Arpedon Krater Nigel Spivey

Jordi Savall, Nigel Rogers, Anthony Bailes - A Musicall Banquet 1610 (1977) {EMI "Reflexe" CDM 7 63429 2 rel 1991}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 246 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 124 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977, 1991 EMI Classics / EMI Electrola / EMI Reflexe | CDM 7 63429 2
Classical / Renaissance / Baroque

"Furnished with a varietie of delicious Ayres, collected out of the best authors in English, French, Spanish and Italian". Robert Dowland the son of Dowland "The English Orpheus" was the compiler of this fine anthology dedicated to Sir Robert Sidney, once Lord Chamberlain. In an age of "conceit" It was common enough to select some contrasting idea or image and apply it to an unrelated concept—hence the title "Musicall Banquet" which Robert Dowland charmingly describes as "like a careful confectionary", continuing that "as neere as might be I have fitted my Banquet for all tastes".

Tenebrae return to the sublime music of Tomás Luis de Victoria on Signum with this recording of his timeless Tenebrae Responsories. The works mix the words of the Gospels with other texts commenting on collective suffering written around the 4th century, and would traditionally have been performed as part of a moving service in which candles are slowly extinguished to mark the progress and suffering of Christ that forms the Passion story.

A 7CD collection tracing Nigel Kennedy’s journey from the phenomenal Elgar concerto with Vernon Handley in 1984 through to his ground-breaking Vivaldi Four Seasons with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1989 – the recording which launched him to global super-stardom. “If it wasn’t for a spiky-haired Nigel Kennedy’s 1989 recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons,” the Classic FM radio station told its website’s readers a few years back, “you and I might not be listening to Classic FM today”. The station had launched in 1992 with a mission to bring classical music to a wider public, three years after the runaway success of young violinist Nigel Kennedy’s Vivaldi album had revealed an untapped audience just waiting for the right invitation.

Nigel Kennedy and Kroke - East Meets East (2003) {EMI Records}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 413 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 155 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 EMI Records | 7243 5 57512 2 5
Jazz / World Music / International Jazz / Klezmer / Middle Eastern Traditions

If the notion persists that Nigel Kennedy is the enfant terrible of classical music – too rebellious or facile to be taken seriously – then perhaps it is time to reconsider his categorization. Kennedy's varied interests certainly take him beyond the boundaries of the typical classical performer, and his performance style may be too flamboyant to suit some listeners' tastes. But East Meets East is far from shocking, if understood as an exploration of Eastern European music, presented in a fusion of popular styles without pandering to the classical audience with crossover concessions. Fans of world music and open-minded listeners of any stripe may find something to appreciate here. Appearing with the Polish folk band Kroke and surrounded by several guest artists of international reputation, Kennedy shows that his involvement with this ethnic music is honest, if not always inspired.

Food writer and cook Nigel Slater meets devoted home cooks across multicultural Britain to find out culinary secrets from across the world and discover what makes different cultures in Britain tick.

Nigel Kennedy - Greatest Hits 2002
EMI Classics | Time: 1:11:06 | MP3@ 256 kbps | 120 MB
Genre: classic

Violinist Nigel Kennedy long stopped annoying or surprising concertgoers and disc buyers with his looks and manners–the cover of this CD pictures him with red and blue paint on his face, and he's biting his violin. If that irritates you, his playing certainly will not. Here, two movements from Vivaldi's Four Seasons act as bookends to, among other pieces: a Satie Gymnopédie, exquisitely played, with lovely embellishments near its close; Vaughan Williams's floating Lark Ascending; a stunning, virtuosic Bach solo (never before released); a soft-edged Bach chorale; a soupy, sentimental "Danny Boy"; a slightly overwrought "Scarborough Fair"; a piece by Kennedy himself; and a few other surprises. Kennedy's tone is lush and warm, and his emotionalism almost never overwhelms the music. Greatest hits? More like greatest encores. But definitely a terrific 71 minutes of fiddling.

Robert Levine