Miloš Karadaglić and Arcangelo Ensemble

It is a cold Sunday night in January, and I am at the Norwich Theatre Royal for a rare opportunity to experience the playing of Miloš Karadaglić, one of the world's most highly rated classical guitarists. It is the first night of his 2014 UK tour, on which he is joined by the renowned Arcangelo Ensemble, and conductor and harpsichord player Johnny Cohen.

Karadaglić has certainly led the way in reviving the popularity of the classical guitar. His debut album, Mediterráneo, went to the top of the UK classical charts in 2011, and stayed there for 28 weeks. In 2022, he became the first classical guitarist to sell out the Royal Albert Hall. Last year, at an outdoor concert with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, he played to over 16,000 people.

His new album is inspired by the Baroque period - music from the first half of the 18th century, an era when experimentation and innovation came accompanied with rich colours and contrasting shades of darkness and light. Unsurprisingly, the concert included several pieces from this new collection. Once the ensemble had settled us in with their excerpt from Vivaldi's 'L'Olimpiade', the maestro joined us on stage for a re-worked Adagio from Marcello's Oboe Concerto, swiftly followed by Boccherini's lively Fandango from his Guitar Quintet in G major. Karadaglić then delivered his stunning solo interpretaion of Bach's Chaconne from the 'Partita for Sol Violin, certainly the highlight of the first half, which then concluded with the Arcangelo Ensemble playing out with an excerpt from Handel's Concerto Grosso in A minor.

The Ensemble return, and open the second half to the familiar sound of Pachelbel's 'Canon', before Karadaglić enchants us with his beautiful, lyrical, and intimate guitar interpretation of J.P. Rameau's 'Les Artes et les Heures' (from 'Les Boréades'), Handel's 'Menuet', and S.L.Weiss' solo strummed 'Passacaglia'.

A final three act suite by Purcell sees Karadaglić return for the finale, the 'Timon of Athens', before ending with his final encore, adapted from Vivaldi's Concerto for lute.

It is not often that an artist manages to sandwich New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Cadogan Hall with a gig at Norwich's Theatre Royal, but that is exactly what happened tonight, and it turned out to be a Baroque blinder of a night. Thank you, Miloš, thank you Arcangelo Ensemble, and thank you, too, Norwich Theatre.