Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique at the Proms review: raises a delicious shudder

The guitar is the epicentre of so much contemporary music, and not just in the West; in classical music, however, if not quite marginal, it’s no rival for the piano and the violin. Still, there are plenty of guitarists working to ensure that it remains in the classical instrumentarium. One of the most interesting is Sean Shibe (his surname rhymes, more or less, with Sheba), whether he’s playing acoustic or amplified.

Born in Scotland to English and Japanese parents, he takes an expansive approach to music-making. There’s a lovely YouTube video of him performing Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint at the Wigmore Hall during a Covid lockdown. The auditorium is empty apart from a radio announcer, and Shibe – barefoot – plays to the accompaniment of several pre-recorded versions of himself. The result is mesmerising.