Moshkiae
Hi,
 
I suppose that I would rather see Steve Hackett, than 95% of any classical bruhaha player that always shows up at the University that all professors think is the best there is. So, in this sense, I think that Steve is a lot better, and unlike many of these bruhaha players, he is playing original material, not rehashed crap that no one listens to anymore!

IMHO, Hackett's acoustic/classical playing is absolutely second to none, and this is one are where he absolutely shines.
 
If you take a look/listen at his discography, roughly 50% of all of his albums are in this genre. His playing is exemplary.
Bay Of Kings is probably my favourite - superb album and the title track is breathtaking

jamesg1213 ...
Of the remaining 5%, which classical bruhaha player would you go and see?

I'd skip all the Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky.
 
I can handle Stravinsky well, but have not seen a good version of anything since Previn did a crazy one in LA in the 70's. Otherwise Bernstein is it for Firebird Suite, other than Tomita's versions of music. I wanna see a Carmina Burana redone for modern times and I would stage it so it is against the socio-political mode of Capitol Hill (so to speak) and other ideas ... or do a film/stage opera which Peter Mark from the Virginia Opera liked, but did not have the courage to consider it, but he did do his wife's work, however unoriginal it is! I want that Carmina Burana to tear into the top ten ... which is the same thing as the folks in there tearing up their leaders and fathers! AND I would stage it like Marat/Sade, so that the minute you leave, you're gonna go ... wow ... what was that ... far out, weird, strange, but something else, and you will remember it!
 
Mussorgsky, and I would like to see the Portland Band of Orchestral Idiots try to add some Frank Zappa, Mike Oldfield, Ryuichi Sakamoto, or Vangelis to their catalogue, but that director and the newspaper gaffer (or kisser) don't think that's music!
 
I want to see BAAAAADDDDDLLLLYYYY, an Evening of Music by Edgar Froese, which had an orchestra, and no electronics! But America is so stuck up on top ten and too many of these orchestras across the country have the talent of high school musicians, and they are afraid of doing something different. Portland thinks that having Pink Martini once a year is an accomplishment and a treat for the younger generation!
 
I'm ready to see Tony Banks get in front of an orchestra and conduct. Same for Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. They put Yanni to an orchestra, but not Vangelis, and his music is far more orchestral than anything! How ****ed up is that?
 
I hate to see "classical music" die, but in the end, this is the cover of the Jethro Tull album ... the ballerina is dead and the show is over. The music has lost its soul because the majority of players behind it have none! And this is what rock music has brought to the plate, and "classical" music folks will not mix and learn.

Bristol_Jonesey
IMHO, Hackett's acoustic/classical playing is absolutely second to none, and this is one are where he absolutely shines.
 
If you take a look/listen at his discography, roughly 50% of all of his albums are in this genre. His playing is exemplary.

I have a fairly complete Steve Hackett and have had it since his first album! I was talking about this stuff 40 years ago, when everyone thought that disco and Black Sabbath were it along with some cheap screaming and loud guitars that stoned kids thought were cool, and still say so! I was already into Genesis, Ange, PFM, Banco, Focus, and many others, that most people still have never heard. Later I also enjoyed tremendously, Marillion and Fish on his own.

Talking of which, I believe Fish has a new album out this month or next, can't remember.
 
I didn't quite realise how prolific he's been post Marillion, but the price of some of his back catalogue is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive!!
 
Some of them are in the £30/£40/£50 price bracket.

Moshkiae
 
 
I'm ready to see Tony Banks get in front of an orchestra and conduct. Same for Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson.

Don't know about 'conduct', but Wakeman and Emerson have written for, and worked with orchestras many times.
 
Tony Banks has released two classical albums 'Seven - A Suite for Orchestra' (with the London Philharmonic) and 'Six Pieces for Orchestra' (with the City of Prague Philharmonic). He's also composed a few film scores ('The Wicked Lady' is one I remember)