Sony Classical celebrates the 75th birthday of John Williams and the 50th anniversary of his signing to the the label with a special 2-CD collection of his most-loved pieces. It includes the instantly recognisable film themes Cavatina (from The Deer Hunter) and Gabriel’s Oboe (from The Mission) alongside classical masterpieces by Satie, Bach and Handel.

John Williams has paved the way for a generation of classical guitarists with an astonishing output of reference recordings, transcriptions and arrangements throughout his long and celebrated career. This is the perfect companion release to John Williams – The Guitarist: The Complete Columbia Album Collection.

Born in Melbourne but living in London from an early age, John Williams studied at the Royal College of Music and in Siena with Andrés Segovia, who called him a “prince of guitar”. In the years following his acclaimed Wigmore Hall debut in 1958, he gave enormously successful concerts in Paris, Madrid and the Soviet Union, and in 1963 he made his debuts in Japan and USA. Described by guitar authority Graham Wade as “perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen”, Williams was one of the first classical musicians to play at London's iconic Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. He also appeared in rock concerts playing steel-strung acoustic and electric instruments with his own groups Sky, Attacca and John Williams and Friends.

Track listing:
CD1
1. Cavatina (from The Deer Hunter) [Stanley Myers]
2. Romance for guitar and string orchestra [Traditional]
3. Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra: Adagio [Joaquín Rodrigo]
4. Gabriel's Oboe (from The Mission) [Enno Morricone]
5. Recuerdos de la Alhambra [Francisco Tárrega]
6. Suite española, op.47 no.5: Asturias (Leyenda) [Isaac Albeniz]
7. Love Theme (from The Godfather) [Nino Rota]
8. Theme (from Schindler's List) [John Williams]
9. The Entertainer (from The Sting) [Scott Joplin]
10. Concerto in D Major for lute, two violins and basso continuo, RV93: I. Allegro giusto [Antonio Vivaldi]
11. Suite in E major, BWV 1006a: I. Prélude [Johann Sebastian Bach]
12. Six Gnossiennes: No.1, Lent [Erik Satie]
CD2
1. Gymnopédie No.3 [Erik Satie]
2. Una limosna por el amor de Dios [Agustin Barrios Mangoré]
3. Pavane, op.50 [Gabriel Fauré]
4. Suite española, op.47 no.3: Sevilla (Sevillanas) [Isaac Albeniz]
5. Triangular Situations [Vasco Martins]
6. Dance from La Vida Breve [Manuel de Falla]
7. Salut d'amour, op.12 [Edward Elgar]
8. Courante [Georg Friedrich Händel]
9. Spanish Dance no.5 [Enrique Granados]
10. Tango [Isaac Albeniz]
11. Prelude no.1 in E minor [Heitor Villa-Lobos]
12. Sunburst [Andrew York]