Rick Wakeman - The Legend Live in Concert 2000 DVD

Rick Wakeman seems to have a never ending need to tour. He's always at it. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a band. Sometimes just piano and other times with a large keyboard rig. I've yet to see him on a solo tour. I either keep missing him or he doesn't play near enough. So I was happy to hear he was releasing this DVD (and the obligatory CD, which is free with the DVD!) which features him on both piano (MIDIed) and separate keyboard set-up.

If anyone thinks he is past it, should watch this. Amazing. I still think he the best keyboardist ever to grace this earth and his God given talent never fails to impress. Keith Emerson has perhaps the more impressive piano style but overall Rick just plays immense stuff just for the hell of it. Seemingly without much effort! While watching this concert I wondered how on earth Yes can play live without this man on stage. If he is this good solo, how can they not now be begging him to return, especially as Igor Khoroshev's future looks a bit dodgy.

Anyway, he plays loads of different stuff. Classical pieces like Debussy's "Clair De Lune" are played with a finesse he has only occasionally shown. We are used to speed freak solos and overwhelmingly big compositions. Here he plays with such delicacy.

Of course, his funny between songs stories and anecdotes are included, some of which are really quite amusing. He really is one of the world's great all round entertainers!

His own piano based pieces played here include "Birdman of Alcatraz", "Seasons of Change", "Children of Chernobyl" and "Dance of a Thousand Lights". I've never been a fan of his piano based albums, his style tends to be a bit too lightweight for my tastes, not enough Rachmaninov type of playing. His piano pieces tend to be a bit "samey" to my ears, a bit too New Age if you get my drift. Which is why this collection of piano pieces appeal. They include tracks from his early works right through his career up to "Journey 2", and are sufficiently different in character to keep the listener interested.

Other piano pieces are the clever "Nursery Rhyme Concerto"  and a great rendition of Yes' "And You And I/Wonderous Stories".

His own vast repertoire of keyboard music is covered with arrangements of "Catherine Howard/Catherine of Aragon", "The Recollection" and "Guinevere/Lancelot and the Black Knight", all played flawlessly with interesting variations of the usual arrangements. One piece of music he does play which I never thought I would here played in concert is "Jane Seymour". Multiple church organ samples have given Rick the ability to recreate this impressive piece on stage. What a wonderful track it is.

But for me the highlight of the whole concert is Rick's classical interpretation of The Beatles'  "Help/Eleanor Rigby". If there was one piece of music that Rick has played over the years that I would play to people to demonstrate his talent this would be the one. "Help" is played with a sensitivity and subtlety rarely heard in modern music, but when he plays "Eleanor Rigby" in the style of Prokofiev his true genius his shown for all to see. His digital dexterity and flair for arranging is matched only by his own technical brilliance. He manages to inject a dynamic into the track that eclipses just about anything else he has ever recorded using just one (though probably multi layered) keyboard. I think this is my favourite Rick Wakeman live track ever.

The rest of the DVD includes audio tracks of stuff missing from the concert including "Morning Has Broken", "Sea Horses", "Gone But Not Forgotten", "Elgin Mansions", "The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended", and "Merlin The Magician". The latter is played the fastest ever, and that is saying something! The rest of the tracks are performed to the high standard of the rest of the DVD music. The free CD of the concert and the extra DVD tracks are basically feeds from the keyboards during the concert and so don't have any audience noises on them. They are best described as "live" studio recordings.
There is an amusing biography and an interesting picture archive containing photographs that I have never seen before. Although it has to be said there are a lot of inaccuracies in the menus and sleeve notes, but only the real anorak will probably notice!

This is a great DVD concert, showcasing Rick Wakeman's huge talent to the full. I have to say I prefer him playing with a band, but this recording has certainly made me think that a solo Wakeman concert is something really special. Great stuff.

(Copyright David Hopton 19 November 2000)

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