Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 Kennedy performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 28 December 1956 Brighton,Sussex, England |
| Genres | Classical,classic rock,jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Violinist,violist |
| Instrument(s) | Violin,viola,piano |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | EMI Classics |
Nigel Kennedy(born 28 December 1956) is an Englishviolinistandviolist.
His early career was primarily spent performingclassical music,and has since expanded intojazz,klezmer,and other music genres.
Early life and background[edit]
Kennedy's grandfather wasLauri Kennedy,principal cellist with theBBC Symphony Orchestra,[1]and his grandmother was Dorothy Kennedy, a pianist. Lauri and Dorothy Kennedy were Australian, while their son, the cellistJohn Kennedy,was born in England. After graduating from theRoyal Academy of Musicin London, at age 22, John joined theRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,later becoming the principal cellist of SirThomas Beecham'sRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra.While in England, John developed a relationship with an English pianist, Scylla Stoner, with whom he eventually toured in 1952 as part of the Llewellyn-Kennedy Piano Trio (with the violinistErnest Llewellyn;Stoner was billed as "Scylla Kennedy" after she and John married). But they ultimately divorced, and John returned to Australia.[2]
Kennedy was born inBrighton.A child prodigy, as a 10-year-old he picked outFats Wallertunes on the piano after hearing his stepfather's jazz records.[3]At the age of 7, he became a pupil at theYehudi Menuhin Schoolof Music.[4]He later studied at theJuilliard Schoolin New York City withDorothy DeLay.While there he helped to pay for his studies by busking with fellow student and cellistThomas Demenga.
Musical career[edit]
Until 2000[edit]
At the age of 16, Kennedy was invited by jazz violinistStéphane Grappellito appear with him at New York'sCarnegie Hall.[5]He made his recording debut in 1984 withElgar'sViolin Concerto.His subsequent recording ofVivaldi'sThe Four Seasonswith theEnglish Chamber Orchestrain 1989 sold over two million copies and earned a place as one of the best-selling of all classical recordings.[6]The album remained at the top of the UK classical charts for over a year, with total sales of over three million units.[7]
In 1992, Kennedy announced the end of his career in classical music.[8]Around this time, he recorded the albumMusic in ColourswithStephen Duffy.He returned to the international concert platform in the mid-1990s. In 1997, he received an award forOutstanding Contribution to British Musicat theBRIT Awards,and in 2001 received the 'Male Artist of the Year' award.[9]
In other music genres, Kennedy recorded a cover ofJimi Hendrix's "Fire"for the 1993 albumStone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.The same year, he made an appearance onRobert Plant's solo albumFate of Nationson the track "Calling to you". In 1999,Sony ClassicalreleasedThe Kennedy Experience,which featuredimprovisational recordingsbased on Hendrixcompositions.[10]Kennedy's autobiography,Always Playing,was published in 1991.[11]
Since 2000[edit]
In 2000, he recordedRiders on the Storm: The Doors Concerto(withJaz Coleman), a violin-based orchestral version ofDoorssongs, including "Strange Days","L.A. Woman","The End",and"Riders on the Storm".On 27 November 2000, Kennedy joined rock groupThe Whoat theRoyal Albert Hallto play the violin solo in the song "Baba O'Riley",released three years later on the albumLive at the Royal Albert Hall.Kennedy also played on several tracks – including "Experiment IV"– by British singer-songwriterKate Bush,who was a guest on Kennedy's episode ofThis Is Your Life.He was featured on two ofSarah Brightman's songs for her 2003 albumHarem.He has exploredKlezmermusic with the Polish jazz bandKroke.[12]In late 2005, Kennedy recorded his first album for theBlue Notejazz label, released asBlue Note Sessions,withRon Carteron double bass,Jack DeJohnetteon drums and saxophonistJoe Lovano.
