Genesis for Two Grand Pianos, Vol. 1 & 2

With its introduction by Steve Hackett and adherence to the band's prog roots, Genesis for Two Grand Pianos should be seen as something more than the opportunistic string quartet tributes to pop music that seem to spawn with each release date. Performed by Norwegians Yngve Guddal and Roger T. Matte on two Steinways, the album runs through seven Genesis cuts culled from its literate 1970s albums. ("Duke's Travels" is the exception, but it was also the progressive exception amidst the more straightforward material of 1980s Duke). "Fountain of Salmacis," from 1971's Nursery Cryme, kicks things off here. In this form, it's an urgent mixture of bright prog chords and dark bottom end. Together with the stirring "Can-Utility and the Coastliners, it is a standout on the record. Genesis for Two Grand Pianos is recommended for the band's legion of longtime listeners, but general aficionados of piano might also find it interesting in a technical sense.