London Rick Stevea

Four CD set. Features both of the concerts performed by Rick Wakeman, the English Rock Ensemble and the English Chamber Choir at the London Palladium. In February 2023, Rick Wakeman performed two sell out concerts at the London Palladium which celebrated his most acclaimed work as a solo artist and as a member of Yes. The first concert saw Rick Wakeman, the English Rock Ensemble and the English Chamber Choir, conducted by Guy Protheroe perform his first solo work, ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ and ‘The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table’, while the second night’s concert featured a set of classic Yes material and ‘The Meeting’ (originally performed by Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman And Howe), along with the multi-platinum-selling solo work ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’. The concerts were some of the most memorable of Rick’s career.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth is one of progressive rock's crowning achievements. With the help of the London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir, Rick Wakeman turns this classic Jules Verne tale into an exciting and suspenseful instrumental narrative. The story is told by David Hemmings in between the use of Wakeman's keyboards, especially the powerful Hammond organ and the innovative Moog synthesizer, and when coupled with the prestigious sound of the orchestra, creates the album's fairy tale-like climate. Recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall, the tale of a group of explorers who wander into the fantastic living world that exists in the Earth's core is told musically through Wakeman's synthesized theatrics and enriched by the haunting vocals of a chamber choir.