Kennedy returned to the 2008Promsafter an absence of 21 years, performingElgar'sViolin Concertoand a late-night Prom with the Nigel Kennedy Quintet.[13]He was appointed artistic director of the Polish Chamber Orchestra and in 2010, founded the Orchestra of Life, an ensemble of mainly Polish musicians.[8]
In August 2013, he again returned to the Proms performingThe Four Seasonsat a concert featuring Kennedy with a group of young Palestinian musicians, the Palestine Strings from theEdward Said Conservatory of Music,and the Orchestra of Life. According to Michael Church ofThe Independent,in the first movement "Spring", Kennedy "swerved off-course with a flurry of bird-tweets followed by a jazz riff from his bassist; the staccato chords of the next movement were decorated by a microtonal Arabic riff from one of the guest players".[14]Near the end of the concert, the BBC removed the violinist's attribution ofapartheid to Israelfrom the television broadcast onBBC4.The comments were broadcast live onBBC Radio 3.A representative of the Corporation said they did not "fall within the editorial remit of the Proms as a classical music festival."[15][16]Kennedy said:
Ladies and gentlemen, it's a bit facile to say it but we all know from experiencing this night of music tonight, that given equality, and getting rid of apartheid, gives a beautiful chance for amazing things to happen.[17]
Kennedy objected to the removal of his remarks from the broadcast. A condition of the booking, to which Kennedy had agreed, was not making such a comment, according to his manager.[15]
Kennedy also plays the viola, and has recorded SirWilliam Walton'sViola Concerto.[18]Kennedy's own compositions include incidental music forChekhov's playThree Sisters.[19]Kennedy published his second autobiography,Nigel Kennedy Uncensored!,in 2021.[20]
Image[edit]
In 1991, the Controller ofBBC Radio 3John Drummondcriticised Kennedy describing him as "aLiberacefor the nineties "and objected to his" ludicrous "clothes and" self-invented accent ".[21]
Until 2006, Kennedy expressed his intention of not appearing on the classical London concert scene with a London orchestra, which was seen by some as arrogance,[5]although he rationalised it in terms of frustrated perfectionism:
It all comes down to the amount of rehearsal you get, or don't get, in this country. I insist on three or four sessions prior to a concert, and orchestral administrators won't accommodate that. If I didn't care about getting it right, I could do three concerts in the same amount of time and earn three times the money. But you can't do something properly in less time than it takes.[5]
Kennedy expresses a preference[22]for the immediate appeal of live performance, and often records entire works or movements in singletakesto preserve this sense in his recordings. He also introduces improvised elements to his performances, as in hisJimi Hendrix-inspiredcadenzatoBeethoven's Violin Concertoand hisjazzandfusionrecordings.
In September 2021, Kennedy cancelled a performance at the Royal Albert Hall after the host,Classic FM,prevented him from including a Jimi Hendrix composition at the concert. He had intended to perform a version of "Little Wing"in the manner ofRalph Vaughan Williams[23]
Personal life and politics[edit]
Kennedy was romantically involved with singer/guitaristBrix Smithafter she had broken up from and divorced husbandMark E. Smithin 1989.[24]Kennedy currently divides his time among residences inMalvern, Worcestershirewhere his former girlfriend Eve Westmore and son Sark Yves Amadeus (born in 1997) reside, London andKraków,Poland. He has been married twice; his second wife, Agnieszka (née Chowniec), is a Polish actress and artistic director, born in April 1977.[5][25]
Kennedy acknowledges regularly smokingcannabisto aid his creativity.[26]
Football[edit]
Kennedy is anAston Villa F.C.supporter.[5]AtPrzystanek Woodstock2010, he had his orchestra wear Aston Villa shirts and led the crowd in the team'schants.While living and recording in Poland, he also took an active interest inKS Cracovia,in whose 100th anniversary club replica kit he appeared.
Politics[edit]
Kennedy is an avowed socialist.[27]He supportedDavid Davis's campaign when he quit his ShadowHome Secretarypost to force a by-election, in protest over proposals to allow terrorist suspects to be locked up for 42 days without charge. Kennedy is a vocal opponent ofIsrael's policies in theWest Bank,and, in the summer of 2007, he told aHaaretzreporter:
I was shocked to see these walls, it's a newapartheid,barbaric behaviour: How can you impose such a collective punishment and separate people? After all, we are all living on the same planet. It seems to me the world should have already learned from what happened in South Africa. And a country that hasn't learned should beboycotted,so that's why I don't perform in your country.[28]
Honours[edit]
In 1991, he was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters, or Litt.D.) by theUniversity of Bath.[29]
Discography[edit]
| Album | Year | Peak chart positions | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [30] |
AUS [31] |
FRA [32] |
NLD [33] |
NZ [34] | |||
| Plays Jazz(Chandos) | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | Piano: Peter Pettinger |
