Concerto for Group and Orchestra
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| Concerto for Group and Orchestra | |||||
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| Live album by Deep Purple | |||||
| Released | December 1969 | ||||
| Recorded | September 24, 1969 | ||||
| Genre | Classical/rock | ||||
| Length | 59:26 | ||||
| Label | Harvest Records (UK) Tetragrammaton (US) Warner Bros. (US) (Reissue) Polydor Records (Canada) |
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| Producer | Deep Purple | ||||
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The Concerto for Group and Orchestra is a concerto performed by Deep Purple and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold in 1969, composed by Jon Lord. A video recording of this concert was released on DVD in 2003. It has also been performed by Australian band george with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Original US editions are rare because Tetragrammaton went bankrupt while the album was still being issued. This also led to the cancellation of a tour supporting The Rolling Stones. This album was re-released the following year by Deep Purple's new US label Warner Bros. This is the only Tetragrammaton release reissued by Warner Bros.
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[edit] Musical Form
The Concerto for Group and Orchestra displays some characteristics of the concerto grosso, sinfonia concertante, and concerto for orchestra genres:
- First movement (Moderato - Allegro): after an elaborate orchestral introduction the Group and the Orchestra work as separate blocks, trying to get dominance over the main theme - this opposition of a group of soloists against an orchestra is quite "concerto grosso" style.
- Second movement (Andante), with lyrics sung by Ian Gillan: here the group integrates more with the sound of the orchestra while still clearly on top of the orchestral tissue, giving a sinfonia concertante look and feel.
- Third movement (Vivace - Presto): apart from Ian Paice's drum solo, the music is so tightly knit that the distinction between the group and the orchestra is almost lifted: in a way the group becomes part of an extended orchestra, with one elaborate "solo" passage, by an instrument that is no soloist throughout the movement, giving a concerto touch: this is more or less what is understood by the Concerto for Orchestra genre.
[edit] Performances, recordings and releases
[edit] 1969 performance (& recording)
Live concert in the Royal Albert Hall (London), performed by:
- Deep Purple:
- The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold
[edit] LP release
See inset above.
This release only contained the "Concerto", with the second movement broken in two halves.
[edit] CD release
The 1990s saw a CD release including the "Wring That Neck" and "Child in Time" songs by Deep Purple, recorded during the same concert.
[edit] DVD release
In 2003 EMI released a special edition DVD-A of Concerto for Group and Orchestra, featuring the entire program of music played that night:
- The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold
- Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 6 Op. 95:
- "1st Movement": Energico - 9:19
- "2nd Movement": Lento - 8:52
- "3rd Movement": Con Fuoco - 7:02
- Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 6 Op. 95:
- Deep Purple:
- Songs:
- "Hush" (Joe South) - 4:42
- "Wring That Neck" (Ritchie Blackmore, Nick Simper, Jon Lord, Ian Paice) - 13:23
- "Child in Time" (Ian Gillan, Blackmore, Roger Glover, Lord, Paice) - 12:06
- Songs:
- Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold
[edit] 1970 performance
The "Concerto" was only performed one more time, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster at the Hollywood Bowl on 25th August 1970, after which the score was lost.
[edit] 1999 performance (& recording)
On 25 and 26 September 1999, 30 years after its first performance, the Concerto for Group and Orchestra was again performed by Deep Purple before a live audience in the Royal Albert Hall, this time with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann, a new score having been created by Marco de Goeij by listening to the recording and watching the video of the 1969 performance.
The recording of the entire concert was released on a double CD as Live at the Royal Albert Hall.
[edit] 2000-2001 performances
Encouraged by the success of the Royal Albert Hall performances, Deep Purple toured the "Concerto", first performing it in South America with local orchestras, then in Europe with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, then in Japan with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, all conducted by Paul Mann.
[edit] 2003 performances
Australian tour with the band george. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra gave three performances at the Sydney Opera House in January 2003
The Western Australian Symphony Orchestra gave two performances in Perth in March 2003
[edit] 2006 performance
There was a performance in July 2006 at the Henley Festival.
[edit] 2007 performance
There was a performance on 7th October 2007 at the Malcolm Arnold Festival in Northampton with Arnold's Symphony No. 6 and Lord's "MAsque" a work dedicated to his late friend. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Paul Mann.
