Bennett, Walton, Maxwell Davies, Henze

No guitarist since Segovia has done more to enlarge the repertoire than Julian Bream. Many of the composers who wrote works for him were not otherwise associated with the instrument, yet the results have lasting significance. Walton is a case in point, since the Five Bagatelles rank among the finest guitar pieces of the post-war era. The other items recorded here display great imagination, but they have not yet established a wide currency – Henze’s atonal suite on Shakespearean characters is particularly worth investigating. Bream performs the recital with all the panache one would expect, while the recording is excellent. Terry Barfoot