Music 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.
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| Rick Wakeman (r) in his trademark cape at Hampton Court Palace |
Wakeman, long-haired and wearing a succession of trademark capes, resembled a prog-rock Tudor courtier. The highlight, “Jane Seymour”, saw him changing into a glittery gold cape and ascending some steps to a vast organ to play an elaborately amplified version of church music.
The effect was preposterous but oddly powerful, as bats flew above the palace and a psychedelic light show played against its façade. The only drawbacks were Blessed’s tendentious historical summaries and the coldness of the night: for once, Wakeman’s capes looked like a sensible choice of clothing. ★★★☆☆
