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WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING OF JON LORD’S DURHAM CONCERTO TO BE RELEASED JANUARY 28TH

“The audience rose spontaneously at the final climax.” Chris Higgins (The Independent)

October 20th this year saw Durham Cathedral play host to an amazing musical event when ex-Deep Purple member and classically trained musician Jon Lord unveiled the world premiere of his Durham Concerto. Mischa Damev conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists Ruth Palmer (violin); Matthew Barley (cello); Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian Pipes) and Jon Lord playing his original Hammond organ.

“From the opening bars you know this is going to be a major work; the most exciting composition I have heard since Karl Jenkins’ ‘The Armed Man.’” Barry McCann (Classic FM)

Durham Concerto was co-commissioned by Durham University and John McLaren, a Durham law graduate, to celebrate the University’s 175th anniversary. The writer Bill Bryson, Chancellor of Durham University commented:

“The prospect of a musician like Jon Lord composing an original concerto for a breathtaking space like Durham Cathedral is terribly exciting, not just for the University but for music fans everywhere.”

The work emotionally evokes the sense of history, scholarship, place and community evident in Durham – an unbroken line from St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, Europe’s leading scholar of the 7th and 8th centuries, to the modern day university.

The hour-long Concerto consists of six movements, arranged into three parts: Morning, Afternoon and Evening. Morning describes the Cathedral at dawn and then the town coming to life. Afternoon starts with a movement representing the historic event where monks carried St Cuthbert’s body from Lindisfarne, and concludes as the composer contemplates the wonderful view from Prebends Bridge. The last section, Evening, captures the high spirits of a student dance and a Miner’s Gala, and ends with an imposing, but uplifting, movement in praise of the Cathedral.

“When I first went to Durham, I was speechless. There is something about the space which is awe inspiring. Until then I had only seen Durham’s Cathedral from the train. Walking up through the old town to Palace Green and that astonishing Cathedral, I knew that I had said yes to the right project. Classical music is something I have held in my heart since I was a young boy. I had always written music and I started to play the classical piano at the age of six. Rock and roll snapped my head around and indeed has defined my career, but it never stopped me from loving classical music.”

Jon Lord, known to all for Smoke On The Water and as the driving force behind Deep Purple, was classically trained and with Durham Concerto has returned to his roots. Durham Concerto cements his position as a leading contemporary composer. Jon’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra, first performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 has been acknowledged as one of the most influential works of the 1960’s and inspired, among others Elvis Costello and Queen.

Jon Lord’s “Durham Concerto” is a contemporary classic and the release of its world premiere recording is one of the most eagerly awaited CD releases of 2008.