Nigel Kennedy

i bought this cd the on june 10 2003 and listened to it for a year straight i lstened to it everyday before work after work and sometimes during work at a convenience store i worked overnights i got lots of compliments from cutomer swho had never heard of Sarah Brightman before it is still one of my favorites of hers.

I bought this four years ago when it was first released and didn't like it. I only listened to it once back then - I think I was expecting another Eden or La Luna. I put this cd in my player last month and fell in love with it. This is my favorite Sarah Brightman cd. I actually love it more than Eden and La Luna (both were extremely good). I own all of her cds, but this one is her best. My favorite tracks are 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14. Sarah's voice is so beautiful - she's extremely talented. I'm going to add the DVD to my wish list.

A voice so pure, effortless and flawless. What a gift - this voice.

Brightman turns every song into a seductive love song. She could gargle mouthwash and seduce me. Definitely a CD for cosmopolitan lovers.

First of all, I'm a huge Sarah Brightman fan. I have if not all but most of her CD's but I have to say with all honesty that this is her worst offering. I mean its downright terrible. Very disappointed and will be giving it away.

I'm not a fan of this type of music but I really like Sarah. She has a very sexy and beautiful voice and a beautiful look. My parents play her all the time and I became a fan and own most oif her stuff.

La Luna was one of the best follow-up albums ever because it was different. It maintained one pf the classical moods and this made it her best album ever.

But unfourtanately things don't last forever. I haven't heard the new album but I really just can't get into this album very much.

Take a look at the cover art. The beautiful sunrise, the cool looking title, and the very beautiful Sarah standing amongst the sunrise. Catches the eye, doesn't it?

The album itself isn't. The album starts off with her weakest opener yet, Harem. It starts off good, but then gets into a monotone techno beat that sounds like something that might be good for elevator music. Then What a Wonderful World is a cover, and it sounds awful!!!!!! What was in Sarah's mind?? The next 4 tracks are not bad, but then Arabian Nights is the most boring song she's ever released. The multiple languages thing is cool, but come on, the meaning of the song- if there is any, that is- is complete BS. Plus usally Sarah's albums have an amazing last track, while this one is a joke.

I can't wait to hear Symphony-- My aunt bought it today when we were at the mnall and I will post a review, so keep your eyes open.

So overall, this album is not bad at all, but a big dissapointment, and is very rushed. Harem? More like Scare-'em.

We listened on public radio to this performance to the very end, holding up our travel plans until completion, guessed that the violinist had to have Eastern European influence, figured it had to be Oistrakh or Menuhin or a student of the above, and then rushed to buy it. The glory of listening closely without prejudice is that the discovery of an exceedingly musical performance: appropriate liberties with tempo, dynamics, and complete technical mastery. I was reminded of a saying of a US cello teacher who had students in every major orchestra: start with a beautiful sound and then make sure that what you are playing, fast or slow, is music. I could not disagree with reviewer #1 more. This is one of the most beautiful realizations of this concerto that I have heard.

Given his rebel image, I wouldn't dare accuse Nigel Kennedy of the middle-age blahs, but otherwise it's hard to fathom why his new recording of the Beethoven violin concerto is so laid back. In 1992 he trudged through the work under Klaus Tennstedt (a dreary performance that Kennedy claims to be still proud of, as the EMI promotional material is quick to tell us). Now he acts as both soloist and conductor of the Polish Chamber Orch., which he has led as artistic director since 2002.

A fresh, lean approach to this concerto would be welcome as long as one doesn't abandon the spirit of Beethoven, yet the pace here is moderate and the phrasing unadventurous. Is Kennedy bending over backward not to come off as a "personality" violinist? The orchestral part is basically unconducted -- the musicians read the notes and little more. The Kreisler cadenza is played very mildly (strange for a violinist who has expressed his admiration for Kreisler and recorded his once-famous morceaux de salon), and there's a quick ad lib cadenza inserted between the slow movement and the finale. The finale itself is genial but neutral.

