SATURDAY night’s crowd had travelled to the BIC from a number of different European countries and as far away as California and to hear Rick Wakeman, the English Chamber Choir and the English Rock Ensemble perform Journey To The Centre of The Earth in full. They were lucky to be hearing it at all as it was only heard three times in the UK before the sheet music was lost 40 years ago and that was thought to be the end of it. Luckily for those present a badly damaged copy of the score came to light two years ago and in the same month that Rick celebrates his 65th birthday he is back on the road with the Prog Rock masterpiece that has sold 15 million copies around the world.

The first 30 minutes of the performance start with Rick recounting stories of how difficult it was to get the record company to let him record the album and how he was encouraged by four particular people. Cat Stevens, whose Morning Has Broken is sung by the English Chamber Choir, David Bowie whose Life On Mars is sung by Hayley Sanderson, his dad and Prokofiev. He ends with Eleanor Rigby played in the style of Prokofiev.

After a short interval, Rick goes onto play Journey To The Centre of The Earth, a concept album inspired by the story by Jules Verne. Rick is supported by The New World Symphony Orchestra with the narration being supplied by Philip Franks. The graphics seen at some other venues were absent on Saturday night, but I got the feeling that the capacity crowd were not particularly put out as it was the music and Rick in particular that they had come to see. Now I am not a big fan of prog rock and I had never heard the album before but I left the venue an impressed man. The story was familiar but the playing was another thing altogether. I would have liked it if there was a camera focused on Rick’s hands as his playing was extraordinary. His dexterity is amazing and I would have to say he is like a magician with a keyboard (perhaps that’s why he wears a golden cape when he plays).

An encore featured tracks from Return To The Centre of the Earth before the crowd left the venue knowing that they had just seen something special that was well worth a 40 year wait.