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Episode 12: Steve Hackett DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE SHOW! Thanks to Steve Hackett and his management for allowing us to make this episode available for download. (all selections by Steve Hackett unless otherwise noted) Metamorpheus (released March 2005) Ego and Id, from Wild Orchids (released September 2006) Metamorpheus: Edward Elgar: Grania and Diarmid Metamorpheus: Howl, from Wild Orchids Christoph Gluck: Don Juan Erik Satie: Gymnopédie No. 1 (arranged for flute & Guitar by Steve & John Hackett) Hands of the Priestess, Part 1, from the 1975 album Voyage of the Acolyte C. Hubert Parry: An English Suite She Moves in Memories, from Wild Orchids Los Endos, from the 1997 album Genesis Revisited Waters of the Wild, from Wild Orchids
Guitar innovator Steve Hackett is best known for his contributions to the '70s progressive band Genesis. He is accomplished on both electric and acoustic guitars, and is a gifted and knowledgable composer. Since his time in Genesis he has participated in a number of other bands and released numerous solo albums and collaborative projects, including two albums for orchestra and classical (i.e. acoustic nylon string) guitar. In our third episode featuring the music of Genesis and it's members, we played several selections from the first of these albums, base on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." In this episode we examine the other: "Metamorpheus." This episode celebrates the September 2006 release of his new album Wild Orchids. This album represents an exploration of musical styles that Steve has developed over the years, and is a fascinating blend of orchestral, electric, instrumental and vocal tracks. In an e-mail interview conducted with Steve, he indicated that he listens to classical music "all the time," with favorite composers including Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky. The first part of our program deals loosely with the Greek myth of Orpheus, hero of music, who enters the underworld in attempt to revive his deceased wife Euridice. The myth has many variations, and has been set to music by numerous composers. According to e-mail correspondence,Steve drew inspiration from several of these, particularly the famous opera Orpheé by Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), but he "tried to avoid all but the most subtle quotation" of that work in his Metamorpheus. Two tracks from Steve's new album have been inserted into the Orpheus segment, due to their complimentary mood and subject matter: Ego and Id, and the instrumental Howl. Steve Hackett's compositions have a definite "English" sound to them; I've selected works by two English composers to compliment to establish this comparison. Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was an important English composer; his most famous composition is the Pomp and Circumstance march used in graduations. His Funeral March composed for the play "Grania and Diarmid" captures the same feeling as Metamorpheus. C. Hubert Parry (1848-1918) is best known for his musical setting of the poem Jerusalem. The Saraband from his English Suite seemed quite appropriate for the second segment of our show. As introduced in our 3rd episode, Steve Hackett and his brother John arranged a number of French composer Erik Satie's piano music for guitar and flute. We feature the most famous of these, the Gymnopedie, in this program. Further details about the albums and music featured on the program can be found at the websites and resources below.
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