For over twenty-five years, Nigel Kennedy has been acknowledged as one of the world's leading violin virtuosos and is, without doubt, one of the most important violinists Britain has ever produced. His virtuoso technique, unique talent and mass appeal have brought fresh perspectives to both the classical and contemporary repertoire. He is the best selling classical violinist of all time. Nigel Kennedy's recording of "Vivaldi's The Four Seasons" with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1989 sold over 2 million copies and earned a place as one of the best-selling classical works ever. In 1997, Nigel Kennedy received an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the BRIT Awards, and in 2001 received the 'Male Artist of the Year' award. Nigel Kennedy is going to hit roads in UK this year.Nigel Kennedy Tickets are available on Sold Out Ticket Market on nominal rates.Nigel Kennedy Tickets for UK TourNigel Kennedy Tickets New Theatre Oxford -
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Nigel Kennedy supported David Davis's campaign when he quit his shadow home secretary post to force a by election in protest over proposals to allow terrorist suspects to be locked up for 42 days without charge.The musician is a vocal opponent of Israel's policies in the West Bank, and, in the summer of 2007, he told a Ha'aretz reporter: "I was shocked to see these walls, it's a new apartheid, 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 be boycotted, so that's why I don't perform in your country."Nigel Kennedy Tickets are available on Sold Out Ticket Market on nominal rates
Nigel Kennedy has also been presented with many awards including, amongst others, Outstanding Contribution to British Music and Male Artist of the Year at the UK Brit Awards; in France a Gold Award on the major network TV programme Vivement Dimanche and in Switzerland "The Gold Rose of Montreux". His first highly-acclaimed recording "Elgar's Violin Concerto" , in 1985, was voted Record of the Year by Gramophone magazine and was awarded Best Classical Album of the Year at the BPI Awards. His second Vivaldi volume with the Berliner Philharmoniker won the prestigious German "Echo" Award for Best Performance of 18th Century music and the supreme Austrian classical award "The Amadeus Prize" for Best Instrumental Recording of 2005.
Nigel Kennedy was attacked for his approach to classical music by John Drummond in 1991, calling him "a Liberace for the Nineties" and criticised his "ludicrous clothes and grotesque, self-invented accent. Until 2006 he had expressed his intention of not appearing on the classical London concert scene with a London orchestra, seen by some arrogance and stated by Kennedy 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. Kennedy expresses a preference for the immediate appeal of live performance, and often records entire works or movements in single 'takes' to preserve this sense in his recordings. He also introduces improvisatory elements in his performances, as in his Jimi Hendrix-inspired cadenza to the Beethoven Violin Concerto and his jazz and fusion recordings.
Nigel Kennedy made his recording debut in 1984 with the Elgar Violin Concerto. Kennedy's recording "Vivaldi's The Four Seasons" with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1989 sold over 2 million copies and earned a place as one of the best-selling classical works ever. He has also performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti. he released his biography "Always Playing" in 1991. In 1999 Sony Classical released "The Kennedy Experience", which featured improvisational recordings of Jimi Hendrix compositions. On the recording, Kennedy is accompanied by seven other musicians, and the lineup includes two cellos, an oboe, two guitars, a Dobro, flute, and double bass. With cellist Lynn Harrell, he has recorded an album of duets. With cellist Lynn Harrell, he has recorded an album of duets. Kennedy went to New York to record his first album for the jazz label "Blue Note Records". Other musicians on the album were Ron Carter on double bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums; and saxophonist Joe Lovano. He has also recorded "The Doors Concerto", a violin based orchestral version of many Doors songs, including "Strange Days", "LA Woman", "The End", and "Riders On The Storm".Nigel Kennedy Tickets are available on Sold Out Ticket Market on nominal rates
