Leo Brouwer's Guitar Concerto No.6, Concierto de Volos, may not have sounded too familiar at the beginning of the night, but its popularity is sure to increase following John William's performance last night.

The legendary guitarist took to that stage of the packed Victoria Hall in Hanley alongside the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) and, while many found the sound to be too much on the contemporary side, no-one can dispute the technical demands it asks of the player.

Wanting to bring different guitar pieces to concert halls, Williams consciously left all thoughts of Rodrigo's infamous Concierto de Aranjuez far behind, but not before giving listeners a little taste of what they ultimately came for.

Myers's Cavatina from The Deer Hunter is undoubtedly one of the most poignant and beautiful works in the repertoire and, while it was scheduled to be performed alongside the ECO, Williams chose to go it alone – and it certainly paid off.

Followed by a further solo, Albeniz's Asturias, the 68-year-old ended his appearance just as he began it; with mind-blowing finger work and unquestionable mastery of the instrument.

After opening with Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, it was down to the ECO to close the night, and they did so with a crowd-pleasing performance of Dvorak's Serenade.

Liz Rowley