Search - Rick Wakeman, Adam Wakeman :: Romance of the Victorian Age

A wonderful step forward and no synthesizer overkill either

Marco Cazzola-Gonsenheim | Santa Cruz, CA United States | 08/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very melodic album focusing namely on the piano with some background accompaniment. The pieces are delicate and well done (in my humble opinion). They portray a quiet sense of emotion that makes one think mostly of a rainy afternoon. The alternating of pieces by Rick and by his son Adam allow for very interesting comparisons in the styles of each. Even an acoustic guitar makes a cameo appearance on a few of the pieces. One does wish that the string accompaniments had been recorded from a real string ensemble but then again, since this seems to be exclusively a Wakeman effort, money may have most certainly been a consideration."

Romance of Electronic Age

Sergey Lenkov | Mother Russia | 08/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Very beautiful and pleasant, though not much known and popular, instrumental album by Rick Wakeman and Adam Wakeman (recorded in 1994). Album is inspired by Pre-Raphaelites paintings (Dante Gabriel Rosetti etc.), and each title of the track is the name of the picture of that period (illustrations are placed in the booklet). Music - grand piano with the background arrangements of electronic keyboards and acoustic guitar by Adam Wakeman. This album is a kind of "shared world" - 7 tracks by Rick and 6 tracks by Adam, though in each track each one of them plays either lead piano party or Korg and Kurzweil keyboards, so music by Adam sounds as music by Rick.

Album starts with dynamic piece "Burlington Arcade", but the music on this CD mainly is close to New Age (New World) records by Rick - it is melodic, nocturnal, a little bit sad. So if you`d like to hear soft, romantic, relaxing, light music by Rick Wakeman - this album was recorded for you.

If you prefer to listen to his Moog solos - then try his other CDs. As example his last concept albums - "Out There" (2004) and "Return to the Centre of the Earth" (1999) and of course - "Retro" (2006)."

Wakeman Explores Subtle Depths....

Hoichi, the Earless | Sietch Tabr, Arrakis | 09/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rick Wakeman's "Romance of the Victorian Age" is a soft, subtle, and overall very satisfying album. Those of you that are fans of Yes might be surprised at the way Wakeman subdues his instruments in this one, but that shouldn't distract at all from the overall enjoyment. At times it is as delicate as Chopin, as enrapturing as Amazing Blondel, and beautiful as anything Phillip Glass has ever done. I would highly recommend listining on a rainy day for it flows perfectly. In sum, if you are a classical music lover, 'Yes' enlightened, or a prog lover in general, you will love this album."