AMG Review of Symphonic Live

Eduardo Rivadavia
All Music Guide

When Yes joined forces with a symphony orchestra for the first time on their 2001 studio album, Magnification, the most common reaction was probably "I thought they'd done it already," since the legendary outfit's cerebral, progressive rock had frequently seemed more steeped in classical music than rock itself. But, as if to prove that they are in fact a rock band, the almost seminal lineup of Yes -- Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, minus ever-mercurial keyboardist Rick Wakeman -- subsequently took to the concert trail accompanied by the European Festival Orchestra, conducted by Wilhelm Keitel, for a tour during which they wisely mixed just a smattering of new songs in among many of their most beloved '70s masterworks. A DVD was promptly released to commemorate the uniqueness of the performance the very next year, but this purely auditory counterpart waited another seven, and it's actually difficult to understand why. Divorced of its makers' dubiously enjoyable, grizzled countenances, the collaborative arrangements wrought between band and orchestra infused a much needed freshness into Yes' tired, if undoubtedly timeless, career hallmarks -- particularly "Long Distance Runaround," "And You and I," and a truly delirious "Gates of Delirium." On the other hand, a few performances seem barely touched by the classical ensemble (e.g. "Starship Trooper," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "Roundabout"), and not even a full symphonic overhaul can salvage the 28-minute ordeal of "Ritual" (otherwise known as side four of the infamous Tales from Topographic Oceans) from suffocating beneath the weight of its own hubris. Steve Howe clears the air somewhat when he channels his inner Segovia for a solo spot combining his own improvisations with the second movement from Vivaldi's Lute Concerto in D Major; and of the tracks culled from that most recent, symphonic studio album, "In the Presence Of" probably offers the most intriguing ideas, while the forgettable "Don't Go" sounds too much like a 90125 soft rock outtake. All in all, Symphonic Live covers just enough bases and indulges just enough excess to appease most of the Yes faithful, while sending the customary cynics scurrying for cover as quickly as they can.