Tolga Kashif records Genesis at Abbey Road

Composer and producer Tolga Kashif has finished recording his latest work, The Genesis Suite, due for release in October 2010.

The Genesis Suite comprises orchestral pieces in a range of styles based on Genesis songs. Kashif set about composing the Suite as a tribute to the band, with their blessing. Rather than simply arranging the original songs, Kashif’s goal has been “to maintain the essence of the songs whilst expanding and extending out some of my own thoughts, taking it hopefully to another level where I’m grappling with the material in a more profound way which Genesis and classical fans alike will appreciate.”

Kashif recorded The Genesis Suite with the London Symphony Orchestra over three days in Abbey Road’s historic Studio Number 1. The album will also include solos by pianist Freddy Kempf and LSO leader Carmine Laurie.

Tolga Kashif’s career has encompassed a wide range of projects, from the BBC Children in Need ‘Perfect Day’ single to his Queen Symphony, which was praised by Queen’s Brian May as ‘the work of someone with a unique view and a new dream’. The album sold more than 100,000 copies and toured internationally. In 2008 Kashif undertook a similar collaboration with South Korean artist Seo Tai-Ji, and the Seo Tai-Ji Symphony was premiered to an audience of 30,000 fans at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul.