Craig Ogden - Reviews

• 'Craig Ogden is a brilliant, persuasive advocate, not only in the Walton but in the Malcolm Arnold and Lennox Berkeley Guitar Concertos'.

  The Guardian (English Guitar Concertos)

  ' A worthy successor to Julian Bream'

  BBC Music Magazine

  'Craig Ogden perfectly catches the piquancy of Walton’s Five Bagatelles, the luscious Englishness of Berkeley’s concerto and the quirky playfulness of Arnold’s Serenade and Guitar Concerto'.

  The Scotsman (English Guitar Concertos)

  'All the works were inspired by…Julian Bream, to whom Craig Ogden is a distinguished successor. Allied to his superb, agile technique, the range of tonal shading he brings to his playing is of rare richness and subtlety'.

  The Telegraph (English Guitar Concertos)

  'There are other guitar concertos than Rodrigo’s and Craig Ogden has been doing his best to convince people of the fact. The new arrangement of Walton’s Five Bagatelles, together with the Arnold concerto and Serenade, makes a very set of very rewarding pieces. Even Lennox Berkeley’s melodious atonality sounds marvellous in Ogden’s hands'.

  Manchester Evening News (English Guitar Concertos)

  'The influence of Spanish flamenco could be felt in Sun Trap for guitar by Jonathan Cole, a short and exciting piece brilliantly played by Craig Ogden. In Britten’s Songs from the Chinese and in the finest of the Night Pieces — the hauntingly beautiful Nocturnal after John Dowland, Craig Ogden interpreted Britten’s writing for guitar magnificently'

  East Anglian Daily Times (Britten Festival 2001)

  'The Nash Ensemble certainly spared no expense in crowding the platform with some of the finest solo-status musicians currently in Britain. Everyone played well - and in the case of the guitarist Craig Ogden, supremely well. I’ve never heard the accompaniment to Tippett’s Songs for Achilles, or the intricacy of his quasi-sonata The Blue Guitar, handled with sharper or more brilliant style'

  Michael White, The Independent on Sunday

  'Rodrigo’s old stalwart was the piece that came over like a breath of fresh, invigorating air. Soloist Craig Ogden brought many things to the concerto, but most memorably, an improvisatory quality in the Adagio ensured that it would be edge-of-the-seat listening. Ogden was something of an ambassador for what can be done with the instrument producing an array of glistening notes and an interpretation with tremendous flair and personality'.

  Thérèse Sutherland, The Glasgow Herald

  (BBC Scottish Symphony, conductor Diego Masson)

  'This disc is pure joy...you do not necessarily have to be under the spell of the books to respond either to the music or to the miraculous playing of it.'

  The Daily Telegraph (Classical CD of the week)

  Music from the novels of Louis de Bernières

  'An extremely subtle expressive range in which finely judged rubato and careful dynamic shading plays a major part. Technically, this is extremely adept playing but, more importantly, there’s a strong sense of musical intelligence at work'.

  Classic CD (Guitar Meditations)

  'The second movement (of the Fantasia para une Gentilhombre), is utterly magical and worth the price of the disc alone'.

  Rodrigo Concertos Classic CD

  'In tone and cleanness of execution he is flawless in this recording and his tempos betray no fear of difficulty'.

  Rodrigo Concertos Gramophone

  'My father enjoyed immensely your interpretation. It is indeed a very good recording and we are grateful that you recorded the CONCIERTO PARA UNA FIESTA, which we love and has been a bit neglected next to its famous sisters, CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ and FANTASIA PARA UN GENTILHOMBRE and also for the difficulty in performing it. Although we knew that you are very talented, this recording has confirmed your position among the greatest guitarists. This record will no doubt be an important contribution to your career.'

  Cecilia Rodrigo

  'I thought your interpretation of my work was brilliant and we were quite moved by the sensitivity of your performance. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending you to any Conductor and/or Orchestra. I am convinced that wherever and whatever you play, your performances will be rewarding musical experiences.'

  Sir Malcolm Arnold CBE.

  'For a truly outstanding album of peace and calm, turn to Craig Ogden: Guitar Meditations'.

  Classic FM Magazine

  'Ogden's touch is light but the effect is powerful. His fingers flick across the strings plucking fine notes with the ease and speed of a conjuror. .........Ogden could also draw back to express musical images with the utmost sensitivity (and) his technique was a remarkable combination of fleeting digital dexterity and economic delicacy.'

  The Courier Mail (Brisbane)

  '(Craig Ogden) paraded a variety of skills including velvet-soft finger agility and expressive phrasing, to collaborate beautifully with an orchestra in superb form. Together, they created an idyllic Spanish atmosphere, full of gentle melodies and exuberant dances.'

  Manchester Camerata (Rodrigo) Manchester Evening News

  'Craig Ogden adopts softer colours and a smoother tone than some older players (Bream, Williams and Diaz, for example). The result is one of the most winning performances I have encountered'.

  Rodrigo Concertos Classic CD

  'Craig Ogden... has always chosen his recital programmes with wisdom, and, as a performer in the specialised realm of the classical guitar, he has opened our ears to the instrument's breadth of repertory and to its expressive potential.'

  The Daily Telegraph (Classical CD of the week)

  Music from the novels of Louis de Bernières