The Classical Album 1 / Vanessa-Mae

I bought this album because I was looking for music similar to another musician whose work pleased me very much. I was reading an article that stated Vanessa Mae was an inspiration for the other musician. I checked this CD out, and I am very pleased.

Vanessa Mae made me want to learn violin. I love everything this woman does. Even with her classical repertoire, she manages to put her own personality into it, which is the mark of a true musician.

Phenomenal artist! So glad I found her!!

With this album Vanessa Mae fans and classical violin connoisseurs now have the opportunity to judge her playing on its own merits as she covers standard classical violin repertoire rather than pop tunes or jazzed up versions of classical pieces. What we see is that Mae does indeed possess a considerable amount of technical ability and talent, even if her musicianship and tone are somewhat lacking. Mae excels with her Bach interpretations (Preludio and Loure were my favorites) where her ability to navigate the complexities of the cross string work and bowing challenges is displayed, but falls somewhat short in her efforts with Beethoven, Bruch, and Brahms where there is more demand for expression and musical maturity.There is a tendency in the world of classical music to dismiss artists who dabble in the world of pop music as shallow or phony. Often you see people malign every living violinist as unworthy heirs of the legacies of Heifetz, Oistrach, and Kreisler. These critics, of course, would rip into Vanessa Mae like a dog with a freshly grilled t-bone steak. The fact is, her playing isn't as good as die hard Mae fans would have you believe, nor is it as bad as the purists claim. This album isn't an attempt to gain credibility and widespread acceptance in the classical community, in my opinion, but rather an effort to introduce her loyal fans to the works of these great classical composers whom she apparently loves and admires. One thing she has proven is that an artist can succeed playing both pop and classical in their repertoire if they give a quality presentation of each in an entertaining fashion. This album is a part of that ongoing effort on Mae's part, and deserves to be judged as such and nothing more.

Super!

I think Vanessa Mae plays really well, she has great technical abilities.

wonderful musician

Very nice