In today’s episode, David is joined by the entertaining and talented Scottish guitarist, Matthew McAllister! A week away from the Big Guitar Weekend (in partnership with BBC Radio 3), Matthew spoke of his work with the festival along with this year's exciting lineup of artists. He also discussed the direction of his own festival, Classical Guitar Retreat: a beautiful week on the Island of Cumbrae. As explained by Matthew, the acoustics of Cumbrae’s cathedral are perfect for the classical guitar: he in fact has chosen to record several CDs on location over the years! McAllister’s recordings are conceptually programmed, producing a meaningful record that steers away from a “Greatest Hits” styled CD. Matt explained his approach to choosing repertoire for both recordings/concerts, and how his programmatic choices sometimes differ while touring in China.

Intro Music: Couperin Les Sylvains (Scott Tennant)

Spatter the Dew (McAllister)

String Quartet No. 3 VI. Mishima-Closing (Phillip Glass)

-McAllister, Neave, Baric, Savaloni