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| Steve Hackett - Hungarian Horizons – Live In Budapest |
 Released: 2003 Label: InsideOut Cat. No.: IOMDVD 004 Total Time: ~104:00 | |
Reviewed by: John "BoBo" Bollenberg, December 2003 Recorded on 26th January 2002 in Budapest, Hungary, I’m convinced all three musicians involved in this recording here must have needed to warm up hours in advance knowing the kind of temperatures Hungary can have in winter. No doubt the audience supplied all the heat needed into making that night a very special one. No fewer than 38 songs are delivered here with passion, with fabulous technique, and discipline. Covering both his extensive solo period and his Genesis days, as well as material by classic composers such as Satie, Steve Hackett has found the ideal people to accompany him the right way. In the end, the material on display here can easily please the Genesis diehard who has been loyal in following his great idol since his split from Genesis so many years ago, as well as the music lover who normally only comes out to witness a classical concert. When the roadie plugs Hackett's acoustic guitar in, it’s like Hackett himself comes to life. The first couple of chords are simply meant as a warm up and the first polite applause already fills the venue when Hackett kicks off with "Horizons." Watching the film, those flageolets look so easy to do, but I bet it’s not as easy as it looks! Soon Steve is accompanied by brother John and Roger King, with whom Hackett pays tribute to Satie. The classical adoration continues with "Bour&eacue;e’ by Bach. In fact, many more classical pieces will be performed, as to make sure Steve Hackett’s very first concert in Hungary can be seen as an all-time cultural high. A smart move if you ask me. So brace yourself for material by Debussy, Vivaldi, Giuliani and Carcassi as time evolves. Spontaneous applause, yet restrained, as the first Genesis piece is played by means of a very short excerpt from "Firth Of Fifth." Some of the well-known Hackett tunes do get a completely different meaning once they get delivered by means of this acoustic line-up. Take "Jacuzzi," sounding ever so different from the original on the Defector album. Similar situation with "Overnight Sleeper" from the Cured album. Although all the material on display here perfectly illustrates the superb skills of Steve, people obviously want to hear more Genesis highlights, which sadly they don’t get, apart from the short piece of "Firth Of Fifth" and the spectacular rendition of "Hairless Heart." I’m convinced a lot of people went to see this show because of the Genesis link and were probably expecting at least half the set to be Genesis material. Instead they saw a different Steve Hackett, a musician who was more of a classical musician than the pop icon they still had in the back of their minds. Some of the best known Hackett solo pieces get a big applause, even if they only last for only a couple of seconds, as is the case with "Blood On The Rooftops." Yet people like it more when a complete piece is performed like with "Hands Of The Priestess," as the enthusiastic applause at the end proves. The power of commercials is once again illustrated when the Satie classic "Gymnopedie n° 1" is performed, whilst the only thing I can think about are Hamlet cigars! In the trio setting, "Ace Of Wands" almost sounds like a Peruvian anthem! With this track the "normal" set comes to a close and the audience starts clapping in a very civilized way, it almost sounds like clockwork. The encore consists of "Avant Dernières Pensées," which is three short seperate tracks from the Satie album put together. Judging from the reactions of the audience, when they finish these last musical highlights, the crowd wanted to hear at least a couple of well-known Genesis tunes, which in the end they didn’t get. So in the end, this DVD and accompanying 2CD set sheds a different light on the versatile personality of Steve Hackett, focusing entirely on his mastering of the acoustic guitar. For aspirant guitarists, however, this film is a treat, as you can follow all the right moves; so if you study this DVD with enthusiasm, who knows, you might be on stage one day following in the master’s footsteps! Next to the actual concert, this DVD also sports a short documentary showing Hackett and Kim Poor arriving at the airport the day before the concert. They are then taken to the studios of national Hungarian television where Steve is interviewed as part of the news programme! Transfering to the hotel is also on the cards, followed probably by one of the worst interviews ever, which perfectly illustrates the quality of Hungarian music journalists. Next time you need someone to do a proper job, give me a call, Steve! [Disclaimer: Bobo's view on Hungarian journalists is entirely his own, so please don't write to the editor. Thank you. :-) ] More about Hungarian Horizons – Live In Budapest: Track Listing: DVD:Horizons / Gnossienne # 1 / Bourée – Bacchus / Firth Of Fifth / Bay Of Kings / Syrinx / Imagining / Second Chance / Jacuzzi / Overnight Sleeper / The Barren Land / Black Light / Kim / Time Lapse At Milton Keynes / The Chinese Jam / Concerto In D / Hairless Heart / Cinema Paradiso / Mustard Seed / Gymnopedie # 1 / Jazz On A Summer’s Night / Little Cloud / Cavalcanti / Walking Away From Rainbows / Andante In C / Concerto For Munich / The Journey / Skye Boat Song / By Paved Fountain / Etude In A Minor / Blood On The Rooftops / Hans Of The Priestess / C Min. Triplets / End Of Day / Ace Of Wands / Idyll / Aubade / Méditation / Bonus: Documentary In English And Also Dubbed In Hungarian (20:00) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.stevehackett.com Discography
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