Bach & Nigel Kennedy Quintet

Still in the Top League

The Bad Boy of Classical Music returns to the Kraków Philharmonic! On 21 March, Nigel Kennedy will present J.S. Bach’s Sonata in A minor and original compositions for jazz quintet.

Bad Boy of Classical Music is a nickname given to this inspired violinist by the media. But were they right? Everything started off so well… Any budding musician would be envious of such a start to their career! Seen as a musical prodigy, Nigel quickly became pupil of Yehudi Menuhin’s. He later moved to the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay. It was there that he fell under the spell of punk in the late 1970s. He still recalls concerts by bands such as Television and Talking Heads, which were a complete innovation in music at the time. It was likely then that he made the radical decision to break away from the traditions and conventions of classical music. When he performed in the London Philharmonic in the early 1980s sporting a Mohawk, the conservative scene was simply stunned, and the young violinist shunned. His on-stage energy and chilled out, punky look and eccentric behaviour – sipping beer straight from a can, tapping his foot, telling jokes – are now the artist’s trademarks, to the chagrin of many music lovers even today. Still, surely a guy whose recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (1989) has sold over 2 million copies and is still the best selling classical album of all time can get away with a few quirks?

Closely tied with Poland and Kraków for many years (his second wife is Polish), he enjoys working with our musicians. In 2003 he recorded East Meets East with the local ensemble Kroke; he’s also an honorary chairman of the music association operating at the Muzyczna Owczarnia club in Jaworki, and performs there regularly. He can also be seen in Kraków’s jazz clubs, where he frequently spontaneously improvises during jam sessions. Then again, jazz is his second musical passion.

At the Kraków Philharmonic in March, he will perform pieces by Bach and jazz compositions – mainly from his album Shhh! (2010) – performed with his jazz quintet. Alongside the violinist virtuoso, the group includes some leading Polish jazz musicians: the pianist Piotr Wyleżoł, saxophonist Tomasz Grzegorski, bassist Adam Kowalewski, and percussionist Krzysztof Dziedzic.

One thing’s for sure – Nigel Kennedy is still in the premier league! Let’s just hope that his favourite Cracovia keeps up to the same standard this spring!