Captured... the magical sounds of sunny Spain

Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
IF the only attraction was to get away from the wintry weather and be transported to sunny Spain, the Halle’s Saturday’s “Espana” concert would still have been worthy of a listen.

But the treats kept on coming, with Australian guitarist Craig Ogden prominent and lush in the evening’s main piece, Rodrigo’s ultra-popular Concierto de Aranjuez.

Those who arrived early heard Ogden play several pieces in the foyer, explaining some guitar theory along the way to making guitar in practice look stunningly easy.

Conductor Oliver Gooch led the orchestra through a programme including extracts from Bizet’s “Carmen”, with Ravel’s “Bolero” ending the evening.