest and most revered orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic. During the 2000/2001 season, Kennedy gave major international concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 2000, Kennedy was presented with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the UK BRIT AWARDS, which took place at London's Royal Albert Hall; the following year, the same body awarded Kennedy the coveted Male Artist of the Year; the violinist headlined the televised awards ceremony with a performance of Bach with the Berlin Philharmonic and stunned the audience with an exhilarating interpretation of the Monte Czardas with Kroke, a trio of Polish musicians based in Krakow.

2002 engagements include further concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic, performing Vivaldi Concertos, and concerts with Kroke. 2002 also marks the 25th ANNIVERSARY of Kennedy's London debut and a number of celebratory performances will mark the occasion, including a GREATEST HITS TOUR with the Polish Chamber Orchestra in the autumn. Also to celebrate his 25th anniversary, EMI will release KENNEDY's GREATEST HITS. In September 2002, Kennedy will be appointed Artist Director of the Polish Chamber Orchestra, a role Kennedy's teacher and mentor, the late Lord Menuhin, once held.

EMI releases for 2003 are to include an album of works influenced by Klezmer, Arabic and gypsy music, with the trio, Kroke, and Kennedy's eagerly anticipated re-recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Kennedy is passionate about football and has long been a devotee of Aston Villa, attending as many matches as his schedule allows. He recently married his long-time partner, Agnieska; he has one son, Sark, and divides his time between homes in Krakow, London and Malvern.