Classical guitar is something I know very little about - I guess I always associate it with 70's guitarists playing clichéd Spanish tinged music and have pretty much ignored it since!

However, thanks to a recent local concert I am beginning to appreciate it a little more. I was lucky enough to see some superb young guitarists who form part of The Royal College of Music Guitar Collective. Twas an evening of most splendid entertainment and quite an eye opener in terms of the deep level and wide range of techniques required for this standard of performance. I really had no idea!

The work that really captured my imagination was Walton's Five Bagatelles, his only work for solo guitar, written for Julian Bream and dedicated to Malcolm Arnold. And what an entirely dazzling performance it was by Zoe Barnett. I just couldn't quite believe what I was hearing - such mastery and virtuosity at such a young age! Make no mistake, I see her as a potential star of the future, as this was one of the most musical performances I have ever seen. I do hope she signs to a good recording label in the near future.

In the meantime I have found a very good recording by Sean Shibe, see what you think.