My World Nigel Kennedy

• Nigel Kennedy (b.1956): Dedications:
• 1 Dla Jarka (For Jarek Smietana) 07:05
• 2 Fallen Forest (For Isaac Stern) 07:26
• 3 Melody in the Wind (For Stéphane Grappelli) 05:09
• 4 Solitude (For Yehudi Menuhin) 05:29
• 5 Gibb it (For Mark o'Connor) 06:35
• Three Sisters:
• 6 Intro - Tuzenbach - Solyony's Prophecy - Masha's Memory - Andrei Practising 04:51
• 7 Vershinin's Idealism - Irena 04:03
• 8 Rode's Pictures - Andrei's Love - Vershinin's View of Destiny - Solyony 04:13
• 9 Olga - Solyony's Possessiveness - Outro 04:00
• 10 Link Acts 2 - 3 (Fire) - Chebutykin's Despair - The Sisters' Fate 07:22
• 11 Link Acts 3 - 4 03:10
• 12 Hymn 00:58
• 13 Masha 02:31
• Total Runtime 01:02:52

Info for My World

The first album by Nigel Kennedy in which he features his own compositions is at the same time the most intimate view yet of his world: a colourful kaleidoscope of sounds. He has written works inspired by his mentors Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern and Stéphane Grappelli, and artists like Mark O’Connor and Jarek Śmietana, while composing a whole new suite to Anton Chekhov’s play Three Sisters. On My World, Kennedy shows how well string orchestra, rock band and piano go together once you forget the stereotypes.

Nigel Kennedy has been true to his vision throughout his career: making music that transcends all conventions. My W”orld retraces how meeting his mentors shaped his musical understanding and changed his career path. Yehudi Menuhin probably had the most important influence on Kennedy: “I feel that Yehudi Menuhin gives me a direct route back to the music of Bach. Also Menuhin paid for my education at his school so without him I would probably not be playing classical music at all.” Next to Menuhin, meeting Stéphane Grappelli was a crucial moment: “I met Stéphane for the first time when he was playing to us kids in the Yehudi Menuhin School; I surprised him by jumping on the stage and joining him in his performance, which was the catalyst for a long musical relationship with him. He loved it that a 14-year-old kid was into his music and could also play it. From my point of view, it was invaluable to meet a musician who, when playing, proved that serious music doesn’t have to be depressing.”

Listening to My World it becomes very clear how strong jazz music has influenced Kennedy. This is to be heard in the dedications to Polish jazz guitarist Jarosław Śmietana or Nashville based country-jazz-blues violinist and composer Mark O’Connor and also represented in the band line-up. Orphy Robinson, who has already played with Don Cherry, Wynton Marsalis, David Murray and many famous jazz musicians, plays vibes and percussion alongside Adam Czerwinski on drums. Tomasz Kupiec on bass has to lay the groundwork for three guitarists: long-time touring guitarist Rolf Bussalb, young Julian Buschberger and Doug Boyle, who used to play with Robert Plant and is now assistant producer of Nigel’s album. Considering this line-up, “My World” sounds surprisingly calm and classical. The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has a permanent role throughout, while the band only plays some of the time. Overall Nigel demonstrates what a great soloist he is: virtuosic but never plays a note too many – just like his musical idols. He has written an album full of great melodies. Three Sisters is clear evidence of this. The inspiration for the suite comes from Nigel’s wife Agnieszka, who has produced the play by Anton Chekhov for the stage. Fascinated by the underlying psychological study of the play, Nigel started writing his own Three Sisters suite.

Nigel Kennedy, violin
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Orphy Robinson, vibraphone, percussion
Adam Czerwinski, drums
Doug Boyle, guitar
Julian Buschberger, guitar
Rolf Bussalb, guitar
Tomasz Kupiec, bass

Nigel Kennedy
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.

From a young age, he was Yehudi Menuhin’s most famous protégé, studying first at the Menuhin School before moving to the Juilliard School of Music in New York to study under celebrated teacher, Dorothy DeLay.

