ABSTRACT
In 1983, Segovia accused John Williams of undoing his own life’s work by consenting to play in various popular music projects. This chapter examines a number of interesting crossover concertos written for Williams by composers such as Andre Previn, Patrick Gowers, Paul Hart and Steve Gray. In an interview published in 2000, Williams cautioned against the notion of classical musicians having a sense of entitlement and superiority in relation to other styles. The rise of progressive rock and heavy metal groups in the 1970s and their perceived links with virtuosic classical musicians of the nineteenth century created a space into which Sky could easily step. The popularity of Cavatina may have been an important factor in the decision to employ Myers as the composer for the Question Time theme; he may have been encouraged to use the classical guitar as the centrepiece of the arrangement as a consequence.
