WHEN it emerged that Italian guitarist Christian Sagesse was double booked and unable to appear, Peter and Sue Sotheran managed to engage two 20-year-old guitarists, Bradley Johnson and James Girling, to complete the Classical Cleveland season in Stokesley.

The duo, from the Royal Northern College of Music, presented an enjoyable programme of guitar music including a majority of 20th century composers.

Pierre Petit’s Toccata was the opening piece, a varied and lively mix of jazz, Spanish and classical, with the two instruments "speaking" to each other in turn, effectively bringing in echoes of jazz and Spanish music laced through the classical passages.

Le Tombeau de Couperin followed, understood to be a tribute to Couperin from whom Ravel drew much inspiration. When the First World War broke out, Ravel added a memorial dedication to friends who lost their lives in the conflict. It was first performed in 1919.

Girling performed Libra Sonatine as a solo, showcasing its rich in nuances with admirable expressiveness. He played the first and third of the three movements. The flickering and flaming of fire in the latter, Fuoco, was suggested with a blaze of notes and technique.

Tedesco’s Sonatina Canonica is a beautiful piece in three movements, one of only three works by Tedesco for two guitars. The slow movement is delightfully delicate and the guitarists did it full justice.

Johnson played the Introduction and Caprice by Giulio Regondi, demonstrating the capacity of the guitar with amazing fingering, finishing with a tremendous running flourish.

The programme ended with the idea that androids may one day take over. There was a rather Frankenstein feel in the weird pulsing mechanical opening before the full power of the creature comes to life “with unstoppable rhythmic energy”, to quote the programme.

The guitars met the demands perfectly, producing an amazing range of effects, a fine musical and technical experience from two brilliant young musicians.

The audience was rewarded by a refrain most could remember from The Beatles days – She’s Leaving Home – sheer delight.

Irene MacDonald