Enter the magical world of Steve Hackett's A Midsummer Night's Dream and you'll rediscover the delights of Shakespeare's most enchanting play... Long known as a brilliant, expressive guitarist and a writer of beguiling instrumentals, Steve Hackett has matured into a sensitive composer for orchestra in this playful evocation of the tale of Oberon and Titania

The Palace Of Theseus 2.47 A Form In Wax 4.40 By Paved Fountain 2.00 Titania 2.23 Set Your Heart At Rest 3.31 Oberon 2.31 Within This Wood 2.36 In The Beached Margent Of The Sea 2.38 Between The Cold Moon & The Earth 2.44

Puck 1.53 Helena 4.21 Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth & Mustardseed 4.28 Mountains Turned Into Clouds 4.36 The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet 4.14 Starlight 4.48 Lysander & Demetrius 2.45 Celebration 6.15 All Is Mended 3.13

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A Midsummer Night's Dream - Steve Hackett at Air Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Photos by Paul Clark

Plaintive string adagios, trumpet fanfares and, of course, Steve's bewitching performance combine to spin a web of sound that conjures up Shakespeare's dream world. Unashamedly romantic in inspiration, the word is imbued with a classical elegance and poise: its literary programmer is never intrusive, but lies like a faint mist about the musical structure, lending charm to the view but never obscuring its contours.

Steve Hackett originally came to public attention in the 1970s as a member of the rock supergroup Genesis, and he has been hailed as the most original and gifted guitarist of his generation. Since leaving the band he has enjoyed a successful and often ground-breaking solo career notable for its stylistic adventurousness. No stranger to the classical guitar, Steve has thrilled audiences world-wide, selling out the Barbican Hall and playing to a crowd of more than 90,000 in Russia. In 1992 Steve was the featured soloist in a performance of Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto with the London Chamber Orchestra at the South Bank. This ability to traverse the musical spectrum so successfully has earned him the admiration of both rock contemporaries and leading classical figures such as Yehudi Menuhin. As Shakespeare himself said, "soft stillness and the night become the touch of sweet harmony" - a sentiment whose truth rings throughout this memorable album.