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Tchaikovsky & Sibelius: Violin Concertos Nigel Kennedy | 
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| Creators: Jean Sibelius, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Okko Kamu, Simon Rattle, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nigel Kennedy
Label: Angel Records/EMI/Columbia
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $3.83
You Save: $13.15 (77%)
New (27) Used (27) Collectible (2) from $1.56
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 106351
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 777754559220
EAN: 0077775455922
ASIN: B000002RSW
Release Date: April 14, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT ITEM SHIPPED WITH TRACKING INFO SHIPPED FROM OREGON New
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| Tracks:
| • | Allegro moderato | | • | Canzonetta (Andante) | | • | Finale (Allegro vivacissimo) | | • | Allegro moderato | | • | Adagio di molto | | • | Allegro, ma non tanto |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Nigel Kennedy (oops, now he's just "Kennedy") has spent more time thinking about music than playing it, and it shows. In England, he's held up as some sort of victim of the terrible commercial world of classical music promotion and exploitation, against which he is a voice of lonely rebellion. Maybe. But he's also a thoroughly mediocre violinist, and these performances are best passed over and forgotten. --David Hurwitz
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| Customer Reviews:
 Music December 11, 2007
Sopapilla (texas)
I dont have much to say but I do want to say that some of his solos are so very beautiful on this album. I recommend it without reserve.
 The listening ear February 10, 2007
Larkenfield
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I think the problem some "critics" have with this recording is that they are unable to distinguish between the sometimes overly languid support of the orchestra and Nigel's playing. The first movement is performed slower and more deliberately than in other performances of this passionate work I've heard, but I hear no deficiencies in Nigel's performance. I would have wished for him more support rather than having to carry the performance as much as he did... Kennedy's sound is full and rich, full of passion and warmth, intonation intact as well. Must every violinist fit the mold of the staid soloist in appearance? Some of the younger listeners have been turned on to the classical world because they can relate to Nigel's free spirit. When was the last time I read a critic who understood this? Good question.
The Best Recording Out There November 25, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Recording a war-horse like the Tchaikovsky or Sibelius well and still make it sound interesting is a monumental task (I still have trouble on the Accolay), but recording both is perhaps the final test of a violinist's skill. The recording also new life to in my pinion, the best violin concerto, the Tchaikovsky, and one of the best, the Sibelius. The recording has a number of small but unusual changes that Kennedy did to be interesting, (listen to the beginning of the finale of the Tchaikovsky for an example). Controversy aside, Nigel Kennedy is a superb violinist, and probably the best for these two great works.
Mediocre??? Never January 19, 2006
John N. Taylor (Palm Desert, CA, USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Whatever your opinion of Nigel Kennedy - the last thing he could be described as is MEDIOCRE!
I feel David Hurwitz has let his opinion of the violinist's persona affect his judgement, and I, for one, will not bother with this critics MEDIOCRE opinions anymore.
This may not be the best Sibelius/Tchaikowsky - but is a close run thing!
I am old enough to have heard Kennedy live in his younger days and when he pays now, he is every bit as good.
Buy this CD - you will not be disappointed!
And, please Amazon, stop using Hurwitrz as your editorial critic!!
Very convincing in Sibelius, lost in Tchaikovsky January 1, 2006
Santa Fe listener
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Nigel Kennedy's talent for self-promotion is backed by a geniune populism unheard of among violin virtuosos (look, punk hair and he plays rock!) The combinaiton has made him a millionaire and a media star in the U.K. As to his musical talents, there can be no doubt that Kennedy has a definite profile: he is an individualist, poetic by temperament, shy of virtuosic tricks. His tone is not exceptionally large or sweet, especially as recorded here.
Like all individualists, Kennedy can run hot and cold. His Tchaikovsky concerto is a total miss. Both he and Okko Kamu seem to lack the slightest interest in the work, which they run through sans lyricism, fireworks, panache, or involvement. The violin sounds thin and squeaky to boot.
The Sibelius concerto, on the other hand, is a hit. Simon Rattle is a dedicated Sibelian, and he joins Kennedy in trying to mint the work afresh. Their pace tends to be on the deliberate side; there are no fireworks but also no soupiness or saccharine swoons--this concerto is liable to both. Their reading depends on integrity and sober musicianship. Not the Sibelius of everyone's dreams, but I responded very positiviely.
The fact that both conductor and soloist are reticient at times also works well. The only drawback is EMI's recessive sound, which makes the violin sound too distant and uninvolving. Even so, this is one of the recordings I return to regularly for this work when I am not in the mood to hear barnstorming.
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