The Mozart Concerto #4 starts out with more energy than the Beethoven, making me wonder if the two had changed places, but quickly Kennedy lapses into the same politeness and caution. To tell the truth, the best thing here is the jazzy encore, a la Stephane Grappelli, called "Creepin' In," where Kennedy's no-sweat attitude works nicely. But you can't buy a CD just for a 4 min. riff at the end.

I love this CD by Sarah Brightman. I also like her new one - Symphony.
The best song is Harem on this CD. It's very moving. DVD features this song in 2 different ways. It's not a DVD of her concert, just mostly 1 song, and how they were making it.
I wish you could buy a DVD of her concert based on this CD.

Sarah Brightman has developed her talent for singing in a grand way. Her video performance is equally great.

She will never probably have any idea how many nights she has sung me to sleep ;).

I look for a performance and a live concert to come near me soon.

I would like to see her, however, embrace the more artistic and less of the skimpy clothing side.

There is a delicate line between flash, art, and trash, and some footage and photos of her cross the line with me.

Nude and semi-nude do not mix with song and expression. Sorry, dear, my beloved Sarah, but I am only in this for your singing talent, not to be made to long for your bod in my arms.

Keep it cleaner. Skimpy or revealing clothing, photos, and videos does not enhance your talent.

This is by far my favorite Sarah Brightman Cd. Although it is probably her most pop oriented cd, it totally rocks! Most of the songs have a Middle Eastern Edge to them and are awesome to blast in the car! Make sure to try to get the version with either the bonus Dvd or the french tracks!

FIVE STARS!

I agree with "music fan" about this CD. Eden is a good album, and she's a good artist. But either this album was poorly produced or something, because this does not show her best. I wouldn't classify this as world music at all, because the instruments aren't used and it's more classical pop; if that's a genre. It seemed rambly to me with many of the songs sounding similar and lacking originality. I love her, she's unique in her genre. But she really shines as a classicist, with Classics, her work by Andrew Lloyd Webber (who she married) and operatic albums. This is what she's best at, so her collaborations on Eden and La Luna, which are classical in nature but still allowed her to branch out musically, turned out good. I have a lot of her albums, but I wouldn't buy this one. It's more something to listen to once. A few of the songs are good, the album isn't terrible, but it's not very good.

This is a very good CD/DVD set, beautiful music and performance.I enjoyed it.

An excellent compilation of folk tunes and violin concerto adagios, played masterfully by some of the world's most revered musicians. Features modern pieces (Korngold, Barber), which are a personal favorite of mine.

My daughter is a violin student of 7 years and she has played 3 or 4 of these pieces for recitals. I bought the CD's so she could become familiar with the pieces as she was learning to play them. Now I find myself listening to the CD's almost every night when I go for my end of the day drive to relax. My favorites are the Mozart Concerto in G, the Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor and Beethoven's Romance in F on disc 2, but all the songs are exquisitely beautiful. I highly recommend it.

These CDs have the most incredible selections of music on them. Listening to the violins has enabled me to complete papers for my doctoral level classes without the usual neck aches. This is soothing, exquistie music for the soul! Lovely!!

Before buying this 2 CD set,I've read Reviews by Chicagodreamer,
who rated it as "Highly, highly recommended." His laudatory recommentation, I must say, is found "well justified."

"Over 2 l/2 hours of the world's most beautiful music." These words on the cover are very close to true. What an incredible value this collection is!! So many of these compilations of this sort are cheaply produced, and those "greatest hits" collections are one trite piece after another -- after a while one runs screaming to the stereo to shut it off. However, this collection is top-notch, and the performers they chose are masterful musicians at the top of their game. Every selection is lovely, each one unfolding after the other in a sublime slide show of exquisite compositions performed by legends. This is TWO CDs of sparkling performances composed and performed by masters. There is not a bad selection or a piece of inferior quality in the entire lot.

The violin is an extraordinary instrument that, when played correctly, can pluck the heartstrings and stir the soul. It is played perfectly by each puppetmaster on each one of these wonderful pieces, and the experience of listening to this collection is an exquisite journey for the heart and spirit. Looking for a fantastic collection of exquisite pieces written and performed by genius? It's here. Highly, highly recommended!!

