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After a 30-year wait Nigel finally gave his first classical concert in France in 2004; the astonishing impact of this one show created both the best-selling classical CD in France since 2000 & two number one records. With Kennedy still at number 1 & 2 in the charts he returned to embrace his French triumph on a summer night in 2005 for this concert. This live performance is set in the stunning location of La Citadelle in Carcassonne, France; and showcases Nigel's Vivaldi canon that he has become so famous for. Joined by the Polish Chamber Orchestra, Nigel plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons and duets with the leader of the PCO; Jakub Haufa on Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 violins in C Major. The DVD also features two excellent and very different encores; a take on Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and a traditional celtic piece; that both highlight Kennedy's ability to interact with his audience.







REVIEW:
FANFARE: Robert Maxham
Kennedy’s fans, apparently more numerous than, say, Milstein’s, should already have experienced his earlier video of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons , released on EMI DVD as 7243 4 92499 9 8 (25:1). This one’s either more outrageous or more inspired, depending on the listener’s point of view. But to be sure, after decades of playing the Seasons , Kennedy might to be allowed to experiment a bit. Okay, more than a bit. Okay, okay, a lot more than a bit—a very lot more. Yet his version doesn’t leap so far beyond the style of the most explosive versions of period-instrument devotees than those performances leapt beyond those of staid, sweet-toned Italian counterparts from the 1950s and 1960s. If it doesn’t represent unbroken continuity, this performance isn’t exactly a topic for the application of mathematical catastrophe theory, either.

The recorded sound matches the textures’ crispness. Those who feel that typical concerts do little to recreate the actual excitement of earlier periods, despite their impeccably scholarly underpinnings, might consider watching Kennedy play to his audiences, not just in front of them. Others will surely be as repelled as critics of stagnation will be gratified (if classical music’s going to go out, they might contend, it should be with a bang, not a whimper). Me, I’d swallow it whole: it’s infectious and highly entertaining. (Remember that Vivaldi’s contemporary, Johann Friedrich Uffenbach, found Vivaldi’s own technical feats more astonishing than pleasurable.) Strongly recommended, with equally strong caveats.

Works on This Recording:
1. Concerto for 2 Violins in C major, RV 507 by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin), Jakub Haufa (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: Venice, Italy
2.
Concertos (4) for Violin, Op. 8 no 1-4 "Four seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: 1725; Venice, Italy
3.
Concerto for Violin in E major, Op. 8 no 1/RV 269 "Primavera" by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1725; Venice, Italy
4.
Concerto for Violin in F minor, Op. 8 no 4/RV 297 "L'inverno" by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: 1725; Venice, Italy
5.
Concerto for Violin in F major, Op. 8 no 3/RV 293 "L'autunno" by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: 1725; Venice, Italy
6.
Concerto for Violin in G minor, Op. 8 no 2/RV 315 "L'estate" by Antonio Vivaldi
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque
Written: 1725; Venice, Italy
7.
Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix
Performer: Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Polish Chamber Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1967; USA


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