Sony Classical celebrates the artist’s 80th birthday with The Essential Julian Bream. Throughout his long career, the charismatic British guitarist and lutenist’s virtuosic playing has enraptured audiences, inspired composers and won him four Grammy Awards®. This special 2-CD collection reflects the vast variety of music that Bream has championed, ranging from such popular Spanish classics as Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra, to the Elizabethan gems that Bream himself brought back to life. The Essential Julian Bream includes the artist’s own editions and arrangements of works by Albeniz, Boccherini, Falla, Granados, Handel, Paganini and Vivaldi as well as his famous collaborations with fellow artists, tenor Robert Tear and guitarist John Williams.

Chandos Movies is one of the best known film music labels in the industry, and has received tremendous critical acclaim. The series is especially associated with the conductor Rumon Gamba, whose undertstanding and enthusiasm for the form shines through. Vaughan Williams's film music ranks amongst the very finest ever written, and this CD contains some excellent examples. What makes this disc so important is that some of the material has never been recorded before, music which has been painstakingly assembled by Chandos' in-house arranger and music researcher, Stephen Hogger. The result is a hugely important release which will be of interest to both film music buffs and fans of Vaughan Williams.