Interact & Reviews / Reviews

J Warwick
I must admit I am not a great classical music fan, but Nigel Kennedy is one who I admire because, I believe that he puts his heart and soul into his craft.

Thomas Mathing, Germany
The big disappointment for me came before the event: Vernon Handley had been replaced as conductor. And that after I had changed my travel schedule to enable me to finally see and listen to this extraordinary conductor live and in person.

The concert itself was less disappointing. For the Bax, Daniel chose a very brisk, almost too brisk tempo, depriving the late Romantic/Impressionist tone poem of some of its atmosphere. I was rather surprised that this very beautiful piece did not seem to go down well with the Proms audience: A single round of rather half-hearted applause was all.

The Finzi is a lovely work, his masterpiece, really. Soloist and choir were very good indeed, and Daniel provided the sensitive accompaniment (no more, no less) that the piece needed. But the very peculiar sonics of the RAH blurred the vocal lines and instrumentation more than need be, and as a consequence, some of Finzi's more delicate touches simply failed to register.

Kennedy's Elgar was the typical mix of hypnotic moments and self-serving mannerisms - maybe Handley, through his long acquaintance with the work - and with Nigel - would have been able to put the ho's on the soloist more effectively. Daniel's orchestral opening of the first movement was the fastest that I have EVER heard - could be that he realized the BBC Concert Orchestra's relative lack of tonal weight and that he was trying to make up for it with energy and bounce. It did work for the most part, except maybe in the long-winded melodies of the slow movement. All in all, Kennedy's deftness of touch and good technical grip on the work made the performance very entertaining, sometimes exciting.

Matt Leese
It was possibly the most moving performance of the Elgar I've ever seen. The slow movement gave me shivers it was so beautiful, and the almost surreal approach to the solo parts in the last movement almost brought time to a standstill. Brilliant. The first movement took a while to settle down and there was a slight tussle between orchestra and soloist but the performance got better and better as it went on.

Just to remind everyone that there was other music than the Elgar. On the night the Bax was good and the Finzi less so - I have always felt it to be a weak work anyway. The Elgar was good if idiosynrcatic and the Bach encore was exceptional. I say "on the night" as I've just seen the broadcast which ignored the first part of the concert and the encores completely. Why does the BBC have to do this? There would have been plenty of time to show both the Kennedy concerts complete, and at least we could have had the encores had we not had to put up with endless drivel from an overlarge team of 5 commentators none of whom said anything useful.

Felix Meston
What a horrible version of the Elgar. Granted, Kennedy certainly knows how to play this concerto and his rendition earlier this year at the RFH was exceptionally good. This performance (the first and last movements mainly) however was rushed beyond belief and seemed more of a race towards the end. Paul Daniel struggled to keep up with him. I'm sorry, but in my opinion Kennedy completely over did it. Go and listen to James Ehnes' superb recording and you'll see what I mean.

I read recently a critic describe Kennedy as an 'enigma' and how right they were. Whilst some dislike him, it is very difficult to argue that he is incapable of playing well. Nevertheless, this one just didn't do it for me. Thanks Nige for an 'interesting' performance, but I'm certainly going to be sticking firmly with Ehnes.

Susan S Jenkinson
I have never seen Nigel play live before and this was a real treat, he is incredible. I like his individuality and interaction with the audience. FAB!

Steve, Huddersfield.
Please forgive me for not reviewing the Bax and Finzi, but I have to go straight to Kennedy's performance of the Elgar Concerto. I will never forget this performance as long as I live. Forget all the 'Cockney Geezer' nonsense.

Kennedy is one of the finest violinists in the world, and he gave the greatest performance of anything I have heard in 40 years on Saturday night. I thought long before writing that. It's true. Technical mastery, complete identification with the music, listening to the orchestra (not just 'playing') and becoming part of the composer/conductor/orchestra/soloist entity that was the Elgar that night.

When this is shown on BBC2 on Saturday 26th July, watch how Kennedy listens to the orchestra; how he reacts with Paul Daniel the conductor. All the qualities of great teamwork combined with sheer musical excellence.I have run out of superlatives. Those of us there at the Albert Hall will never forget. Outstanding.

Angela
What a privilege to hear the great Nigel Kennedy play live at the Proms. It was an electrifying performance.

Superb singing of the Finzi piece too. Surely the BBC Symphony Chorus is one of the worlds best choirs.

Allan, WGC
A superb performance full of emotion, virtuosity and control but somewhat spoiled by extraneous noises.

Perhaps the TV recording will enable us to see what was going on and lessen the distraction.

Steve
Magical performance by Nigel Kennedy. He has such a personality that he immediately connected with the audience and carried us along with him. It was possibly the most entrancing violin playing I have heard live, although Joshua Bell a year or so ago also comes to mind.

It's uncanny how the Albert Hall with 6,000 people can be such an intimate venue when everyone is so engaged by the music, sharing Kennedy's passion. Well worth waiting 21 years for.

P. Lewis
An incredible performance. Divine. Why wasn't it broadcast on bbc4 and why did radio listeners have to put up with being cut off at 9 when there was going to be an encore?