Classical reviews

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> The Four Elements. Nigel Kennedy (violin), Orchestra of Life. Sony CD.

"Sony Classical" label, but readers of this column are likely to find this a real shocker! Kennedy's great talents as a violinist have been devoted to his 21st-century suite of "programmatic pictorial music" (bow to his previous old "hit" version of Vivaldi's Seasons.)

This turns out to be a blast of electrified and relentless pieces, titled Overture, Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Finale.

The jazz-crossover fusion has rock, pop, R&B, improvisation, "progressive jazz", drum machines and singers, helped by some of Nige's Polish friends in the Orchestra of Life.

Cumulatively, it's a mish-mash and parody of progress through the centuries, while resin dust rises in a cloud from electric violin. His "Mockney" triumph?

Lowlight: final Encore ("It's Plucking Elemental"), appropriately introduced by a loud burp.

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> Grace. Greta Bradman (soprano). Sony CD.

Cricket legend Don Bradman had been a boy soprano and was a skilled pianist. His granddaughter Grace shows in this (her second CD) that she possesses a beautiful voice of unusual range and great expressive quality. Her singing career in Australia has mainly been in oratorio, lieder and chamber works but is now heading towards opera.

In this sensitive recital of 12 tracks, she sings songs by Sibelius (Be Still My Soul), Lloyd-Webber (Music of the Night and Pie Jesu) and Elton John (Can You Feel the Love Tonight), as well as Lascia Ch'io Panga from Handel's Rinaldo and Dvorak's Song to the Moon from Rusalka.

She displays glorious top coloratura notes in Pie Jesu and When You Believe (from Schwartz's The Prince of Egypt).

Highlight: Title track Grace was written by Greta.

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