TONY COOPER Australian-born guitarist Craig Ogden and mandolin player extraordinaire Alison Stephens feature in the next concert of the Burnham Market series at Burnham Norton Church this Saturday, August 28 (6pm).

TONY COOPER

Australian-born guitarist Craig Ogden and mandolin player extraordinaire Alison Stephens feature in the next concert of the Burnham Market series at Burnham Norton Church this Saturday, August 28 (6pm).

They will present a programme of music from the novels of Louis de Bernières with pieces inspired by Captain Corelli's Mandolin and the Latin trilogy and also include concerti by Vivaldi and Hummel and works by Albeniz, Giuliani and Piazzolla.

The BBC Music Magazine dubbed Ogden 'a worthy successor to Julian Bream'. And it's easy to see why. His six Chandos releases of concerti and recital discs have received sparkling reviews from critics round the world and he's very much in demand as a concerti player and soloist.

And he keeps good company, playing with some of the best orchestras in the world including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome.

His most recent collaboration has been with the American counter-tenor David Daniels, which resulted in a classical chart-topping recording for Virgin/EMI and a major tour of the USA.

Future engagements include working with the Philharmonia (with Vladimir Ashkenazy), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Halle Orchestra and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

And next year he's heading off to New York for a solo recital in the Great Performers Series at the Lincoln Centre as well as touring to South Africa, Australian and Ireland.

Further recordings are in hand as well as a series of live broadcasts for the BBC and a busy schedule of recitals throughout the UK.

Craig also manages time to fit in a teaching post. He's principal lecturer in guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.

When it comes to mandolin players, Alison Stephens is rated second to none. She is generally considered to be the leading exponent of the classical mandolin in the UK and has the distinction of being the first graduate of the instrument from Trinity College of Music, London. On her graduation she was appointed a teacher at the college.

Following her professional concerto debut at the Barbican in 1987, she has played across the UK and round the world.

In addition to her concerti performances, Alison regularly teams up with Craig Ogden and also gives recitals with the harpist Lauren Scott and the pianist Anne Evans.

Her biggest recording success was the CD she made with Craig Ogden of Music from the novels of Louis de Bernières. It sold more than 10,000 copies in the first three months.

And to end her concert at Burnham she will join Craig Ogden to play a relaxing serenade written by Mauro Giuliani, a famous Italian player of the 19th century, who wrote three concerti for the guitar – reckoned to be some of the finest ever written. Tickets £12 available at the door or from P 07748 954393.