Customer Reviews

Steve Hackett and the Underworld Orchestra: Metamorpheus

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lush and romantic setting with just the right amount of edge for the story of Orpheus's voyage to the underworld. Upon a few listens I found many of the melodies were very memorable. Nice original music that nods occasionally to Ravel and Morricone yet quite original. The guitar playing is super as are the orchestral players. Very well engineered too. Found this a more balanced effort than Hackett's Midsummer's CD that also featured a guitar and orchestra setting.

Hackett hops back and forth between the classical music and progressive rock worlds, and has had hit and misses in both. Happily, this is one of his most diverse and atmospheric classical accomplishments. Even fans who prefer his progressive work might find this a satisfying listen, since it occasionally echoes some of his Genesis era pastoral guitar interludes. Even though I greatly enjoyed "A Midsummer Night's Dream" this new CD seems more cohesive and satisfying overall. It's a lovely creation.

Dealing with the mythology was always a formidable strongpoint for Steve Hackett. That he is one of the finest nylon string guitar players in the world only enhances the wonder, the lyricism and the sophistication of his tales. He is not a singer by any means, but it's his hands that tell the story. "Blood On The Rooftops" from the Genesis days is just one of the many extraordinary examples of the sophistication he brought to rock, invoking the legend of Passover into the backdrop of American TV violence and the Israeli-Palestinian cross-fire.
On this latest disc, moving away from social commentary, Shakespeare and back into Greek mythology, Hackett along with his cadres have created a classical masterpiece. The integration of the instruments is subtle. The pacing of the tale is dead-on. His fingerpicking and plectrum work set him apart from both classical and rock contemporaries. I can think of only Steve Howe, with whom he shared an entirely unsuccessful collaboration that played to none of their strengths (GTR), and Sharon Isbin, I can think of no other contemporary guitarist with that capacity for storytelling as well as finesse. Hackett must surely channel John Dowland, both thematically and stylistically. It is a chamber work on offer here, more baroque than classical, but it is one of the ways in which ancient myth informs us of the perils of our particular age.
This is a significant addition to the canon of guitar music.

While most of us probably love Steve's incredible musical journeys expanding the boundaries of music as well as electric and acoustic guitar playing and tonalities, there's certainly nothing wrong with listening to his occasional beautiful classical guitar and strings.
I was particularly blown away when I read that Steve wrote all these pieces!! I was under the impression (whilst listening) that these were famous compositions, that I simply hadn't heard! And even if you're still bothered by the fact that this isn't like the types of incredible electric eclectic stuff that we've come to expect from Steve, he occasionally uses the orchestral players in a way not unlike you would expect from the more ominous sounds of the mellotron, on his other albums. Likewise, we even hear the occasional deep, eerie kind of things you would come to expect on those albums, only with strings.
But if you like that beautiful classical guitar intro on "Blood on the Rooftops", by Genesis, then you may be very glad you bought this album!

It would be ridiculous to criticise this work musically without a degree in music. Of course it's fine music, well crafted and beautifully recorded. And yes, Hackett is living proof of the adult status that pop music has achieved thanks to people like him. It makes more sense to judge this effort emotionally. So here goes ... it's good, it's beautiful and of good taste. But I'm beginning to get the feeling that Hackett has the ambition to rise to a holier-than-thou level of artistry. Metamorpheus simply does not take off. For all the good intentions, it remains the work of a man who masters his instrument but is not a classical (orchestral) composer. I sincerely wish Hackett would go back to making records like Spectral Mornings, full of dynamic guitar work and strong compositions for rock ensemble. It's what he does best.

First off, this is classical music, so if you want drums, electric guitar and such, go elsewhere (Wild Orchids or To Watch The Storms, for instance). If you like Steve Hackett, though, you probably like classical music too, whether you want to admit it or not. I listen to a lot of classical music and this one is an absolute gem. The music so well integrates Steve's guitar playing with an orchestra, and the result is dark, surreal, and hauntingly beautiful. I get lost whenever I listen to it. I love the story of Orpheus as relayed through Hackett's music. Of Steve's classical albums--Bay of Kings, Momentum, and a Midsummer Night's Dream--this one's my favorite. One of very few albums I'd consider to be 5 stars.

Plodding, self-consciously classical arrangements hamper any residual compositional fortitude inherent with these acoustic sketches ala the classical guitar intros found on a few Genesis tracks.

I enjoy most all of Hackett's music, especially his acoustic albums. My only disappointment is that the guitar is not featured even more. No doubt this composition reflects his vision and all, but I was left wanting more of his nylon-string virtuosity. I found his 1997 "Midsummer Night's Dream" a little more satisfying in this regard.

!Que manía la de todos los rockeros que abundan en el mundo clásico!. Es increible que Vaugah Williams, Elgar y demás tardoromaticos ingleses sigan siendo, más de 100 años después, el referente de lo que es la música clásica para todos los rockeros que se meten en camisas de once varas. Paul MacCartney, Tony Banks o, ahora, Steve Hackett encabezan una larga lista de músicos que parecen olvidar que tras aquellos maestros ha existido el siglo XX. Ligeti, Stockhausen, Lutoskawski, Webern o Messiaen parece como si se los hubiera tragado la tierra. No es que me parezcan malas las composiciones de este Metamorpheus, lo que me parece es que influencias más "modernas" no habrían estado de más. Yo no digo que HAckett se ponga a hacer música concreta, pero, vamos, un poquito más de contemporaneidad y algo menos de tardoromanticismo no le vendría mal