John Williams - The Guitar Master – The Ultimate Collection

The Guardian 100

John Williams (guitar)
(Sony) (2 CDs)

John Williams has been a five-star artist for me since I heard him play the massive Bach D minor Chaconne on the guitar with total mastery, 40 years ago. The celebrations of Williams’s 75th birthday have had us nostalgically recalling the optimistic time when through his advocacy classical music was everywhere, feeding into film scores, and a natural part of light entertainment television. This soft-edged compilation gathers his biggest film hits from The Deer Hunter, The Mission and Schindler’s List, but they are woven in with brilliant arrangements of Falla, Albeniz, Satie and Bach – the E major Violin Partita’s Prelude, done with exquisite good taste. A true master.