Germany, Frankfurt - REVIEW - Beethoven and A very nice concerto. - June 2008.
Michelle: I was there!
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In the first part of the concert Nigel played Beethoven's concerto for violin and orchestra. His couloring and phrasing is undoubtful brilliant as always, though his interpretation of Beethoven made some purists frown. The orchester started with a presto instead of an allegro ma non troppo and the second slow movement went into the third movement without a break. Quite conservatively played were the Kreisler cadenza though.
The second part of the concert was the premiere of his composition Melody & Invention. He is a brilliant violinist, but he has not the talent to become a great composer. It was a mix of melodies, jazz , blues , film music which often reminded me of the 1980's . Quite entertaining but not really special and often too loud. Although I wouldn't buy his composition on CD, it was quite interesting to see his performance on stage. I found his use of the "electric" violin to be versatile and stunning. The use of this technology allowed him to give his violin a wide variety of voices. He has an easy style with the audience, interrupting his performance as he chose, and in such a way as to, somehow, not totally disrupt the flow of his composition. That is perhaps made possible by the fact that each "movement" of his "concerto" is capable of standing on its own. The other members of his quartet are remarkable musicians, and together, they provided an amazing auditory and visual experience.
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