Journey at the Royal Festival Hall (2019)
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LAST UK PERFORMANCE FEATURING THE ORION ORCHESTRA, THE ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR & THE ENGLISH ROCK ENSEMBLE, CONDUCTED BY GUY PROTHEROE NARRATED BY ROBERT POWELL, SPECIAL GUEST ALFIE BOE 13TH 14TH JULY 2019 LONDON ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH A FEW WORDS FROM THE tonight as he will be the only person on stage, (apart from me), who was a part of the original KEYBOARD PLAYER ABOUT TONIGHT performances. His partner in vocal crime that hen I was 20 I often wondered what night, Gary Pickford-Hopkins, is sadly no I would be doing when I was 30 and longer with us and on the 2014 UK tour, Hayley when I was 30 I wondered what I Sanderson joined us and sang those original Wwould be doing when I was 40 and songs of Gary’s plus two new ones which she when I was 40 I wondered if I would even make immediately “made her own”. 50 and if so what on earth I would be doing. It Tony Fernandez, on drums, joined the turned out it was the same as when I was 20, English Rock Ensemble in 1975 and has been 30 and 40 and so I naturally presumed it would an integral part of the set up ever since. He and be the same when I was 50 and then 60 ...and it Matt Pegg, who joined in 2014, have formed was. Now, having reached 70, I a relationship in the rhythm am pleased to say that nothing section that is second to none has altered, apart that is from a (in getting to the bar). body shape change, additional On guitar is the highly wrinkles, up a few more times acclaimed Dave Colquhoun during the night, extreme who alongside myself, can grumpiness and a total lack of name Brian May amongst his exercise. Long live Prog Rock, many admirers. that’s what I say. For these performances, These very special concerts I COULD THINK I have brought in Adam are my birthday present to OF NOTHING Wakeman to assist with myself. Journey to the Centre of additional keyboard, acoustic the Earth has been a massive BETTER THAN TO and electric guitar parts. There part of my life and so I could TAKE THE PIECE is a very good reason for this. think of nothing better than to Unlike many complicated take the piece back to where it BACK TO WHERE performances which involve all began, the Royal Festival IT ALL BEGAN so many people on stage, Hall where in 1974 we did a we do not use any pre- matinee performance and then recorded material or clicks in an evening performance. headphones or ear-pieces. Everything you will The original performance was just 36 see and hear tonight is performed live, which minutes long with a six minute encore. Tonight makes the conductor’s task extremely tough. will be 110 minutes long with a 25 minute It is down to him to give the necessary cues to encore (if you, the audience are kind enough to everybody. There are more than 70 crucial cues want one). in the piece, so we have a nurse standing by for We have added relevant music from Return Guy Protheroe, trusty friend and stick waver for to the Centre of the Earth with additional many years. narrative, solos and guest appearances from We re-recorded Journey to the Centre of the Robert Powell as our narrator and my great Earth as a studio production back in 2012 in friend Alfie Boe singing two especially adapted order to put in the missing music that was never songs from Return. It is fantastic to have Ashley Holt with us THE JOURNEY CONTINUES OVERLEAF... JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH 3 JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH in the original recording due to limitations of vinyl records. That gave us the opportunity to add quite a few additional guitar and keyboard parts. Dave Colquhoun and I have only one pair of hands each and so it was either cherry pick the parts to play live or bring in another musician who could cover the additional parts, that’s why Adam is appearing with us. The English Chamber Choir have been associated with me for nearly 50 years and try as they might, they can’t get rid of me. They are great to work with and Guy and Ann Protheroe have become firm friends. The same is true of the Orion Orchestra, which is aadmirably looked after by Jan Cassidy who has also become a firm friend. You are probably getting the message now HASKINS BOB PHOTO: that I only like to work with people I like and who have become friends. That is exactly why a part of the original team back in 1974 and that this production works, because everybody is my manager Brian Lane who played a major involved wants to make it work. That very much part back then in ensuring that the concert includes the fantastic crew, I have to single out actually happened. Brian and Valerie in the Erik Jordan who is our recording engineer as office have managed to keep everything on track well as the chief keyboard technician (actually to enable us to be here on stage. he’s the only keyboard technician). Finally, a big thank you to Mark Dawson our One other person who is involved tonight was production manager. He has the patience of Job and understands my bizarre requests. There are so many others I could thank, but I’ve been given limited space to write this and so apologies if you’ve not been mentioned, but I’m running out of space... A FEW WORDS FROM THE 2014 TOUR PROGRAMME: In 1981 I was asked to perform Journey in Brazil again but when we came to check out the orchestral music in the flight-cases, they were empty and to this day, along with all the orchestral music for King Arthur, have never been found. As this was before the time of computers and electronic data storage, no THE JOURNEY CONTINUES OVERLEAF... JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH 4 5 JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH copies existed anywhere. As a result, no further A FEW WORDS FROM THE 1975 performances ever took place, in spite of repeated requests from all over the world. This meant TOUR PROGRAMME: that it did seem that Journey had seen its last Work on the Journey to the Centre of the performance and would forever have only the Earthactually started in November 1971, but three performances in the UK to remember. was shelved until the completion of The Six In 2009 a very battered and water damaged Wives of Henry VIII in October 1972. The conductor’s score appeared in a packing case work was written for full symphony orchestra that arrived out of the blue from Australia, and and choir and is in no deliberate way intended immediately restoration work was carried out to be an attempt to fuse group and orchestra. In over a period of two years by the conductor and fact, for no length of time are the two actually musicologist, Guy Protheroe, with the original playing together; however, I believe very score carefully transcribed strongly that the correct use onto Sibelius computer of orchestra, choir and group, software. can add phenomenal colour This meant that after more in presenting a work such than 35 years, Journey to the as this. The narrations and Centre of the Earth was able visual effects are simply to to be performed once again. make the music as meaningful However, the story did not end to the listener as it is to the here, as there was yet another performer. twist to the tale. NO FURTHER There’s a quote about Rick The original music was PERFORMANCES Wakeman’s solo work that intended to be around 55 suitably sums up this amazing minutes, but as A&M Records EVER TOOK man for all sessions. It comes did not want a double album, it PLACE IN SPITE from NME’s Tony Tyler, and became a single album length is in the context of his glowing of around 36 minutes. Upon OF REPEATED appreciation of the “live” the discovery of the missing REQUESTS debut of Rick’s Journey to the score, I decided that it was the Centre of the Earth, staged at perfect opportunity to bring London’s Royal Festival Hall the work up to its original length. in January of 1974. I still had all my original notes from 1973 Tyler was talking about Rick being a and quite detailed ideas for the two missing confirmed romantic; and had touched upon his songs and additional narrative as well as the quasi-“classical” contemporaries, including Yes, extended instrumental and solo passages. With of whom he has been an integral part. my engineer Erik Jordan, we put together the Said Tony: “His solo efforts display more full length version and that’s what you’ll be discipline, more humanity, more humour, and hearing tonight, but with a few extra surprises a damn sight less pretentiousness than the thrown in! collected works of all those groups rolled into All of the original score is included and one six album set...” And indeed they do! Rick unchanged plus all the additional music Wakeman has all these attributes, and more – is written and performed so as to blend in perfectly with the style and feel of the original. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES OVERLEAF..