This is the finest rendition of the Four Seasons I have ever heard. Kennedy plays with such passion, he pulls your own emotion out! Kennedy truly immerses himself into the piece and is able to convey heartfelt passions for each "season" throughout the piece. Over the years I have listened to this CD hundreds of times...and each time I hear something new. Just a masterful version by Kennedy. A "must have" for your collection, even if you own other renditions of the Four Seasons.

I have been enjoying The Four Seasons ever since I was a child (im 43now)and, although I love it in its entirety, some parts I found to be a little boring. I am not a classic music expert, but I do enjoy it a lot. Granted that Nigel's interpretation (which I have been enjoying since it came out) is a little faster than what we are used to, whichever orchestra and director, but makes it a little more interesting.
For those critics that, apparently know a great deal about classic music, I dare you to grab a violin and try to emulate what this man can do, I bet you wouldn't even get a straight note out of it.
Anyhow, for those of us that don't know anynthing about the technicalities of classic music, I think is a great interpretation. It's like drinking wine, you drink the one you like no matter how old it is, or where it came from, or what kind it is.
Just listen closely, feel the mood, and enjoy...

Antonio Vivaldi was a priest, what's more a red-haired one, i.e. quite a marginal in this field of non-religious music, and his music was mostly composed for the orchestra of a young girls' religious school. And yet he is sublime to the most extreme point with conception, with understanding, with passionate comprehension. So that the English Chamber Orchestra here is by far too massive and muscular to satisfy the desire that makes us crave for finesse, delicacy, hues, nuances, shades, etc. And the only shades are those the musicians put over their eyes to impose a filter onto the music, the filter of technical perfection to the expense of emotional expressivity. So these Four Seasons are just perfect, well read, but they are rendered homogeneously, Easter in December and July in Winter. And that is of course regrettable. A little bit more personal temperament would give this music a charm it cannot have when the temper of perfection is trying to make it absolutely right. I would have preferred the vision of an erring pilgrim through the four seasons of his pilgrimage to that of a trip down the road in a vehicle that is so well pruned that nothing protrudes at all anywhere. Could we speak of aerodynamic music?

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

I have yet to hear anyone who is capable of playing the violin like Nigel,
and to be able to interpret classicals like him. Before he came along with this album, I think most people was ready to fall off a chair with snooze whenever we hear Vivaldi, because it was always played in the same old stale way that we have heard a million times. He comes along with this album, close your eyes when you listen to it, and he paints the four seasons with the violin vividly.
Ever since the release of this album, everyone else just tries to copy his work. But no one plays the notes as effortlessly and eloquently as he has. Take Sarah Chang, for eg.--botched it. You can hear her fingers straining over the strings clumsily, trying to do what Nigel did, but doing such a horrible job. I felt sorry for her when I heard her work.

This is a must have for anyone--if you are trying to get someone into classical music, this is the perfect album.

Powerful and passionate are the first two words that come to mind when I think about Kennedy's version of the Four Seasons. I absolutely love it. I listen to this CD on my ipod on every plane trip I take, often 2-4 times a month. I never tire of it. I have listened to this CD more times than any other CD I own, with the possible exception of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Buy it.

I just continue to rediscover this cd over time; everytime I play it, it feels like a new experience. I bought it for just one song, Track #8, and I'm very happy with the entire cd to say the least. It's brilliant and beautiful work. It feeds my soul to listen to this cd. And I need that from time to time something beautiful to recharge my batteries and this is definitely one of those things for me. Thank you for reading and enjoy to all who choose to buy this cd.

Right now I'm in the opinion that this is the most sublime
and emotionally intense record I have ever heard.

I have owned this CD for some years and it is possibly my most favourite of favourites. Something has happened to one of the tracks so I am buying another copy. I can't bear to have it incomplete. This CD speaks to my soul with every piece. When you think you have heard the best of the CD the next just grabs your heart. The combination of Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke Band is absolutely superb. I can listen to them for hours on end. If you are a Nigel Kennedy fan this one is a must. No, a need.

