Rick Wakeman - Clair de Lune 

As an accomplished professional pianist who plays this piece here are my views: yes it's played fast, it usually is played about 96 bpm (the first part and the last part and he only played the first two pages then repeated). He also transposed it up a half step. However, Rick is one of the best keyboardists/pianists on the planet. He is a progressive rock legend and I've heard him play many amazing things; his technique is impeccable. Also, if you noticed, he is reading from what looks like a hand-made chart. Clair de Lune, if played in concert pianist style, or tradition, has to be memorized. Yet, this was not what he was going for. It was more of an intimate and self-stylized performance of a greatly beloved piece of music. And, I was over-joyed to be able to hear this performance. If one is going to judge things, judge them in the proper context, you'll probably live a happier life...

Prog rock and classical are my favorites. But a prog rocker playing classical, can it get any better? Thanks Rick.

Rick is just a musical genius. Whether he plays classical or rock you can just sit back and relax and just admire!

Excellent -Long Live the King -Rick Wakeman

He reads his music with his eyes closed. Brilliant!

Love it such a talented pianist seen him live and he is simply amazing on the keyboards. I love classical music and he is so versatile.

This is beautiful!

I love this song ...

For those saying it is too fast: Loop up on youtube debussy's versions of this piece, he plays exactly in this tempo. Today's interpretation that is usually really slow and lullabyish.

All great pianists have to be accomplished in hitting bum notes and not letting it put them off 🎹🎹

Bravissimo, as ever⚘⚘⚘

*Rick Wakeman and Jon Lord two gods of piano !*

Sooo Beautiful! It touches my soul...Thank you.

Marvellous!

Simply .. beautiful ❤❤

I can't wait to watch all the videos of the documentary... mind blowing!!! many, many thanks Mr. Wakeman!!!

Beautiful.

Thank you for sharing this performance of the Debussy classic. Many years ago I had the fortune of seeing Virgil Fox live, and he described his interpretation of this work as "not what two lovers were doing in the moonlight, but what they were 'thinking' about doing in the moonlight". It was a pleasure to hear you play this!

Spot on rick! Enjoyed the pace and heartfelt play in this music video...

BRAVOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Magnifique 😲

GENIUS ..... TOTAL GENIUS !

Bravo!

stunning accomplished pianist👈

Es lo mejor que existe en la ejecución del piano. Ya es una leyenda.

Showwww

Un excelso músico. Grande Maestro.

We love Rick's playing and this is lovely. Nothing can ever compare to Walter Gieseking's rendition, but this is definitely lovely and excellent.

I got a glimpse of his chart -- it was actually a grocery list.

He didn't play the middle of this piece,the most difficult part.

Sublimely beautiful piece and you are an excellent pianist so why not play the whole thing Rick?

Genio

Спасибо

Cool

Muito lindo!!!❤

I love u ♥️

To all the naysayers in comments, it's called artistic license, I repeat, ARTISTIC LICENSE. The way you'll talk, I figured you would have heard of it, I figured wrong.

Debussy is Debest!

Quanta gente amarga de mal com a vida...credo. A musica 'e linda, o pianista 'e rick...curta o som maravilhoso. kkkkk

хорошо

Вы Молодец вот

NO ES EL TEMPO ,PERO ES RICK WAKEMAN!

Don't you like, master, to play this ...in the afternoon...drinking a wine ...seeing the sunset ?...

R W is THE pianist

Claude would have loved that. He may have even taken notes. (Pun unintended.).

Ah the evil within

you play DEBUSSY yOUR A GOD LIKE PLAY cHOPIN THE gOD

по моему Вечная Тема

моя Любовь к Вам это Листомания

helllo from tokyo

If there is a person I would like to be is Rick wakeman... and Keith Emerson If there are two persons I would like to be are Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson.. and John London If there are three persons I would like to be are Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson and John London... And Frederic Chopin... oaa you got it, and Debussy, Bach, Beethoven...The most complex thing I can play is LP's...

It could be a “Yes” song.

и если что Вы Гений

What a marvelous interpretation without a doubt the greatest teacher Wakeman.

Povero Debussy...

