
Event Description
Nigel Kennedy (violin/director) alongside the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Programme
Nigel Kennedy Dla Jarka
Nigel Kennedy Melody In The Wind
Nigel Kennedy Fallen Forest
Nigel Kennedy Solitude
Nigel Kennedy Gibb It
Interval
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
36 years ago, a young violinist changed the landscape of British music with an electrifying recording of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. The violinist was Nigel Kennedy, and the concertos were The Four Seasons – masterpieces of mood, evocation and musical storytelling that take listeners on an imaginary journey through the unbridled joys of Spring, the oppressive heat of Summer, the melancholy resignation of Autumn and the brutal ferocity of Winter.
Three centuries since the publication of Vivaldi’s concertos in Venice, Kennedy returns to the pieces that made his name and to which he brought such staggering verve and spirit back in 1989. With him, he brings an ensemble on the ascent: the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, which includes some of the finest instrumental players in Britain and enjoys relationships with a select handful of the world’s leading soloists.
The composer’s Five Dedications – part of his self-penned collection My World – are deeply personal pieces straddling the worlds of pop, jazz and folk in which the violinist pays tribute to musicians whose works have shaped him with luscious tunefulness and heartfelt playing. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one musical icon breathe life into another, and reveal a little of his intriguing self too.
Show times
Friday 16 May 2025, 7pm
Saturday 17 May 2025, 7pm