This record demands a number of listenings. I am not a huge classical violin fan (I admit I cannot even remember why I purchased this disk) and this CD sat on my shelf for years. Once in a while, I'd listen to Ajde Jano, which I liked quite a bit and that was it (BTW, not only is this disk a departure for Kennedy, but Atlas shines on this track in a way lacking in her solo work). But over time, I have come to have such a tremendous respect for this disk--once I listened to it enough to really get into the spirit of it. It is incredible!

That said, this is not really a classical violin disk, per se. Kennedy complements Kroke, but does not impose himself at all--what great modesty and restraint for a player of Kennedy's renown! Bottom line, this is an awesome E. European folk disk accompanied by some of the most inspired and flawless violen playing that I have (in my admittedly limited experience) ever heard.

This is just a wonderful, fun and eclectic disk that has much to offer music lovers of a number of different persuasions. (I must admit that Ajde Jano is still my favorite track.)

I am a big lover of classical music and somehow I got my hands around this music. I can only agree a hundred percent with the other listeners that this music is crowling deep inside your soul, makes you want to smile, and to cry at the same time. You will not forget it! It is beautiful and relaxing in some parts, others simply take away your breath and you feel (finally) something about your own passion (again) with this music. Yes, you can imagine people dancing and you can feel the fire of love and dance, intertwined with an endless feeling of happiness.

I have been to Krakow and with this music in the back of my mind I am looking forward to going back again and to hopefully find folk bands which are similar to this astonishing master piece performed by Nigel Kennedy.

Enjoy!
Uwe

This is a very nice cd to listen to and sip red wine in one's back yard while reading a good book. Well worth to add to your collection.

This CD is one that I think even non-classical music lovers would like. It isn't too "classical" and some of the songs are the kind that keep going though your head until you can't help but play the disc again. It is a two disc set and priced no higher than most singles.

I agree with a previous reviewer on the minor problem
of variations in volume. Beyond that, I find every
piece beautiful. This interpretation of Barber's
Adagio is the most passionate I have ever heard. I also
find the Faure selection very touching. I love the
vocals. I recommend this set to anyone, if for no
other reason than the Barber piece.

The selections and the arrangements are truly excellent. There are some hard to find (on the same CD) pieces and adagios--Spartacus ; Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez; Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavelleria...
But, better turn up the sound and then get away from the speakers. Parts of the selections are played so very softly that, when you turn up the volume to hear them, you will get blasted by those sections that have cresendos, or just plain louder sections. Too bad!
Very hard to enjoy in a car--or, even at home. if this problem did not exist, this is a 5 star plus!

I was stunned to see only two and a half stars for romantic adagios. I don't know how much you get to know by listening to only one "song" out of so many in this collection, but in my opinion this CD collection deserves a lot of credit. I had heard of Samuel Barber's Adagio for strings many times before and I was impressed but this was the first time that I was completely mesmerized. I highly recommend to any Barber fans to listen to this interpretation by David Zinman which is incredible. There seems to be so much passion and emotion! Also others such as Adagio of Spartacus and Clarinet Concerto just make the collection even better.

For anyone who has heard the live recording of Glenn Gould playing the Brahms Piano Concerto #1 with Bernstein and the NY Phil, this recording of the Elgar is kind of the equivalent of that, the only difference being that it is not a live performance. Recorded around 1984, when Kennedy was not yet in his 'punk virtuoso' period, this is the finest reading of the Elgar I've ever heard. The tempos are remarkably broad and Kennedy, English himself, fully understands the piece, and milks every phrase for everything it's worth. While Heifetz's 1949 RCA recording is of course superb, Kennedy's is definitely right up there alongside of it. I'm sure there have been some who have argued that the often slow tempos are simply cheating because he didn't have the technique to play them at the correct tempo but judging from Kennedy's other recordings, that is definitely not true. And of course, Kennedy doesn't chicken out in the distinct 'molto allegro' passages in the first and third movements - they're played fine, at the indicated tempos, and he doesn't miss a note. The accompanied cadenza in the third movement is remarkable - again, taken at a slow tempo but he tosses off the runs and double stops fluidly - and Kennedy dashingly finishes the work. I give equal kudos to Vernon Handley. Although this is the only recording of his that I've yet heard, I'd have to say that he does splendid things with the orchestra. This is not an easy concerto to conduct, mainly due to the bridges between the solo passages and the tutti. I've heard more bad performances than good of this piece.