No release

Rick is one of my favorite musicians. I have been a fan of his for twenty five years. Nonetheless, being honest and fair, I must admit that he is light years from having the technique and the repertoire of a concert pianist. Has he ever recorded major classical works? No, he has not. He will not. Rick himself has stated that he longed to be a concert pianist. He enrolled at the Royal College of Music with that idea in his head, but he gave up due to the difficulty of the process. Gradually, he began to focus on progressive rock and composing, and the rest is history... A fantastic keyboardist and a prolific rock composer he is, but as far as his pianism is concerned, he is an underachiever. And the same goes for many progressive rock keyboardists whom I admire: Lord, Rudess, Emerson, Banks, Wright, etc...Great and innovative keyboardists, but mediocre pianists. They are mediocre pianists beside classical concert masters, or jazz-classical genius pianists such as Keith Jarrett and Friedrich Gulda. Are there any progressive keyboardists with considerable concert piano skills? Yes there are: Patrick Moraz, Eddie Jobson, and Mark Robertson come to my mind.

I don't mind the embellishments, but the song really shouldn't be played with that rushed feeling. I can kind of see what he was going for, like more of a flowing vibe, but it only comes through in certain parts. But, Rick is obviously a great musician and it's his interpretation, so...just my two cents. It's better than what I can do. ;)

Viajem ao centro da tetta

" What if Rick Wakeman played Clair De Lune ?" Loved it!

My favourite Classical Piece of Music. Especially played by Rick. Stunningly Beautiful 🎶❤️🎶

AH DEBUSSY...

very English tea timeish...but I like it

I love Rick's work as a classically trained Prog rock keyboardist; not so much as a concert pianist. His (re) arrangements to famous Classical piano works, in a pseudo-Classical style are definitely not my cup of tea. Very much prefer his Cans and Brahms.

This symphony is meant to be performed slowly, once it's boosted like that it just loses its sensations.

Only great musicians and composers have the right to play others masterpiece on their own point of view.

The opening should be contemplative. Not rushed like that. This is not doing the most beautiful piece of music justice/ It's almost like A.I. Sorry Rick- I really like you!

Amazing to read how many Marta Argerich or Mauricio Pollini are here commenting... Most times envy and mediocrity go hand in hand...

Comfortable shoes

This must be a promotional version just for the clip. It seems rushed, very abbreviated and even has a clunker note at 1:50. It's a beautiful song and I know Rick can do it well. This just isn't that.

Oh, that was less than I expected. The floating sense of the rhythm isn’t captured (I don’t just mean it is played faster than usual) and I was very surprised that the “difficult bit” where the lilting melody floats over the rippling accompaniment is omitted. I leave with a sense of unease and disappointment. I don’t think the 14 yr old Rick Wakeman would have approved of this. Sad to leave a negative comment. Btw “Awaken” is wonderful spiritually uplifting stuff! To end on a positive :)

HEY RICK Wakeman CALL sTEVE hAVKETT ,A GENIUS a;bum

... "It seems you finally had to choose. I guess there was no other way ... "

The composer is Debussy, not Wakeman

Sorry folks, I'm a huge fan of Mr Wakeman and also loved his books, but this should have been titled as an improvisation on Clair de Lune. As one of the commentators says, he just plays parts of it, adds trills and so on and misses the best bit! As an improvisation, that would be a matter of taste but as a performance of this great piece of music it's a kind of travesty! Sorry Rick, and still a fan!

Slow plz

I hate classical but this is just amazing

Lang Lang is only a mere amateur compared to Rick 👍👍👍👍👍

He changed a song that isn’t supposed to be changed

killing Debussy....

Too fast!

Debussy didn't deserve this !

Rick, por favor, quítate la partitura... / Rick, please, remove the score...

Great liberties are taken: This is truncated, Romanticized, and otherwise altered (the thoroughly unidiomatic rococo ornamental interpolations, for example). As Arthur Freed used to say, good is original enough-as least when performing someone else’s works, I might qualify. I’m sorry, I can’t approve of this. I wanted to coming in, but I can’t. It bothers me, by the way, when people call this piece “pretty”. I call it “profound”. It’s not decorative; it’s telling you that the world is radically different from how you thought.

Too quick! Loses all the feeling

I really don't rate him. I love this piece of music and he just destroyed it (in a bad way).

Bad arrangement...

Horrible. Far too fast, half of it's missing, silly little frills - shows no musicality or feeling for the piece whatsoever.