The title of this Chandos release is a bit confusing; most listeners would expect that they were getting a live guitar concert, and the sound engineering, although generally very fine, reinforces this impression with quick segues between pieces that make the earlier piece sound cut off. That is the end of the list of complaints here, however. The Craig Ogden in Concert title refers to works that guitarist Ogden has favored as concert items, a seemingly simple idea that that is all too rarely done except in the "encores" ...
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The title of this Chandos release is a bit confusing; most listeners would expect that they were getting a live guitar concert, and the sound engineering, although generally very fine, reinforces this impression with quick segues between pieces that make the earlier piece sound cut off. That is the end of the list of complaints here, however. The Craig Ogden in Concert title refers to works that guitarist Ogden has favored as concert items, a seemingly simple idea that that is all too rarely done except in the "encores" category. The pieces feel lived-in, played with absolute confidence and elegance. Ogden is a wonderful guitarist, executing harpsichord-like tone shifts in standards like the Suite in E minor for lute, BWV 996, arranged here for guitar (presumably by Ogden himself; arrangers are given for other pieces, but not for this one). However, the real pleasure of this program lies in its variety and freshness. Ogden offers lovely pieces by composer Agustín Barrios (Julia Florida was the nickname...
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