If you know the Elgar Pomp & Circumstance marches (or 'the' Pomp & Circumstance march that is played at every graduation) but don't know Elgar's Violin Concerto or Wand of Youth/Enigma Variations, heed my advice and get to know them - and start by buying this recording and Heifetz's. You'll be glad you did. AND - if you bought the more recent version of Kennedy's Elgar, you should definitely buy this one too.
The more recent version is not as good.

Elgar played the violin himself, and this concerto is his greatest gift to his fellow violinists. When he composed the work in 1909 and 1910, there were already many concertos that gave room for virtuosic playing. Elgar did something different: he created a score that does not so much show what the violin can do as reveal all that it can say.

Here the solo violin yearns, rejoices, pleads and consoles, and then, in one of the most original cadenzas ever written for any instrument, it takes up many of the previous themes and views each familiar melody in an utterly new way. Basil Maine, Elgar's first biographer, said it best when he remarked that most cadenzas call for the soloist to step into the limelight. Elgar instead asks the player to step back into the twilit world of deepest introspection. In the hands of the right instrumentalist, the cadenza will have an audience holding its breath and the closing coda will provide a thrilling release.

Kennedy shows from his first entrance that he is at one with the concerto's elusive spirit. The first movement allegro is urgent and compelling. The andante unfolds as a gentle nocturne that rises to moments of more intimate intensity. Kennedy then brings a bracing lyricism to the third movement, which seems to be moving inexorably to a conventional conclusion when the orchestra retreats and leaves him and his violin, with only the frailest string accompaniment, to their musings. As Elgar wrote to the concerto's chief inspiration, Alice Stuart Wortley, 'the music sings of memories and hope.'

The first-rank recordings of this work stretch over nearly 80 years, beginning with Albert Sammons' landmark 1929 performance, and including two studio recordings by Yehudi Menuhin, one with the composer conducting. This interpretation by Kennedy, accompanied with careful shaping and loving attention to detail by Vernon Handley, belongs in that exalted company.

I would recommend this disc as an ideal introduction to one of Elgar's finest works. If you already know the concerto from other recordings, Kennedy and Handley will open your ears to new wonders.

From back in the days when The Artist Now Known As Kennedy still used his first name, this 1984 performance of Elgar's lengthy, difficult and microdetailed concerto for violin and orchestra is a more consistent rendition than the violinist's 1990s remake with Sir Simon Rattle conducting. Actually, I'd go so far as to call this CD special. In the later recording, Kennedy may seem to "take more chances" and thus somehow penetrate more deeply into the score, but it all just seems more messy by comparison to this; moreover, Vernon Handley has a surer command of Elgar's idiom than Rattle (who is, in my view, as overrated by the British press as Handley is underrated). The violinist's intonation is not always perfect, particularly in the lengthy cadenza of the third movement, but his level of concentration is--paradoxically, most especially in that cadenza. The early-digital, slightly distant recording has held up well; you need to boost the volume a tad to bring it into focus, however. The 54-minute span of this performance is all the CD contains, but in this case it's quality over quantity.

There is only one thing I like about its recording, the orchestra. Dramatic idiom at its best, with the London Phil. But Kennedy is VERY messy especially in the third movement with his spicatto, its very uneven. Also, in the third movement, the passage of sixteenths with randomn octaves is so horrible out-of-tune I can't bear to listen to this recording. Much of the time, you cna't even hear the violin, it is subdued, exactly the antithesis of what Elgar meant for this concerto - for the violin to be a story teller. Well, the "sage" must be on something, because it is soooo sloppy. As a concert violinist I know these things. Don't buy this recording. Menuhin's his okay (he has a great tone), Heieftz is to apathetic, Zukerman takes to many liberties and cheats by not playing certain octaves - I hear that Hahn has made a recording. Shaham will make one soon, I hope. But until now, i haven't heard a very solid interpretation of this lovely and haunting concerto.

I have heard several recordings of this work over the years but this is my favorite. This is playing of pure passion and poetry...at times it brings tears to the eye...and Handley provides wonderful support. Wonderful disc!

