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Vanessa-Mae is well-known internationally as a musical prodigy on the violin. Born in Singapore on October 27, 1978, (196 years after the great Paganini) Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, (Vanessa-Mae is her performance name) moved to London at the age of 4. She considers her nationality to be British, which she adopted along with her British father, despite the fact that she is biologically half-Thai and half-Chinese. At age 5, she took up the violin, while retaining her lessons on the piano, which she first took at the age of 3. She excelled at the piano, but later decided to focus on the violin. She got so good that she toured with the Philharmonia at age 10, and held her first international tour at age 12 with the London Mozart Players in Mozart Bicentenary. She has progressed rapidly, expanding her horizons. In 1993-1994, she recorded her first techno-acoustic fusion recording, which was The Violin Player. Vanessa-Mae is known to walk over freshly spilt water between the dressing room and stage before her concerts as a superstition. It must work, for critics can't get enough of her music. Here are a few comments about Vanessa-Mae: "She is a true child prodigy. What she has, like Mozart and Mendelssohn, is maturity beyond her years" "...for this - her spirituality - you have to go back to Heifetz, Menuhin, and Kreisler" "Vanessa-Mae is a violinist to transcend labels"
The cover of The Violin Player
The Violin Player album consists of 10 songs, all performed by Vanessa-Mae in her famous "violin techno-acoustic fusion concept", which is a refreshing break from the traditional classical style, yet still retains the elements of culture found in the classical world. This album was produced by EMI Records, Ltd, in 1995. Its total running time is 42:50, and the song breakdown is as follows:
The Violin Player is recognized around the world as a revolutionary album, in that it successfully combines classical elements with new-age techno to produce a high quality sound that retains the cultural aspect for which classical music is renowned.
I initially purchased the CD of The Violin Player without any *real* knowledge of what Vanessa-Mae was all about. I had heard Toccata & Fugue in D Minor and loved it, and that's why I bought it. I had no idea how entertaining this album was. Out of the 10 songs, I consider all of them to be good, which is very unusual for me. (Usually I buy CDs for a song or two, and half the songs on the CD I end up hating) But on this album, all 10 are fun to listen to and have a great rhythm. Part of the reason for this lies in the performer, Vanessa-Mae. She has excellent tone quality and resonance in each piece, along with original interpretations, reminiscent of the great Mozart. (To whom she has been compared) All these aspects come together to produce a sound all her own, and an album with 10 very entertaining numbers.
Of the 10 pieces, I do have my favorites. Probably my favorite piece is Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. This combination of a variety of instruments, including an electric guitar, is perfectly harmonized to produce a wonderful sound, and the beat really gets you going. This song became so popular that a single for it was made, with many different versions. Contradanza is another wonderful piece, great tone quality and rhythm, with a great ending. Classical Gas is another popular piece with its own single, which shows off the enormous talents of Vanessa-Mae on the violin. Theme from Caravans was arranged by Mike Batt, and was used, obviously, in Caravans. Warm Air includes the most classical elements, and conforms the most to the classical style than any other piece in this album. It's such a beautiful piece, and one of my top picks. Jazz Will Eat Itself includes some elements of jazz, and uses a lot of unusual instruments. Widescreen is my least favorite number in this album, but it's not *bad*. Tequila Mockingbird is another great piece with the use of maracas and a beat which gives it an exotic Spanish tone. City Theme is another great piece arranged by Mike Batt. The music is well suited to symbolize the city, with bold chords and a fast beat. Red Hot is a brilliant original arranged by Vanessa-Mae herself. The beat is captivating, and the ending is superb! The following is a table of my personal favorites from The Violin Player arranged from most favorite to least favorite:
| Toccata & Fugue in D Minor |
| Red Hot |
| Warm Air |
| Contradanza |
| Classical Gas |
| Tequila Mockingbird |
| City Theme |
| Theme from Caravans |
| Jazz Will Eat Itself |
| Widescreen |
Frank Langbein's Vanessa-Mae and VM-1 Page
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