Saffire were a four-piece guitar ensemble initially formed for a one-off classical music performance at an outdoor concert in Sydney in 2002.
[4] In 2003 The Age's reviewer caught their first gig in Melbourne and observed that "the enjoyment these four derive from one another's company imbued the music with vitality as well as virtuosity; passion as well as precision.
[3] Neville Cohn at OzArtsReview felt "Although some of the selections on this CD are rather thin musically, they are presented with care and skill – and not a little virtuosity – and the sound engineers have done a splendid job of realistically capturing the combined sound of the four classical guitars... Of a remarkably eclectic compilation, it is Stanley Myers' instantly recognisable 'Cavatina' from the Deer Hunter that fares best, its haunting, bittersweet measures beautifully presented...
There's a world premiere recording: Richard Charlton's 'Stoneworks'... [which] will be listened to with more than usual interest by musicians hoping to expand their repertoires.
[9] Göran Forsling of MusicWeb-International described their second album, "Any record covering both Bartók and Deep Purple could with some justification be labelled 'cross-over', but to me it is something else.
Maybe the guitar is the instrument that lends itself most easily to building bridges between genres, styles and times, especially when played as on this disc.