Yessonata by Rick Wakeman and his concert on March 4, 2025 in Rome

Yessonata by Rick Wakeman, album from 2024.

I have spoken at length about Richard Christopher Wakeman, known as Rick Wakeman, in the article “The Sophisticated Symphonic Rock of YES” but I like to recall that he is an immense keyboardist and composer, a great improviser, master of ambitious and grandiose symphonic progressive rock that makes extensive use of keyboards, an instrument of which he is among the most virtuosic, trained as a classical pianist, later moving on to keyboards and synthesizers, with a long and prolific solo career, characterized by some successes especially in the mid-seventies: the instrumental album The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973, over six million copies sold), The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) and Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974, over twelve million copies sold). He has often played as a guest or session man for very different artists, such as David Bowie, Elton John, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, the Black Sabbath, John Williams, Al Stewart and the Brotherhood of Man. 

This is his work, Yessonata from 2024 in which he retraces on piano the most important themes of YES and his solo career. 

It is basically an album-suite for solo piano composed of two long pieces, the title track which is a new piano piece composed by Wakeman drawn from various Yes songs. The inspiration was the medley The Yes Suite, which Wakeman adapted for his band and choir and which they performed at his legendary concert at the London Palladium. The Yes Suite proved so popular that he then wrote another adaptation, this time for solo piano, which contains more than 30 fragments of Yes music and it is wonderful to recognize them… beautiful on piano with his mastery. 

The King Arthur Piano Suite is a piano adaptation of the main themes and melodies from Wakeman's 1974 album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table on the B side. 

I saw him in concert on March 4, 2025 in Rome and these are his words when he announced the tour: «I have always planned to stop touring by my 77th birthday, but there is so much to fit in before then, that I have to make plans now, and so my last solo shows will have to end by that date. I have greatly enjoyed performing in the various solo shows, but it is time to conclude this adventure. I intend to add the best of what I have done in the past, as well as some new surprises to come. The plan is not to perform in the same place twice during this period, so wherever you hope to come, it will be the last performance there – and I am taking this opportunity to thank everyone and anyone who has supported me over the last 53 years».

Dear Rick, it is us who thank you for everything you have done. Beautiful concert, wonderful album in my opinion.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page

Tracklist

1. Yessonata (20:23)
2. The King Arthur Piano Suite (20:03)
Duration 40:26

LineUp

- Rick Wakeman - Piano