CD REVIEW -
RICK WAKEMAN
PIANO ODYSSEY
SONY 19075867892
[54:59]
Readers who
disregarded the delightful disc
of Chopin and company in my last
review might find this album more
appealing. It is neither a new
release nor a reissue: first
available in 2018, it reached
No.7 in the UK charts and is
still widely available today on
eBay and A****n for the price of
a cup of coffee.
Rick Wakeman CBE
(b 1949) is a renowned
keyboardist, composer and
songwriter, who joined the
Strawbs rock group when they
became folk-tinged and then found
fame across five tenures between
1971 and 2004 with the
progressive rock group Yes.
Classically-trained,
his solo piano albums have sold
over 50 million copies. The album
here is a follow-up to his highly
successful 2017 release 'Piano
Portraits'. The dozen tracks
cover five centuries of music
with While My Guitar Gently
Weeps by George Harrison and
Largos by Bach and
Dvorak in Wakeman's own
arrangements, Liebesträume
/ After the Ball by
Liszt, The Boxer by Paul
Simon, The Wild Eye Boy from
Freecloud by David Bowie, Strawberry
Fields Forever by Lennon and
McCartney, and Bohemian
Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury,
featuring the guitar of none
other than Brian May.
Also included are
Wakeman's own You & I
and Roundabout, both
from his days with Yes, a
sparkling Anne Seymour
and two brand new pieces: Rocky
(The Legacy) and Cyril
Wolverine, connected to his
patronage of Animal Asia and, to
quote him, their incredible work
in saving moon bears from the
unbelievable cruelty they suffer.
Unlike the earlier
release, here Wakeman is
tastefully accompanied on some
tracks by the English Chamber
Choir, under MD Guy Protheroe,
and The Orion Strings. He plays a
Steinway Model D grand piano
recorded at The Old Granary, a
restored 18th century barn in
South Norfolk. Strings and choir
were recorded in Studio One of
the Angel Studios, London, with
Wakeman and Protheroe sharing the
baton duties. Brian May was
recorded at Allerton Hill, his
private studio in Surrey. It was
all mixed in Southwold, Suffolk.
The self-styled
"Grumpy Old Man" is
quite a character and without
doubt an accomplished pianist
having a lovely light touch. The
album has been getting a lot of
repeat plays at our house.
Footnote: I also
found Wakeman's recent
conversation on BBC Radio 3's
'Earlier … with Jools
Holland' very interesting.
Incidentally, a programme
currently worth a listen every
Saturday at noon.
©
Peter Burt, September
2024
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