Rick Wakeman at Hampton Court Palace

Submitted by Mr A.Dmin

An extraordinary pageant unfolded at Henry VIII’s palace at Hampton Court. In front of the 16th-century building stood a large stage supporting a 30-strong choir, a full orchestra, a rock band and, flanked by at least eight synthesisers on a crenellated platform, the prog-rock keyboard colossus Rick Wakeman. A fruity voice boomed out. It was our narrator for the evening, the actor Brian Blessed, anachronistically quoting Shakespeare: “Oh, for a muse of fire!”

The occasion marked the first live rendition, in its entirety, of Wakeman’s debut solo album The Six Wives of Henry VIII. The concept album came out in 1973, when Wakeman was also keyboardist with the band Yes, but his dream of staging it at Hampton Court has had to wait until this year, the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne.

What capricious Henry might have made of this tribute to his complicated marital history is anyone’s guess. Possibly the music’s baroque air of excess would have struck a chord: with his many wives and appetite for fine living, Henry was something of a prototype 1970s rock star.

Associated Stories

Rick Wakeman puts on quite a show!When I first heard about this event- it was simply a must go....and I was not disappointed. Rick put on an… [read story]