Whether Kennedy (formerly known as Nigel Kennedy) has actually breached the barricades of elitism that supposedly hinder mass appreciation of classical music remains a question to be answered years from now. In Davies Hall on Monday, the Kennedy Collective, comprised of two acoustic guitars, double bass, two celli, oboe and flute, with Kennedy, solo violin and "kibitzer," strode through a program of Bartok, J.S. Bach and Jimi Hendrix.

The program's classical foundations were the Bartok Sonata for Solo Violin and the Adagio and Fugue from Bach's Sonata No. 3, in C major. It was a daring move on Kennedy's part to open with the gigantic Ciaccona and Fuga movements of the Bartok. The two movements were brilliantly performed, note-perfect, and with an absolute certainty where the music was heading. Stylistically it was top-drawer Bartok.

That said, it was a downer for him to segue immediately after the Fuga into Jimi Hendrix country. "3rd Stone from the Sun" paled in significance as did "Little Wing" which followed. Here Kennedy fell back into jazz cliches with fast tremolo bowing, sliding up and down the fingerboard, bariolage bowing, caterwauling, scraping, screeching, and all this with amplification for each member of the Collective backing him. It went on too long, too long for the musical material. Nonetheless, there were some beautiful, quiet moments along the way, featuring two superb guitarists, John Etheridge and Doug Boyle, with bassist Rory McFarlane.

After "Little Wing," Kennedy strode to the front of the stage, away from the amplification and without a moment's hesitation, continued with the final two movements of the Bartok Sonata. Again, Kennedy captured the essence of the music, spinning out an unforgettable Melodia and finishing with a romp through the fantastic Presto. Again, with no break, "Drifting" and "Fire" were picked up by the Collective, the music turning transparent next to the Bartok.

The Bach Adagio and Fugue, following intermission, were much less successful than the Bartok, The Fugue seemed to deteriorate after the opening moments. It became a chore to listen, admitting that many great violinists have foundered on these particular musical shoals. The program concluded with the Hendrix-Kennedy "Concerto in Suite Form."

This concert presented by the San Francisco Symphony was certainly different, The usual symphony goers were not in attendance, and the cheers at the end of an almost three-hour program consisted of the usual high-pitched "yo-yo," the signature of today's younger audiences, whether watching Leno, Letterman or Kennedy.

Now about breaching barricades of elitism, in a few short years, we will know whether new audiences for music have been successfully created or whether the surviving classical music afficionados have been alienated or eliminated. The battle is joined!

(Stuart Canin, former Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony and of Hollywood film orchestras, is Music Director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.)

©1998 Stuart Canin, all rights reserved