Astounding playing was heard as Kennedy, with the Polish Chamber Orchestra, continued his 25th Anniversary Tour, at Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Kennedy dazzled in the quick outer movements of Bach's Concerto for Violin in A minor, and the awesome beauty he drew from his priceless Guarneri violin during the slow movement with exceedingly long bows of pianissimo notes, were controlled amazingly.

Krzysztof Bzowka, leader of the orchestra, joined Kennedy in Concerto for Two Violins in D minor by Bach, forming an ideal partnership, each matching the other in phrases of exquisite sound and expression.

'Spring' and 'Summer' from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons were daunting in the precision, wonderful shading and rapport between Kennedy and the orchestra. How the instrumentalists kept up in the last accelerando was incredible, but they did, superbly.

Massenet's Meditation de Thais, so soft to begin with, rubatoed from one phrase to the next with skill. The closing high note was magical. Gems by Debussy and Satie were given subtle decoration, and ravished the ear. In Kreisler's Praludium and Allegro Kennedy's changes of tempi and individuality in his understanding of the music was truly exciting.

Londonderry Air heard him play the entire melody at several octave levels wonderfully, in one long phrase.

In Monti's Czardas its languid melody became more and more decorated and showy: truly stunning.

Kennedy's encore was Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. This was brilliant. As he extemporized, and wandered round the auditorium chatting at times as he went, a thrilling concert, of what had been perpetual motion, ended.

Passionate, innovative, breaking the boundaries of convention, casual in the extreme regarding his appearance and stage manner, Kennedy has a gut instinct for the utmost refinement, and a unique perception in perceiving the innate qualities in the music he performs.

Jill Hopkins