Nigel Kennedy Quotes

Powerful Nigel Kennedy for Daily Growth

About Nigel Kennedy

Nigel Kennedy, born on October 7, 1956 in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, is a prolific violinist and composer recognized for his eclectic approach to classical music. Raised in a musical family, Kennedy's passion for the violin was ignited at an early age. He began playing at five and made his professional debut at nine with the London Symphony Orchestra. His father, Josef Kennedy, was a Hungarian-born jazz musician who significantly influenced Nigel's unconventional approach to classical music. Kennedy studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal Academy of Music. His unique style blends classical, jazz, folk, and rock genres, defying traditional expectations for a violinist. This fusion has earned him both acclaim and controversy. In 1989, Kennedy released "Vivaldi - The Four Seasons," an innovative interpretation that became a best-seller, reaching number one in the UK album charts. His rendition of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" also gained widespread popularity. Kennedy's life has been marked by personal struggles. He battled drug addiction for many years and spent time in rehabilitation centers. However, he has remained a formidable force in the music world, continuing to push boundaries and defy conventions. Today, Kennedy continues to compose and perform, his works reflecting his eclectic taste and his ability to bridge the gap between classical and popular music. His influence extends beyond his music, inspiring a new generation of musicians to think outside the box and challenge traditional norms.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Music is not a profession; it's an experience."

Nigel Kennedy suggests that music is more than just a job or career; it is an immersive, personal encounter with emotion, creativity, and the human spirit. Music transcends formal boundaries and provides a unique channel for individuals to express themselves and connect with others on a profound level.

"The greatest composers were not academics, they were poets and artists."

Nigel Kennedy's quote suggests that great composers are not just scholars or theoreticians but also creative individuals with a strong poetic and artistic sensibility. This implies that the essence of their work lies in the emotional depth, expressiveness, and imaginative power of their compositions rather than adhering strictly to rules and technicalities. In other words, it is the ability to connect with people on an emotional level through music that sets apart great composers from those who are purely academic.

"You can't be a real artist unless you're a little bit crazy."

This quote by Nigel Kennedy suggests that true artistic expression often requires a degree of unconventionality or eccentricity, as these qualities might allow artists to break free from conventional norms and explore new creative territories. The "craziness" alluded to could be an individual's passion, determination, risk-taking, originality, or emotional depth that sets them apart, pushing boundaries, and challenging the status quo in their artistic endeavors. This quote encourages us to embrace our unique qualities as artists, to stay true to ourselves, and to fearlessly express ourselves through art.

"I don't play violin; I just let it scream."

The quote by Nigel Kennedy, "I don't play violin; I just let it scream," suggests a passionate, expressive approach to his music. Instead of treating the instrument as an object to be meticulously controlled, he views it as a medium for emotional outburst or expression, allowing it to 'scream' in its rawest, most intense form. This interpretation implies that Kennedy's performances are characterized by energy, intensity, and unbridled emotion rather than technical precision alone.

"Music is the language of the spirit. It allows us to communicate emotions that words cannot express."

Nigel Kennedy's quote underscores the profound ability of music to convey feelings beyond the reach of mere words. Music, as a universal language, transcends cultural boundaries and taps into the deepest recesses of our human spirit. It is through this art form that we can express, connect, and empathize with emotions too complex or ineffable for traditional linguistic expression.

Even if you're playing Brahms or a Beethoven concerto, you've got to have a different vantage point, slightly, each time.

- Nigel Kennedy

Slightly, Vantage, Each Time, Concerto

I've learnt new scales through playing different types of music, like Indian raga scales, gipsy scales and harmonically-based jazz scales.

- Nigel Kennedy

New, Through, Types, Indian

I can think and play stuff in classical music that possibly violinists who didn't have access to other types of music could never do. It means I'm more flexible within classical music, to be a servant to the composer.

- Nigel Kennedy

Play, Think, Means, Possibly

Menuhin was playing Bach on a fantastic spiritual level when he was a teenager.

- Nigel Kennedy

Spiritual, Level, Fantastic, Teenager

Maybe it's egocentric or whatever, but when I'm playing Beethoven, Bach, Hendrix, or whoever it is, in the end, it just feels like my own music and I'm making it up as I'm going along.

- Nigel Kennedy

Making, Maybe, Feels, Hendrix

If you're playing within your capability, what's the point? If you're not pushing your own technique to its own limits with the risk that it might just crumble at any moment, then you're not really doing your job.

- Nigel Kennedy

Doing, Within, Crumble, Limits

If you're not pushing your own technique to its own limits with the risk that it might just crumble at any moment, then you're not really doing your job.

- Nigel Kennedy

Doing, Might, Crumble, Limits

If you do the same thing every night, that's the death of music.

- Nigel Kennedy

Music, Death, Same, Every Night

I think Bach is equally a romantic composer because he laid the seeds harmonically for people like Chopin and the great Romantics, Brahms, so it's difficult to you know all this like labelling and putting - I think Bach is attractive to musicians because he supersedes the labels.

- Nigel Kennedy

I Think, Putting, Equally, Romantics

I'm always improving and I want to get better and never hit a plateau. I find it an amazing adventure.

- Nigel Kennedy

Want, Better, Always, Plateau

I see it as my job to try to keep Bach in the mainstream and present his music with, rather than without, its emotional core.

- Nigel Kennedy

Emotional, I See, Rather, Mainstream

Bach was a top harmonist geezer, which is why the jazz cats love him.

- Nigel Kennedy

Love, Cats, Which, Bach

Yes, I mean like you know, having studied with Yehudi Menuhin that is like some direct route into Bach, because he was one of the foremost interpreters of Bach for the violin.

- Nigel Kennedy

Violin, Some, Having, Bach

You can't learn pathos or profundity.

- Nigel Kennedy

Learn, You, Profundity, Pathos

Why would you want to stand there waving a stick when you could be playing an instrument?

- Nigel Kennedy

Want, Could, Would, Waving

The Four Seasons was making me popular in Britain, but EMI America had no interest in making that happen in the States, so I just had a classical career there.

- Nigel Kennedy

Seasons, Happen, Making, No Interest

I hate complacency. I play every gig as if it could be my last, then I enjoy it more than ever.

- Nigel Kennedy

Play, Gig, Last, Complacency

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.