KEYBOARD legend Rick Wakeman is relishing his forthcoming candlelit concerts in Lancaster's historic priory.

"When they said I could perform with the Lancaster Priory Choir I thought, I fancy that!" said Rick. "Using the priory organ and the choir I can do a concert which I have not done anywhere else.

"I can do pieces which are not normally included in the repertoire of my other shows. For example, I played on the session when Cat Stevens recorded Morning Has Broken - I will be playing that with the choir. And I recorded a version of Amazing Grace a few years ago so I will play that with a soloist from the choir.

"There are also choral parts in 'Six Wives' and 'King Arthur' (two of Wakeman's biggest-selling solo albums from the 1970s) so I can throw them in too.

"I love playing in priories and cathedrals. When there is something a bit different about a concert it makes it nice for me - I'm really looking forward to it."

Rick was happy to chat about his days as a session musician after he left the Royal College of Music. "The glory days of session musicians were from around 1968 to 1972 or 1973. Record companies would ask an artist to make an album or single and the producer would work out what musicians were wanted.

"He would phone what were called 'fixers' who would contact musicians to play. There were four main 'fixers' - two of them were Charlie and David Katz - and they had a roster of around half a dozen each of guitarists, bass players, drummers, piano and organ players and orchestral musicians.

"The fixer would ring you up and fill in your diary up to four to five months ahead. There would be two sessions per day - from 10am to 1pm and 2pm-5pm. You would arrive and have no idea who you were going to be playing whit or what you'd be doing. The musical director would hand out music and you'd be expected to play it immediately. At the Royal College of music a did a lot of sight reading and when I did those sessions I thought 'thank you!'."

Rick recalled how three songs would be done in each three-hour session and then the singer would come in later to do their vocals.

"The producer Tony Visconti would say to pick up the good bits you learn from those sessions and use them when you record your own material. He'd also tell us to learn from the things which went wrong. It was a great apprenticeship.

"I did more than 3,000 sessions in a three-year period."

Rick revealed that he still played the keyboards every day and was working on new music. "You are always re-arranging and putting new music together. After this interview I am going to a studio about an hour away (from his Norfolk home) to record a Christmas single with a stunningly talented 15-year-old soprano called Emmie Beckett.

"I just got back from Russia - I travel all over the world doing piano recitals. Next year I am doing King Arthur at the Royal Albert Hall with a choir and orchestra and possibly an open-air show, such as Glastonbury. I also do a lot of TV and one-man shows."

Rick recognised the revival of interest in classic and 'prog rock". "In places like South America and Eastern Europe it never died. I can't understand how in this country when something new comes along they shout out 'replacement', rather than see it as a new addition. Here new music kills off the old music for a while until the next thing comes around. But if you go abroad to places like Moscow nothing is ever ditched there.

"While we are very much the leaders in creating new music in this country we do tent to forget that new music is not a replacement but just another addition to the shelf."

That said, Rick said he was not one for living in the past. "I always try to think what do I want to be doing in five years' time. I don't think you gain anything from looking back. The past is important because it shapes your present but what you are doing now shapes what will happen in the future."

Rick was obviously hugely saddened by the recent death of Yes co-founder Chris Squire. He has fond memories of playing with the band. "Yes was very important to me. I enjoyed my times with them."

For now though fans can look forward to the concerts at Lancaster Priory on October 16 and 17, which form part of the Lancaster Music Festival. Also playing on the bill will be guitarist Gordon Giltrap.

Interview over, Rick was rushing off to his next musical date - the Christmas single project.

As he put it: "It's a wonderful life!"

l Tickets are selling fast - go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/lancastermusicfestival