Classical--.

Byline: By Richard Yates

One of the world's most acclaimed classical guitarists, John Williams, will be on stage at The Sage Gateshead next week for a concert with a difference.

Although he established his reputation in classical guitar music, John Williams has since extended his repertoire through a number of collaborations with artists from other fields ( including Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, AndrA Previn, Toru Takemitsu and through his own group, SKY.

Next Friday he will be in Hall One from 7.30pm in partnership with composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist Richard Harvey ( whose repertoire is said to include more than 600 instruments.

He and Williams share a passion for a rich variety of musical cultures and their programme next week will include music ranging from Handel to Piazzolla and from Madagascar to China, South-East Asia to Latin America and Ireland.

Harvey will be surrounded by wind instruments including flutes and clarinets, alongside string instruments such as the mandolin and dulcimer.

Tonight, Hall One plays host to the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda for a high-energy concert that includes two works by Ravel ( the exuberant Spanish-influenced Alborada del gracioso and his orchestral transcription of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

There is also American composer John Adams' musical realisation of a hair-raising ride in a sports car, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and Richard Strauss' epic journey in the company of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza featuring cellist Peter Dixon and viola-player Steven Burnard as the two protagonists.

On Sunday at 11am the Sage's musical action switches to Hall Two for the BBC Sunday Morning Concert with soprano Solveig Kringelborn and pianist Malcolm Martineau for a Scandinavian recital of songs by Stenhammar, Grieg and Sibelius.