Many of these prior reviewers complain that the abundance of operas and vocals degrate this compilation. They don't know what they're talking about. These genres are what made Classical music popular in it's age. In that era the forum for showcasing "classical music" was operas! Hence why most of these works are lost in the shuffle. Most of us know Mozart and Beethoven's compositions by ear but there are so many other great composers that existed and these CD's will show you but a PIECE. But, fair warning, these CD's show only a small fraction of the whole movement (song). If you truly dig the genre you're in for a treat, investigate!

This CD is the first thing I ever returned to Amazon. It is an inferior product--selections cut off abruptly before the end, volume fades and returns in the middle of a cut...production values are pure schlock here. Maybe I should have expected as much from such a sophomoric title.

I purchased this CD because I am new to Classical Music and thought this would be a good introduction CD. There is some wonderful music on this CD. The only problem I have with this CD is every other track is Opera of one form or another. As a new listener I found that after the Opera tracks I felt I had been yelled at and it was a distraction to the other music contained on the CD. I now know to hit the skip button on my CD player just about every other track. I only gave it 3 stars because I felt put off by the vocal tracks. I believe that when someone is new to Classical Music they do not think of Opera. If you don't mind hitting the skip button a lot or if you like Opera this CD is for you!

This is a nice recording for folks who don't know much about classical music, and would serve as a wonderful introduction. It covers centuries of great music in a very listener-friendly format. I am sure that I will use this CD in my music classroom. For a seasoned classical music lover, however, the CD proves a bit frustrating, including only segments of masterworks (not even the entire movement of the Holst). I bought the CD for a few recordings, which I truly enjoy and make the CD a worthwile purchase. But I found (and I think that most classical musicians will find) that I already had many of these works in their entirety.

This is a fine collection of classical songs for those that have little experience with classical music. Howver, I truly love it.

I have purchased many CDs and books through Amazon.com; most of them used as was this CD. I have never been disappointed with the quality of the item or the purchase. This CD of "The Doors Concerto" arrived packaged as if new, and played perfectly. It arrived in a short amount of time, and the price was right. In this day of buying "green", this is one small way I can contribute. Amazon provides a terrific service with the purchase of used CDs and books.

I like all genra's of music, and listen to a variety of everything every day. From Bach to Boyz2Men, to Country, to Gangsta Thug :).

The doors are my favorite band. These orchestral remakes are more than just that. They are individual and unique interpretations of these Classic songs.

If you're a classical fan, and a Doors fan, you'll be glad you bought this CD.

This is a very well executed adaptation of Doors music into classic. I also own the fantastic George Winston's "Night Divides the Day", and I could say both CDs, even though different in it's category, perform a fantastic tribute to The Doors. But this is not a CD for "The Doors" fans, as it is more directed to Classical lovers. You will find very interesting versions of: Spanish Caravan & The Crystal Ship

I really love this album. To me, it evokes all the tragedy and sadness of the Vietnam war. Every time I listen to it, I feel very moved. Kennedy is an inspired violinist, and his instrument fairly weeps at times. So, if you are a baby-boomer like me, you may really respond to music that captures the times in which the Doors wrote and sang.

As a music guy, I can listen to classical and then go to rap and appreciate both.

As I really like the Doors, I saw this CD and recognizing what Jaz Coleman did with Led Zeppelin, I bought this CD.

It is not much like the LeZeppelin effort. However, both are equally beautiful. The LZ disc sounded like a movie soundtrack. Here the music sounds like a sad concerto.

Truly, I was struck by the sadness in the music. It is powerful though, and the arrangements strike the right chord (terrible pun - sorry) between being exactly similar to the Doors music, and a fresh interpretation.

Should you buy this disc? Well, if you enjoy classical music and you are not a snob - then yes. This disc may get you to enjoy some contemporary music in a vital interpretation. If you are a Doors fan, I would think you would enjoy hearing your favorite songs being played in a new way.

Overall, I believe this is an interesting disc to own. Well worth it. It is and does stand within my classical collection. It ain't Horowitz, but it sure is sweet!!