Martin Howard paints light with strings in “Winter’s Light.”

“Winter’s Light” is both the mastery and the charm of the classical and flamenco worlds.

Martin Howard is an English guitarist, and his training was in classical music. His folk, blues, and rock influences blend smoothly without putting much effort. One of his main features is the emotionality of his instrumental works, where he also combines stunningly the pieces not only for solo but also for concert guitars. Through Martin Howard’s seeing, a guitar piece of simplicity becomes a vast, illuminated one, quietly celebrating light, order, and skill.

“Winter’s Light” by Martin Howard is a fragile, contemplative work that shows the splendor of a very short winter morning.

Using only his classical guitar, Howard suggests the image of daylight passing through colored glass—comforting but fresh, quiet but vibrant. His complicated finger work and tone regulation add the melody with so much breadth that it is even possible for his audience to experience simultaneously the delicacy and the capability of the moment.

Even though Howard is classically trained and his sound is heavily influenced by the precision of that, the result is a mixture of folk, blues, and rock, where the colors come from his personal musical explorations. Among other things, there's a flamenco influence in the form of a rhythmic vigor. Every note sounds like it was deliberately planned out, much like one would with painting on glass, slowly building up a meditative-like atmosphere, which fits both reflection and resting well.