Craig Ogden – Guitar Works by Lennox and Michael Berkeley (2004/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The guitar music of Sir Lennox Berkeley and Michael Berkeley reflects in part their family’s close friendship with guitar virtuoso Julian Bream, whose lyrical performance style notably influenced the father’s Sonatina, Op. 52/1 (1957), and the Sonata in One Movement (1982), and the Impromptu (1983) by the son. Yet the elder Berkeley’s guitar works also show the manners and techniques of other guitarists, most clearly Andrés Segovia in the flamboyant, Spanish-flavored Pieces (4) pour la guitare, Op. posth. (1928), and Angelo Gilardino in the more subdued Theme and Variations, Op. 77 (1970). Michael Berkeley’s music is more abstract, tailored less to performers’ styles than to technical possibilities and motivic manipulation. As a result, his Lament (1979), Worry Beads (1979), and the even the Sonata are fairly rarefied and perhaps not immediately gratifying, even though his tonal melodies and clear harmonies are easy to grasp. Craig Ogden performs the Berkeleys’ works with spontaneous expression, clean articulation, and a virtuosic flair all his own; yet he plays off Segovia’s and Bream’s characteristics just enough to convey how their distinctive personalities colored the works written for them. Chandos provides fine sound, though the venue’s resonant acoustics surround Ogden with a slight aural haze.

Tracklist:
01. Craig Ogden – 4 Pieces pour la guitare, Op. posth.: No. 1. Moderato ma con brio (02:02)
02. Craig Ogden – 4 Pieces pour la guitare, Op. posth.: No. 2. Andante con moto (03:12)
03. Craig Ogden – 4 Pieces pour la guitare, Op. posth.: No. 3. Lento [Mouvement de sarabande] (02:36)
04. Craig Ogden – 4 Pieces pour la guitare, Op. posth.: No. 4. Allegro, energico (01:58)
05. Craig Ogden – Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: I. Allegretto (04:42)
06. Craig Ogden – Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: II. Lento – Tempo rubato (03:04)
07. Craig Ogden – Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: III. Rondo: Allegro non troppo – Lento (03:28)
08. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Theme: Moderato — (01:17)
09. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 1: Allegro – Meno vivo — (00:45)
10. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 2: Allegretto — (01:01)
11. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 3: Lento — (00:59)
12. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 4: Andante — (01:43)
13. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 5: Allegro – Un poco largamente – Tempo I — (00:37)
14. Craig Ogden – Theme and Variations, Op. 77: Variation 6 [Epilogue]: Lento (01:31)
15. Craig Ogden – Lament (05:57)
16. Craig Ogden – Worry Beads (04:49)
17. Craig Ogden – Guitar Sonata (12:48)
18. Craig Ogden – Impromptu (03:48)