Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez was written in 1940 but is a classic for all time.

I rank it with Mozart's clarinet concerto for its sadness, reflective qualities and emotion.

Concert guitarist Richard Durrant gave the work an impeccable reading at his 40th birthday recital with the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the excellent new acoustics of the Dome, Shoreham-based Durrant caught exactly the fragility of this piece in a breathtaking reading that reminded me of catching a butterfly on the wing.

It is a fiendishly difficult concerto and the soloist has nowhere to hide - there could be no mistakes.

The pressure must have been fierce. But Durrant has the experience, talent and passion to pull it off.

His reading of the central adagio was masterly, he caught all the mournfulness and the sadness of this beautiful work and, while he might not have had the technique of, say, John Williams, he had a sensititivy to the work which made me reluctant to breathe for fear of missing a single note.

It was the centrepiece of a Spanish-themed first half which saw the BPO and its conductor, Barry Wordsworth, in magnificent form with a perfectly jolly account of Rossini's The Barber Of Seville overture and majestic Bizet's Carmen Suite, where orchestral soloists on oboe, flute and harp showed off talent that makes this orchestra so outstanding.

I am not a particular fan of the music of William Walton but I have to admit the company gave a rousing and exciting account of the composer's first symphony.

They must have pulled out every pot and pan in Brighton for this percussion and brass-led piece to create such a stirring sound. It was infectious playing indeed, loud and vibrant and chock-full of life.

Concerts such as this should be celebrated throughout the city.

We have one of the finest orchestras south of the River Thames - and that includes many of the London orchestras - and sponsor Julian Pelling of Fine Records must be proud his concert attracted nigh on a full house.