Steve Hackett, episode 27! We no longer present the now mythical guitarist, guardian of the Genesis temple, whose productions for more than 40 years show an obvious eclecticism: progressive (the inaugural "Voyage of The Acolyte"), pop ("Cured"), or classical... The use of the acoustic guitar has always taken an important place in these universes, since as early as "Foxtrot" in 1972 Steve delivered a Bach-inspired 'Horizons', and he loves to acoustic intros in his pieces, like 'Blood on The Rooftops' in "Wind and Wuthering", or many titles reinterpreted in the "Genesis Revisited".
At the end of 2020, it's the symphonic territory that he occupies. This is not a first (he had already done so with "Momentum" in 1988 and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in 1997), but here it is a notebook inspired by a trip around the Mediterranean (hence the title "Under a Mediterranean Sky"): Malta, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Persia or Spain are thus evoked, in as many vignettes where the acoustic guitar reigns supreme. The World music contributions, usually present in Hackett's panoply, are limited to a contribution of duduk and tar in 'The Dervish and The Djin'. The orchestrations, very symphonic, have been entrusted to Roger King, keyboardist and long-time accomplice of Steve.
Some will appreciate an idea certainly not new - poets or musicians have often used it - but Hackett is inspired and brings to bear his remarkable technique: a touch of rare precision and impeccable rigor in interpretation. The opening of 'Mdina' or 'Casa del Fauno' are not lacking in breadth and the percussion in 'Sirocco', or the violin in 'The Memory of Myth' give a welcome extra soul. A nice diary, a kind of impressionistic wandering, with beautiful oppositions between calm moments and orchestral amplitude.
On the other hand, others will find find this kind of music boring and academic. Especially when the guitar is alone! 'Adriatic Blue', 'Lorato', 'Joie de Vivre', with a sonata by Scarlatti as a bonus have already been heard in "Genesis Revisited". Only 'The Dervish and The Djin' and maybe 'Sirocco' are interesting... At least there's a little bit of the Hackett we know, less cushy, more contrasted. The rest is too classic and too mastered.
"Under a Mediterranean Sky" will surely divide. The atmosphere is of the most "classic", even "classicising". Fans of the progressive rock style that Steve Hackett has deployed since "Please Don't Touch" in particular, by skillfully telescoping disturbing atmospheres and a hovering guitar, will find it difficult to feel comfortable in this more crowded environment. Everyone will thus have a very personal idea when they receive this testimony from an artist who has not finished surveying the world of the guitar.