Rick Wakeman - (1996) Tapestries

"Together with Romance of the Victorian Age these two albums form a piece of true piano art! Fast and slow pieces, good for dinner music but also very good for relaxing or intensive listening. Both are "must buy albums" for the piano fans.
review by Tim Boudewijn van der Wart on 26/10/2001"
"Tapestries is a very nice and relaxing father and son coproduction. Mainly acoustic, except for some calm and quiet synthesizers in the background, the album is perfect when you lie on the sofa and just want to relax and let your thoughts stray... The opening track is my favourite, but it is a good album all the way through. The up-tempo tracks are my favourites on this album, though.
review by Bjorn Olaf Syvertsen on 14/10/1999"


This is the second of Rick and Adam's albums for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the CD booklet features images from tapestries in the museum's collection.

Like the first, Romance of the Victorian Age, this is a piano-based collection, though there are slightly more other instruments added here.

Also like the first, Rick and Adam's compositions alternate, but this one also features a classical adaptation, a version of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" arranged by Rick.

Again like the first, the album begins with its liveliest piece, here Rick's "Fremiet's Cat," and thereafter features mainly slower and more contemplative music, with simpler and more restrained pieces (mainly Adam's) contrasting with more complex ones (mainly Rick's).

And finally, like the first, this one features fine playing by both men. But overall, the first one is better.

Track List:
01 Fremiet's Cat 4' 7"
02 Time Will Tell 4' 24"
03 Fountains Of Love 4' 20"
04 A View from a Window 4' 54"
05 Les Vendanges 5' 13"
06 Summer's End 3' 26"
07 Clair De Lune 2' 50"
08 A Brighter Dawn 4' 10"
09 The "Blue Lily" 4' 23"
10 Tapestries 3' 43"
11 The Garden Party 3' 51"
12 Portraits in a Gallery 4' 42"
13 The Daydream 4' 11"
14 The Storyteller 4' 26"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Piano/Keyboards
Adam Wakeman - Piano/Keyboards
Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith - Acoustic/Classical Guitar
Phil Laughlin - Bass
Stuart Sawney - Percussion Programming