Prom 31: Saturday 6th August at 10.00 p.m. (Nigel Kennedy playing Bach)

[Bryn]

You glow in the dark, Anna?

Only with a back-light.

[Richard J.]

Listening now - wonderful! A lot of fun.

Yes, it was wonderful in the hall too. The D minor Partita, and especially the Chaconne, was stunning. Anything after that would be in danger of being an anti-climax, so Kennedy opted to lighten the mood with gently swung Bach played on violin, guitar, bass and drum. This piece was the mysterious "Das Pendel", listed in the programme but not explained at all there. It just seems to be a name that NK attached to his concoction of Air on the G string and two other Bach fragments. Quite pleasant and true to the spirit of Bach.

But after that, we were into Fats Waller. By the second encore, I was wondering what I was doing in the Albert Hall at 11.35 listening to music that was of no interest to me and nothing to do with Bach. But we did get an hour of Bach, more or less, and after the Chaconne I was willing to forgive ...

[amac4165]

Wonderful concert ! - as predicted on another thread it didn't start on time !! The prom queues didn't start going in until 10pm ! fairly chaotic scenes with some regulars complaining to the hall staff as they have been told they couldn't eat their picnics between proms in the arena bars !

It was a wonderfully constructed journey from pure solo violin Bach - to Bach/jazz to jazz. Along with the William Tell ranking so far as the truly great evenings so this year.

amac

[french frank]

Or if we do, I hope it's not one of the Haskil items that has to be cut... Looking forward to that very much.

Oh, well ...

[Barbirollians]

Splendid Bach and enjoyable fats waller but " swinging " Bach I cannot stand . Kennedy is a parody of himself now as a personality but still a magnificent violinist when his mouth is shut .

[rauschwerk]

Kennedy is a parody of himself now as a personality but still a magnificent violinist when his mouth is shut .

To judge from this interview http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011...ch?INTCMP=SRCH he is incredibly mean-spirited. He evidently thinks that the only two musicians who were ever worth listening to are himself and his teacher.

[amateur51]

At the end of the article, Kennedy is quoted as saying:

"You can't learn pathos or profundity."

Surely you can acquire these things with age and experience?

Methinks the Maestro doth protest too much

[cavatina]

At the end of the article, Kennedy is quoted as saying:

"You can't learn pathos or profundity."

Surely you can acquire these things with age and experience?:

True, but perhaps his point was these qualities won't come automatically to someone who doesn't possess a basic sensitivity and openness to experience. Here's a quote about the meaning of pathos:

"Pathos is often associated with emotions, but it is more complex than simply emotions. A better equivalent might be appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view - to feel what the writer feels."

Can you think of any performers who were vacant and wooden at 18 even having a career into their 50s? And who doesn't improve with age? A bit of a straw man, I think.

[amateur51]

True, but perhaps his point was these qualities won't come automatically to someone who doesn't possess a basic sensitivity and openness to experience. Here's a quote about the meaning of pathos:

"Pathos is often associated with emotions, but it is more complex than simply emotions. A better equivalent might be appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view - to feel what the writer feels."

Can you think of any performers who were vacant and wooden at 18 even having a career into their 50s? And who doesn't improve with age? A bit of a straw man, I think.

Exactly my point, cavatina.

Kennedy was being crass, nothing new there.

But I still admire his musicianship

[EdgeleyRob]

Just watched on BBC4, wonderful concert.

[Ariosto]

Best prom so far

Kennedy's TV prom was superb. Wonderful Bach playing. Superb musician. Wonderful bow arm.

AND I AGREE WITH EVERY WORD HE SAID ABOUT HIPsters. And everthing else in the article.

AT LEAST HE's A PROPPER BLOODY MUSICIAN, UNLIKE SOME OF THE PATHETIC EXCUSES WE'VE HAD TO LISTEN TO.

[Al R Gando]

Wonderful Bach playing. Superb musician. Wonderful bow arm.

Agreed.

Pity everything he said was self-aggrandizing arrogant carp, though. A thoroughly nasty and selfish man. I pity him.

[gradus]

Oh I don't know, I think he was entitled to say he needed a beer after that stupendous performance of the Partita - musicianship of the highest quality.

[Ariosto]

People just don't get him do they! I think he's a nice, unselfish, generous man with a huge talent, and he's modest. I pity you because you can't see that.

(That was an answer to No 27).

[salymap]

I listened for about half an hour and enjoyed the end of the Bach and the Fats Waller. It's a pity he's stuck with the Mockney persona but his playing mostly seems to be holding up.

His saving grace is that he obviously still loves the music, whatever he is playing.