Craig Ogden & Miloš Milivojević
Craig Ogden Classical Guitar
Miloš Milivojević Classical Accordion
"A worthy successor to Julian Bream"
BBC Music Magazine
“A hurricane of imaginative invention”
Hilary Finch, The Times
One of the most acclaimed classical guitarists of his generation, Craig Ogden teams up with the award-winning classical accordionist Miloš Milivojević in a unique duo showcasing stunning arrangements of classical compositions by composers including Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Piazzolla. Both virtuosos of their instrument with international careers, their duo partnership reveals compelling playing and their relaxed concert presentation has made them firm favourites with audiences. Read More
Sample Programme
Accordion & Guitar
Concerto in D RV.93 Antonio Vivaldi
Felix Tango Matteo Falloni
Pirotango
Solo Accordion
Five Views on Country Gulag Viktor Vlasov
Solo Guitar
Sonata K.380 Domenico Scarlatti
Fantasie Dramatique "Le Depart", Op.31 Napoléon Coste
Vals Op.8 no.4 Agustín Barrios Mangoré
Accordion & Guitar
Kontroverse Jan Truhlar
España (Tango, Malagueña) Isaac Albeniz
Introduction and Fandango Luigi Boccherini
Libertango Piazzolla
PRESS
"The return of Craig Ogden, the well-known guitarist, to Ilkley Concert Club has been long awaited. For last Wednesday’s concert he appeared alongside Miloš Milivojević, classical accordionist. The programme started with an arrangement for both instruments of Vivaldi’s lute concerto in D, often heard on the guitar. The accordion accompaniment worked better in the sustained chords beneath the lyrical solo in the slow movement than for the outer fast movements, where one missed the attack of Vivaldi’s strings. The following three pieces in tango style by contemporary Italian composer, Matteo Falloni, allowed both instruments to show their strengths, Miloš Milivojević producing beautifully soft sustained tone in the melancholy central piece, Jewel.
After an excellent informative talk about his instrument, Miloš performed a solo suite by Viktor Vlasov which brilliantly illustrated some aspects of life in the Soviet Gulag of the 1930s-50s. To say that we were wowed by the virtuosity of the playing would be a complete understatement!
The second half began with guitar solos from Craig Ogden – two harpsichord sonatas by Scarlatti with the complex passagework brilliantly and lightly played, more audible than on many harpsichords, followed by Coste’s Fantasie and Barrios’s Vals, both virtuoso pieces, the second the more approachable with its easy flowing style. Miloš Milivojević then returned to the stage and the concert concluded with Boccherini; an eerie, discordant but not unattractive piece by the Czech Jan Truhlář; and a version of Astor Piazzolla’s famous Libertango which was elaborately improvisatory and allowed both players amply to demonstrate their skills.
This was an outstandingly enjoyable concert played by two true virtuosi on an intriguing combination of instruments. One can only join the players in wishing that there were a larger repertoire for them by composers whose talents match those of these wonderful musicians."
Virtuosi of the Guitar and Accordion
Craig Ogden & Miloš Milivojević at the King’s Hall, Ilkley
6th November 2019
"At half time and at the end of the concert, the audience were audibly very happy. The rapport between the artists was a delight. “
Ian Roberts, Live at St. Wilfrid’s
“Craig's masterly playing and humorous introductions to the audience are well known to us. But as I think Chris Skidmore said to you, in 74 years we have never had an accordionist at Ilkley, and I don't believe there could be a more wonderful exponent on that instrument than Milos. His duo playing with Craig was supremely sensitive and his solo performance of Vlasov's Five Views on Gulag State quite phenomenal. The audience was utterly gripped by the intensity of the playing and the extraordinary variety of sounds that Milos managed to draw out of the instrument."
Sarah L. Warnes, Concert Season Planner, Ilkley Concert Club
A CLASSICAL accordionist? What on earth..?
More than 200 people came to this Richmondshire Concert on a dismal November evening to find out. The accordionist was Miloš Milivojević, his performing partner the stellar guitarist Craig Ogden. Over the course of the evening, they took the audience from slight uncertainty through to rapt silence to rapturous applause.
Any slight uncertainty was quickly dispelled by a Vivaldi lute concerto, which felt so very right that it could have been written with the guitar-accordion combination in mind. That was followed by three modern tangos by Matteo Falloni.
