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Re-imagining the fabled tale of a folklore favourite has been the latest creative challenge for Chris de Burgh.

The compelling result breathes music and lyrical life into a centuries-old and much-loved classic.

'The Legend of Robin Hood' finds Chris at his imaginative best, re-telling the story with cinematic vision coupled seamlessly to music of emotional depth and power.

The concept for the 27th studio album by Chris emerged from his involvement in 'Robin Hood', a stage musical about the infamous Sherwood Forest nobleman and his band of outlaws. Chris was invited to contribute storylines and melodies to the musical, which will be produced later in the year in Fulda, Germany, by Spotlight Productions, a theatrical company that has already mounted eight successful musicals. 'Since I was writing songs for this,' he explains, 'I thought 'Why not expand the story and put an album out, too?'

Chris was eminently qualified and able to do that on any number of levels. Most significantly, with his 2010 album 'Moonfleet', based on the book of the same name, he had crafted a highly successful musical interpretation of an already existing story.

None of which necessarily made tackling Robin Hood any easier. 'I learned a great deal from 'Moonfleet', particularly how to set out a story in sequence,' he says. 'If I had a problem advancing the story in song, I'd just go and read the book again. This time, we didn't have a book. There is no book! I had to create my own story, my own version of this classic tale.

'In my story, Robin Hood is not a hero, but circumstances and injustice to others turned him into the hero that is now known all over the world. He initially comes across as an obnoxious young man in his late teens, but he subsequently shows a different and compassionate side and the qualities of a born leader.'