Already known for his work as an actor, rock musician and composer Jon Lord is now working on a studio recording of a new concerto.The special commission, for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, is to be completed later this year.
Lord, the former Deep Purple keyboardist, is currently working on the recording of ‘Concerto for Group and Orchestra’, which was originally composed and first performed in 1969. The Concerto was recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 and again in 1999, but has never been recorded in a studio environment.
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Paul Mannare have been confirmed for the new recording which will be completed later this year, while Lord added that he has had plenty of opportunities to perform the concerto.
“Over these last years since leaving Deep Purple, I’ve played it over 30 times with different orchestras and conductors all over the world, and, of course, in 2000 I did it well over 30 times with Purple on the Concerto Tour, so I’ve been honing the piece live on stage.
“I’ve had the opportunity to change things in the score that weren’t sounding quite right. It is therefore a marvellous and exciting prospect to have the definitive recording of the definitive version of the score.”
Meanwhile, the rock icon is also in the process of composing a new classical work for the Henley Festival Orchestra. The special commission, which marks the first time he has written a work for young classical musicians, will again be completed this year.
Henley Festival Orchestra was created in 2008 and is funded by the Henley Festival. The Orchestra equips around 70 children with a musical instrument, tuition and performance opportunities throughout the year.