| Salut d'Amour & Other Elgar Favourites(Chandos) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61(EMI) | 97 | — | — | — | — | London Philharmonic Orchestra,Vernon Handley | |
| Tchaikovsky; Violin Concerto / Chausson: Poeme(EMI) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | London Philharmonic Orchestra,Okko Kamu |
| Bartók: Mainly Black / Ellington: Sonata for Solo Violin(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | withAlec Dankworth(double bass) | |
| Walton: Violin Concerto / Viola Concerto(EMI) | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,André Previn |
| Let Loose | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor / Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 / Schubert: Rondo in A(EMI) | 1988 | 28 | — | — | 75 | — | English Chamber Orchestra,Jeffrey Tate |
| Sibelius: Violin Concerto(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,SirSimon Rattle | |
| Vivaldi: The Four Seasons(EMI) | 1989 | 3 | 12 | 35 | 15 | 3 | English Chamber Orchestra |
| Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77(EMI) | 1991 | — | 71 | — | 76 | 29 | London Philharmonic Orchestra,Klaus Tennstedt |
| Just Listen: Sibelius: Violin Concerto / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto(EMI) | 1992 | — | — | — | — | — | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,SirSimon Rattle/London Philharmonic Orchestra,Okko Kamu |
| Beethoven: Violin Concerto | — | — | — | — | — | NDR Symphony Orchestra,Klaus Tennstedt | |
| Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto(EMI) | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | London Philharmonic Orchestra,Okko Kamu |
| Kafka(EMI) | 1996 | 67 | — | — | — | — | |
| Elgar: Violin Concerto / Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending(EMI) | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | (as Kennedy),City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,SirSimon Rattle |
| Kreisler(EMI) | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | (as Kennedy) |
| The Kennedy Experience(Sony) | 1999 | — | — | — | — | — | (as Kennedy) |
| Classic Kennedy(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | (as Kennedy) | |
| Duos for Violin & Cello(EMI) | 2000 | — | — | — | — | — | as Kennedy withLynn Harrell |
| Riders on the Storm: The Doors Concerto(Decca) | — | — | — | — | — | as Kennedy withJaz Coleman | |
| Kennedy Plays Bach(EMI) | — | 73 | 47 | — | — | (as Kennedy) | |
| Greatest Hits(EMI) | 2002 | 71 | — | — | — | — | with various artists |
| Vivaldi | 2003 | — | — | — | — | 36 | Berliner Philharmoniker |
| East Meets East(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | withKroke | |
| Vivaldi II(EMI) | 2004 | — | — | 39 | — | — | Berliner Philharmoniker |
| Legend: Beethoven and Bruch(CD+DVD) (EMI) | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | NDR Symphony Orchestra,Klaus Tennstedt/English Chamber Orchestra,Jeffrey Tate |
| Nigel Kennedy Plays Bach(DVD) (EMI) | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | Irish Chamber Orchestra |
| Inner Thoughts(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Kennedy, Live at La Citadelle(DVD) (EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | Polish Chamber Orchestra | |
| The Blue Note Sessions(Blue Note) | — | — | 107 | — | — | ||
| The Platinum Collection(EMI) | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | with various artists |
| Polish Spirit(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | Polish Chamber Orchestra,Jacek Kaspszyk | |
| Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Mozart: Violin Concerto No.4 /Horace Silver:Creepin In(EMI) | 2008 | 99 | — | — | — | — | Polish Chamber Orchestra |
| A Very Nice Album(EMI) | — | — | — | — | — | Nigel Kennedy Quintet (Nigel Kennedy, electric violin; Adam Kowalewski, bass; Paweł Dobrowolski, drums; Tomasz Grzegorski, tenor sax; Piotr Wyleżoł, piano) with vocals by Xantoné Blacq & Chris Loung; Sylwia Wójcik, cello; Suzy Willison-Kawalec, harp; | |
| SHHH!(EMI) | 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | Nigel Kennedy Quintet (Nigel Kennedy, electric violin; Adam Kowalewski, contrabass & electric bass; Krzysztof Dziedzic, drums; Tomasz Grzegorski, tenor sax, soprano sax & bass clarinet; Piotr Wyleżoł, piano & Hammond) with vocals byBoy George |
| The Very Best of Nigel Kennedy(EMI) | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | with various artists |
| The Four Elements | 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Recital(Sony) | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | Nigel Kennedy Quintet (Nigel Kennedy, violin, celeste; Rolf Bussalb, acoustic guitar & 12 string; Yaron Stavi, bass; Krzysztof Dziedzic, drums; Barbara Dziewiecka, 2nd violin, viola) |
| The New Four Seasons | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| My World | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | Composed by Nigel Kennedy, with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra & The Stella |
References[edit]
- ^White, John (2006).John White, Lionel Tertis.Boydell Press.ISBN978-1843832782.Retrieved11 August2010.
- ^"NSW HSC online".Hsc.csu.edu.au. Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2011.Retrieved11 August2010.
- ^Duncan Seaman (8 March 2013)."Music interview: Nigel Kennedy".The Yorkshire Post.Retrieved3 January2015.
