JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

Rick Wakeman was at a stellar moment when he embarked on the ambitious challenge of musically recreating Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864). With the successful "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" under his belt and his decisive contribution to Yes still resonating, and, like his music, habitually passing along the paths of grandiloquence and virtuosity, Wakeman sumptuously approaches this project, summoning the prestigious "The London Symphony Orchestra" and "The English Chamber Choir", accompanied by a rock band conceived for the occasion. Divided into two major segments, the album is narrated by the actor David Hemmings as the main thread of the fantastic adventures of the German professor Lindbrook, his nephew Alex and the guide Hans on their way to the centre of the earth.

The departure of the adventurous trio from Hamburg to the summit of the extinct volcano Sneffels Yokul (Iceland) and their perilous descent is described in "The Journey", where after an orchestral introduction accompanied by a heavenly choir (as in most of the work), Wakeman's moog opens the way for the peaceful singing of Garry Pickford- Hopkins; and all the landscapes inside the volcano and the anguish of the uncertain return are represented in "Recollection" by a machine-gunned opening synthesizer, an intense rock section crowned by Mike Egan's very good guitar solo, and the dramatic orchestration that closes the first segment.

The best moments are in the second half, with the melodic opening notes of Wakeman's harpsichord accompanied by the band in the excellent rendition of the fierce battle of two huge sea monsters in "The Battle" to the terrified presence of the adventurers, and with the revelatory discovery of a remote civilisation in "The Forest" and Ashley Holt's demanding singing underpinned by Wakeman's misty, splendid keyboard and a choir more celestial and dramatic than ever. One of the best passages on the album, if not the best. The last few minutes of the work run in a smooth ambience that exchanges the protagonism of the orchestration with the keyboards and the moog, at times overused, until its epic ending.

"Journey to the Centre of the Earth", loved by fans of the genre and not so much by its detractors, is one of the high points in the discography of the English musician, and reaffirmed him as one of the pioneers in the use of synthesizers for symphonic rock.

3.5/4 stars