RICK Wakeman will give classic tracks the Yes virtuoso's distinctive piano treatment on his Piano Odyssey tour, playing York Barbican on September 30 as one of 14 autumn dates.

Last year, Wakeman mounted his Piano Portraits tour in support of his album of the same name and he now returns with a new show built around his follow-up release, Piano Odyssey.

"In the footsteps of Piano Portraits, the new album Piano Odyssey features a collection of music old and new that includes some particular favourites of mine," says Wakeman, whose 69th birthday falls on May 18. "I’m looking forward to performing tracks from it live on my own odyssey around the UK in the autumn."

In January last year, the Yes keyboardist made chart history when Piano Portraits became the first solo piano album to enter the British top ten, eventually reaching number six.

Inspired by the reaction to his cover of David Bowie’s Life On Mars on BBC Radio 2 a year earlier, Wakeman made an album of instrumental versions of hits that had featured his musicianship, such as Bowie's Space Oddity and Cat Stevens' Morning Has Broken, as well as others he chose for their melodies, including Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven and The Beatles' Help!.

This autumn's concerts will combine a selection of instrumentals from both Piano Odyssey and Piano Portraits, "showcasing music that has a special connection with Rick’s own personal musical journey, all accompanied by his hilarious memories and anecdotes about the tunes, plus a few musical surprises".

The Piano Odyssey concert returns Wakeman to a city where he once busked on a mini-keyboard in the city centre incognito in the bustling run-up to Christmas, raising only 14 pence in half an hour, for his Inside Out television documentary on street musicians shown in January 2005.

September 30 will be Wakeman's second date at York Barbican this year. Yes, Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman, are already booked in for June 13. "It’s very simple," says founder and vocalist Anderson, explaining the affirmative tour moniker. "The fans want it, we want it and it’s our right to use the name. Yes music is in our DNA."

Tickets for both concerts are on sale on 0844 854 2757, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the Barbican box office.