About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Would you rather go out on a blind date with Isaac Stern or Vanessa-Mae? At 21, Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson's winsome Thai-Chinese beauty and pop sensibility have earned her hordes of fans, as well as brickbats from critics who seem to miss the point. The violinist offers switched-on versions of classics, packaged to make them palatable to those who might not otherwise be tuned in. Her new Vivaldi CD, THE ORIGINAL FOUR SEASONS defines original as unusual not as what Vivaldi wrote. She is supported by Laureate, an ensemble of 16 experienced, competition-winning orchestral musicians from Bulgaria, Russia, Japan, France, and Spain. Just as pianist Vladimir Horowitz arranged Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" to be more difficult and better astonish listeners, this arrangement gives the players lots of difficult new material to play. The result has a nervous, wiry, urban sensibility -- a kind of disco stomp. Vanessa-Mae fans should love it, especially as they also get two versions of Tartini's "Devil's Trill" Sonata and "Reflection" from Disney's animated film "Mulan." Benjamin Ivry, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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