It was Milivojević’s solo performance of the little known 'Five Views of Gulag State’ by Viktor Vlasov which produced the rapt silence. This is a five-movement piece of programme music on the horrors of the Russian prison camp system, in which the accordion could show its astounding range of techniques: we heard the wind rushing across a Siberian forest; the tramping of thousands of prisoners on a forced march; the steam engine carrying more prisoners into internment. It was an uncomfortable work, its emotions underscored by the performer’s intense engagement. Not a piece of music you would want to curl up with very often, but as theatre…overwhelming.
After the interval came a Scarlatti sonata and two more pieces for solo guitar, thoughtfully and sensitively played by Craig Ogden, then three more pieces for the two instruments, ending in a Boccherini fandango of 1798.
And finally, to end a very full programme, an encore of Piazzolla’s ever popular ‘Libertango’. Cue the rapturous applause. So, the verdict on classical accordion? A very positive thumbs up.
Miloš Milivojević & Craig Ogden
Influence Church, Richmond
Richmondshire Concerts, 23 November 2019
Ben Trovato, Darlington & Stockton Times
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BIOGRAPHY
One of the most acclaimed classical guitarists of his generation, Craig Ogden teams up with the award-winning classical accordionist Miloš Milivojević in a unique duo showcasing stunning arrangements of classical compositions by composers including Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Piazzolla. Both virtuosos of their instrument with international careers, their duo partnership reveals compelling playing and their relaxed concert presentation has made them firm favourites with audiences. Download
Read more about them below
Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. He studied guitar from the age of seven and percussion from the age of thirteen. He is the youngest instrumentalist to have received a Fellowship Award from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, his recordings for Virgin/EMI, Chandos, Nimbus, Hyperion, Sony and Classic FM have received wide acclaim. Craig’s five Classic FM albums all shot straight to No.1 in the UK classical chart and he is one of Classic FM’s most played artists.
Craig Ogden has performed concertos with all the main UK orchestras plus many abroad. He regularly appears as soloist and chamber musician at major venues and collaborates with the UK’s top artists and ensembles. Craig enjoys performing new works for guitar and gave the world premiere of a concerto written for him by Andy Scott with the Northern Chamber Orchestra in Manchester in November 2017, followed by the Australian premiere in Perth in September 2018. He gave the world premiere of ‘Il Filo’, a double concerto for guitar and accordion by David Gordon with Miloš Milivojević in summer 2019 and will give the world premiere of a concerto by David Knotts with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in January 2021 which will be recorded by BBC Radio 3. He has presented programmes on BBC Radio 3, BBC Northern Ireland and ABC Classic FM (Australia).
Craig Ogden is Head of Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Adjunct Fellow of the University of Western Australia, Associate Artist of The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Curator of Craig Ogden’s Guitar Weekend at The Bridgewater Hall, Director of the Dean & Chadlington Summer Music Festival and Visiting Musician at Oriel College, University of Oxford.
Award-winning accordionist Miloš Milivojević was born in Serbia. His versatility as a musician performing different genres including classical, tango and world music, has ensured he is in demand internationally.
Miloš studied in Kragujevac and won international competitions in Italy, Denmark, France and Germany before coming to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Whilst there, he won the prestigious Derek Butler Prize and began his mission to promote the accordion as an instrument in the concert hall. He has since given dozens of world premieres as well as first UK performances of works by composers including Howard Skempton, Ben Foskett, Elena Firsova and Luciano Berio.
Miloš’s diverse musical commitments as a soloist, chamber musician and regular member of the London Tango Quintet, Kosmos Ensemble, Accord Duo and Balkan group Paprika have taken him to festivals across the UK, Russia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, Serbia, Montenegro, Spain, the Canary Islands, Malta, Australia and New Zealand. His repertoire ranges from contemporary music with the London Sinfonietta to tangos on Strictly Come Dancing.
The versatility of Miloš’s playing extends to working with leading opera companies and he is regularly invited to perform with Opera North, most recently in their production of Mozart’s Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Humperdinck's - Hansel and Gretel and Donizetti's Elixir of Love. In 2017 Miloš performed Brett Dean’s new opera of Shakespeare’s great tragedy, Hamlet, with Glyndebourne Opera’s touring production.
In 2014, Miloš was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music ARAM for his contribution to music. Miloš is extremely grateful to the Burton Bradstock Festival for generous support towards his professional music career. He is an official artist and exclusively performs on Pigini Accordions. Miloš’s debut solo CD “Accord for Life” is available on the Nimbus label.
IMAGES
WEBSITE
Craig Ogden
www.craigogden.com
Miloš Milivojević
www.milosmilivojevic.com