Steve Hackett
Momentum

After the fleeting experience with GTR, Steve Hackett decides to resume a journey interrupted in 1983, creating another work entirely centered around the classical guitar. He does this by giving birth to "Momentum", five years younger than "Bay of Kings" (we are indeed in 1988), but more mature and above all more homogeneous than its larger sibling, having been developed in a much shorter time span. The digital recording makes the sound clear and clean and eliminates any kind of background noise, unlike what happened in the previous work. What doesn’t change, however, is the atmosphere; the notes that spring from Steve’s guitar suggest music from the past, enchanting us with medieval ballads and ancient flavors, all thanks also to another indispensable constant: the presence, in some tracks, of his brother John on flute.

The album opens and we are immediately confronted with a colossal masterpiece: "Cavalcanti", which initially presents itself as a warm and melancholic guitar theme, then develops with more decisive tones, until giving way at the finale to an evocative and heartbreaking flute ride. After so much emotion, "The Sleeping Sea" awaits us, a rather dark composition from which a sort of distant unease emerges. As was already the case with some tracks from "Bay of Kings", a dropped D tuning is used here, as evidenced by the deep sound emanating from the guitar. The instrument, in the following "Portrait of a Brazilian Lady", paints a sweet and nostalgic picture with its notes, in a style that lends itself well to certain South American influences. The piece is dedicated to Nina, Kim’s grandmother (Steve's partner as well as the usual author of the cover painting). The following track is created using the tremolo technique and is probably Steve’s most convincing test with this technique. "When the Bell Breaks", with its romantic and touching airs, is indeed one of the highest points of the album. "A Bed, a Chair and a Guitar" begins by tracing the notes of an old classical piece and then develops by pursuing more folk sounds, ending with phrases executed in a more modern style.

"Concert for Munich" is a decidedly celebratory piece and sees Steve, first engaged on the guitar synth to create a string pad designed to accommodate the flute of his brother, who appears in the second part of the composition, and then supporting John’s melody with a light accompaniment. The baroque style of the guitarist is highlighted once again by the performance of "Last Rites of Innocence", another peak of the disc. The romantic aspects present in this track also make their appearance in the following "Troubled Spirit" which advances first in dark and turbulent waters until resolving into more serene and relaxed atmospheres at the end. In "Variation On a Theme by Chopin" Steve ventures into the free interpretation of a composition by this classic author, alternating passages faithfully reproduced with others performed following more personal schemes. The romanticism returns with its slightly melancholic airs as well as the tremolo technique in the following "Pierrot", the first track written for this album, which also has the task of introducing the final track that gives the title to the album. "Momentum" is another deeply romantic piece, which, with its melodic progression, seems to quietly continue the ride begun at the beginning of this work.

In the remastered version of the CD, space is found for three more tracks (as had already happened with "Bay of Kings") which further raise the level of this work. The first is an interpretation of the Bachian "Bouree", which has been appreciated in the past also thanks to the version, performed on the flute, by Ian Anderson on the Jethro Tull album "Stand Up", from 1969. The second added track, named "An Open Window", is also the longest and most complex in the entire work. This composition unfolds through numerous phases and style changes where jazz, folk, and even progressive find room. All this makes this acoustic fresco a gem of unrepeatable originality. The disc finally concludes with the dreamy and delicate melody of "The Vigil", which seems to gently caress our face while indicating the end, now visible on the horizon, of this journey in a distant and fantastic time that does not belong to us, but which we can nonetheless visit thanks to works like this.