- ^Christina Patterson (31 August 2012)."Nigel Kennedy: Still pulling the strings".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 20 June 2022.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^abcdeAlfred Hickling (29 September 2006)."If you need a pillock, call me".The Guardian.Retrieved5 December2007.
- ^Steve Wright (23 August 1999)."Not quite Vivaldi: Nigel Kennedy remembers Hendrix".CNN.Retrieved5 December2007.
- ^John Brunning (3 September 2014)."How Nigel Kennedy changed classical music forever".Classic FM Magazine.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^ab"The classical music pop star: Nigel Kennedy at 60".DW.28 December 2016.Retrieved25 September2021.
- ^Michael Church (3 September 2014)."Nigel Kennedy: Don't just sit there. Do something Polish".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 20 June 2022.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^Mark Coles (18 June 1999)."Kennedy plays Hendrix".BBC News.Retrieved5 December2007.
- ^Nigel KennedyAlways Playing.London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991ISBN0-297-81209-2
- ^Richard Morrison,"Nigel Kennedy returns to the BBC Proms".The Times,11 July 2008.
- ^Anthony Holden(26 July 2008)."Such affectation, but such virtuosity".The Observer.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^Church, Michael (9 August 2013)."Classical review: Proms 33 and 34: Nigel Kennedy Orientalises Vivaldi and Mitsuko Uchida casts spells with Beethoven".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 20 June 2022.Retrieved25 September2021.
- ^abBingham, John (21 August 2013)."BBC accused of 'censorship' after cutting Nigel Kennedy's Israel statement from Proms".The Telegraph.Retrieved25 September2021.
- ^"Report: BBC to cut Israel 'apartheid' comments from UK concert broadcast".The Jerusalem Post.18 August 2013.Retrieved18 August2013.
- ^Dysch, Marcus (16 August 2013)."BBC to cut Kennedy slur from Proms broadcast".The Jewish Chronicle.Retrieved18 August2013.
- ^"Nigel Kennedy and the viola".Viola-in-music.com.Retrieved11 August2010.
- ^Kettle, David (March 2017)."Review: My World – Kennedy: Dedications, Three Sisters".The Strad.Braintree, UK.Retrieved23 March2017.
- ^Kennedy, Nigel (2021).Nigel Kennedy Uncensored!.Fonthill Media.ISBN978-1-78155-856-0.;Morrison, Richard(18 December 2021)."Nigel Kennedy Uncensored!review – plays like an angel, acts like a prat ".The Times.
- ^Paul Kelso (30 August 2000)."Kennedy hits back at arts elitism".The Guardian.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^booklet Beethoven violin concerto (1992)
- ^Alberge, Dalya (20 September 2021)."Violinist Nigel Kennedy cancels concert after Classic FM stops Hendrix tribute".The Guardian.Retrieved25 September2021.
- ^Barton, Laura (25 March 2006)."Brix and mortar".TheGuardian.com.
- ^Stephen Pritchard (13 April 2008)."Return of the prodigal son".The Observer.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^Allan Hall and Victoria Ward (5 October 2010)."Nigel Kennedy admitted smoking cannabis at drugs raid party".The Daily Telegraph.
- ^Victoria King (29 July 2011)."Tory MP Louise Mensch 'probably took drugs in club'".BBC News.
- ^Noam Ben Zeev (24 December 2007)."First violin / Prelude to dialogue".Haaretz.Retrieved2 January2015.
- ^"Honorary Graduates 1989 to present".bath.ac.uk.University of Bath.Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2015.Retrieved18 February2012.
- ^"Nigel Kennedy | full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.Retrieved16 August2022.
- ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010(PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 152.
- ^"Discographie Nigel Kennedy".lescharts.com(in French).Retrieved16 August2022.
- ^"Discografie Nigel Kennedy".dutchcharts.nl(in Dutch).Retrieved16 August2022.
- ^"Discography Nigel Kennedy".charts.nz.Retrieved16 August2022.
External links[edit]
- Kennedy's discographyatEMI Classics
- The Kennedy ExperienceatSony Classical
- Nigel KennedyatAllMusic
- Television Interview with Nigel Kennedy from C Music TV
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1956 births
- Living people
- 21st-century British male musicians
- 21st-century classical violinists
- British expatriates in Poland
- British socialists
- British violinists
- EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists
- English classical musicians
- English classical violinists
- English classical violists
- English violinists
- English violists
- Electric violinists
- Juilliard School alumni
- British male classical violinists
- Penguin Cafe Orchestra members
- People educated at Yehudi Menuhin School
- Musicians from Brighton
- 21st-century violists