Widely considered as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, Australian-born
Craig Ogden further cements his virtuoso reputation with his second release through the Classic FM label,
Summertime. Unlike his 2010 classical chart-topper, The Guitarist, which included several self-penned tracks amongst its selection of traditional pieces, classic pop songs and film themes, its 15 tracks focus solely on familiar material designed to produce the perfect summer soundtrack. Alongside sun-kissed Latin favourites like Isaac Albéniz's "Granada" and Asturias, there are flamenco-tinged re-workings of popular classical pieces (
Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca," Fauré's Pavane) traditional romantic folk songs (Jeux Interdits, Greensleeves) and summery numbers from the world of opera (Porgy and Bess' "Summertime"), cinema (Captain Corelli's Mandolin's "Pelagia's Song") and television (Barrington Pheloung's theme for ITV drama Inspector Morse). While the solo performances of the
Eva Cassidy-inspired cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and
Satie's 19th century composition Gymnopedie No. 1 allow
Ogden to showcase his impressive finger-picking skills, the album is just as soothing when he's joined by the
Tippett Quartet, whose warm and light string arrangements perfectly fit in with the laid-back summer's day theme on the likes of
Stanley Myers' Cavatina, and
Ennio Morricone's Gabriel's Oboe, and the
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, whose restrained take on
Joaquín Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez ensures
Ogden's talents are never overshadowed.
Summertime might not be as enthralling as
Milos Karadaglic's similar effort, but it's a consistently enchanting easy listening affair that whets the appetite should he choose to tackle the other three seasons.