STEVE HACKETT

Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live insideout

Last year’s symphonic triumph on CD and Blu-ray.

Alucky minority of people reading this will have been present at London’s Royal Festival Hall last October when the 42-piece Heart Of England orchestra added symphonic sparkle to Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited set. But in case you imagined it wouldn’t make much difference, this recording shows otherwise. Not only are the dynamics so much more defined than we’re accustomed to from the ultra-compressed fare of most rock gigs, but the orchestra helps to tease out hitherto buried details of the songs. The crescendous moments of Dancing With The Moonlit Knight are huge, thunderous fanfares, while Hackett’s jazz soloings and the angular instrumental interludes make for a captivating contrast. The Musical

Box benefits from subtle layers of extra backing vocals and musical accompaniment that bring forth new shades to the sound. Nad Sylvan puts his familiar-yet-different vocal stamp on the songs, but the sweep of strings, tingles of timpani and explosions of brass offer something else – Genesis in three dimensions. Sure, you probably had to be there to feel it all in full, but this is a pretty tidy next-best-thing.