During his career, Nigel Kennedy has undertaken countless international tours, performing with the world's leading orchestras and conductors throughout Europe, North America, Central and South America, South East Asia and Australia.

Nigel Kennedy has attracted an enormous amount of worldwide media attention throughout an extraordinary career and his international television appearances have been wide and varied. He has given public and private performances for members of the British royal family and 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 Vivement Dimanche Gold Award, numerous Echo Awards and Switzerland’s Gold Rose of Montreux.

Nigel Kennedy's multi-award-winning discography is extensive. His first highly-acclaimed recording was Elgar's Violin Concerto which was voted 1985 Record of the Year by Gramophone magazine and was awarded Best Classical Album of the Year at the BPI Awards. His first landmark recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling classical work of all time. It sold in excess of 2 million copies and the album remained top of the UK classical charts for almost two years. 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. He has also made best-selling concerto recordings of Bach, Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Walton, alongside chamber music and recital discs.

His passion for jazz resulted in the album Blue Note Sessions, made under the eye of Grammy award winning producer Jay Newland, featuring a band of jazz giants such as Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, amongst others.

In September 2002, Kennedy was appointed Artistic Director of the Polish Chamber Orchestra, a role the late Lord Menuhin once held. With this orchestra, he rediscovered a stunning and forgotten late Romantic Polish concerto, Emil Mlynarski's Violin Concerto No 2 and combined it with Mieczyslaw Karlowicz's Violin Concerto in A major, which was released under the title 'Polish Spirit' in 2007. ‘Polish Spirit’ has won numerous awards the world over, including the prestigious Echo Klassik Award in Germany (Instrumentalist of the Year) and Poland's Fryderyki Album of the Year Award.

Kennedy’s 2009 release, named in typically idiosyncratic fashion, A Very Nice Album, marked a typically bold excursion into non-classical repertoire and was recorded with his group, 'The Nigel Kennedy Quintet', made up of the violinist and four of the most dynamic musicians on the Polish jazz scene. His earlier Bluenote album focussed on interpreting compositions from past masters of the jazz repertoire but, for A Very Nice Album, Kennedy stepped to the fore as composer as well as improviser. 2010 saw the release of the latest Nigel Kennedy Quintet release of mainly original Kennedy compositions, entitled SHHH! The album also features Kennedy’s arrangement of Nick Drake’s Riverman, sung by Boy George.

The violinist recently founded a new orchestra, made up of vibrant young (mainly Polish) musicians. In April 2010, the Orchestra of Life made its debut tour in Germany, presenting a unique programme of Duke Ellington (specially arranged by Nigel Kennedy for his band and the Orchestra of Life) and Bach, before going on to perform in major cities and festivals in Europe.

2010 saw Kennedy present a project inspired by the music of Jimi Hendrix; a performance at Ronnie Scotts (the last venue Hendrix performed at) on the 40th anniversary of the musician’s death was a triumph.

In 2010, Kennedy’s UK performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons were a staggering success, and included a stunning, sold out show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Nigel Kennedy has undertaken a major 2011 tour, performing his exhilarating and unique new take on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as well as his own brand new composition, the Four Elements.

In February 2012 he presented Bach plus Fats Waller across Asia. An entirely acoustic programme developed for venues with natural acoustics. The first half consists of solo Bach pieces and, for the second part, Kennedy has arranged the music of Fats Waller for violin, guitar, bass and percussion.

Nigel Kennedy records for Sony Classical, which has released The Four Elements. Referring to the Bach meets Fats Waller programme, Kennedy recorded parts of this repertoire and other pieces under the title Recital that Sony Classical releases in March 2013.

Nigel Kennedy is a passionate Aston Villa fan and attends as many games as his schedule allows. He has one son, is married to Polish lawyer, Agnieszka, and they divide their time between homes in the UK and Poland.

As well as several customised 5 string electric violins, Nigel Kennedy plays a 1732 instrument by the great violin maker, Carlo Bergonzi of Cremona.

Booklet for My World