Track Listing

1. Part 1 - Morning: The Cathedral at Dawn (solo violin, solo cello, Hammond organ)
2. Durham Awakes (solo violin, solo cello, Hammond organ, Northumbrian pipes)
3. Part 2 - Afternoon: The Road from Lindisfarne (solo violin, solo cello, Northumbrian pipes)
4. From Prebends Bridge (solo cello)
5. Part 3 - Evening: Rags & Galas (solo violin, solo cello, Hammond organ)
6. Durham Nocturne (solo violin, solo cello, Hammond organ, Northumbrian pipes)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11238 in Music
• Released on: 2008-01-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 56 minutes

Album Description
The magnificent Norman cathedral on the rock, part of the World Heritage site shared by Durham University and Durham Cathedral, was the setting for the world premiere of Jon Lord's "Durham Concerto" commissioned by the University to commemorate its 175th anniversary. The 1,000 strong audience rose spontaneously to its feet as the final climax reflected Sir Walter Scott's vision, which is engraved on Prebends Bridge: "Grey Towers of Durham/Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles/ Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot". The work emotionally evokes the sense of history, scholarship, place and community evident in Durham - and unbroken line from St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, Europe's leading scholar of the 7th and 8th centuries, to the modern day university.

Jon Lord, known to all for "Smoke On The Water" and as the driving force behind Deep Purple, was classically trained and has returned to his roots. Durham Concerto cements his position as a leading contemporary composer. Each of its six movements in this hour long piece reflects a different aspect of a day in Durham. The serene "The Cathedral At Dawn" has undertones of Vaughan Williams in its expansiveness, while "Ragas and Galas" celebrates town and gown, using Bernsteinian rhythms and interruptions of "Gaudeamus Igitur". Northumbrian pipes, played by its world's leading exponent, Kathryn Tickell, give a true sense of North-East wilderness and melancholy to "The Road From Lindisfarne", reflecting the pilgrimage by the Cuthbert Community, carrying St Cuthbert's body and the Lindisfarne gospels, one of the world's great treasures, to found Durham Cathedral in the 11th century.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic under Mischa Damev perform the work along with an array of world class soloists in this concerto for violin, cello, Northumbrian pies and organ: Ruth Palmer (violin) won the Young British Performer award at this year's Classical Brit Awards, Matthew Barley (cello) who recently featured in BBC2 TV's "Classical Star" series, Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian Pipes) and of course, Jon Lord on his original Hammond organ, one of the very few occasions that such an evocative instrument has been used in an orchestral setting. Jon Lord's 'Durham Concerto' is a contemporary classic.

Personnel:
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Mischa Damev (conductor), Matthew Barley (cello), Jon Lord (Hammond organ), Ruth Palmer (violin), Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian pipes)

Customer Reviews

the sound of the north
Jon Lord is best known for playing in rock group Deep Purple. For over 30 years from the late 60's to 2001 he straddled the classical and rock music worlds, before deciding to concentrate on classical music.

The Durham Concerto was commissioned by Durham University to mark their 175th anniversary. It had it's premiere in Durham Cathedral in 2007. It shows that Jon Lord is a cut above most rock musicians who produce classical pieces. He doesn't make things too complicated. He doesn't use too many notes. He lets his music breathe. He also has the good sense to base this work around the talents of a few excellent musicians: cellist Matthew Barley, violinist Ruth Palmer, and most distinctive of all Northumbrian pipe player Kathryn Tickell. He brings their playing styles into the music.

He creates a musical language that evokes both the Northumbrian countryside and Durham Cathedral by bringing together traditional local folk tunes and church music scales. This immediately brings the classic pastoral music of Vaughan Williams to mind. In the lusher passages he is close to Bantock (especially the Celtic Symphony), and in the faster sections there is an inventiveness that is not far from Matthew Arnold, who conducted the first performance of his `Concerto for Group and Orchestra' in 1969.

The work is intended to describe a day in the life of the city of Durham. It is in three parts: Morning, Afternoon and Evening: each with two movements. There is plenty of brilliant playing from the principal musicians, with able accompaniment from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Overall this is a strong work, but it does have one weakness and one missed opportunity. The weakness is that there is too much slow music - four out of the six movements. This makes much of the work sound like an evocation of the Northumbrian countryside rather than of Durham City, no bad thing in itself, but more variety would have made the music even better. The one missed opportunity is a failure to use the principal musicians to their full potential. They are allowed plenty of slow to medium paced solo lines, at which they excel, but Jon Lord doesn't let them burn the house down with some real northern jigging and reeling. Given that Kathryn Tickell is playing this is a real lost opportunity. Instead the fastest sections are left to the rest of the orchestra.

The result is an enjoyable 56 minutes of music, but with a bit more welly it could have been a real stunner.

Buy this if you like: The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams, the music for the Titanic and Lord of the Rings films, the folk-fusion music of groups like Clannad and Iona, or good quality listenable contemporary classical music.

IF YOU LIKE THIS - check out the Jon Lord EMI Classics release of his Piano Concerto 'Boom of the Tingling Strings' and String Orchestra Work 'Disguises' - If anything it is an even better disc than this one!

Listen more than once
I bought this recording because my son, a student at Durham, was in the cathedral for the first live performance and rated it highly. I was a Deep Purple fan in my youth, too! The first time I listened to the concerto all the way through I was left feeling slightly 'flat', as other reviewers have commented, but I have listened to it quite a few times now and love it more and more. I was going to say that 'From Prebends Bridge' is my favourite movement but I went and checked the CD and decided I'd be hard pushed to chose one track above the others. Listen to them all - more than once - and see what you think!

From Rock Star to Classical Star
Jon Lord (formerly Deep Purple) has successfully turned from a rock star to a classical star.

I have always been a fan of Deep Purple and was a bit sceptical about rock /pop stars going into classical music (e.g. Paul McCartney) but Durham Concerto has changed my mind on that.

It's beautiful melody captures the listener's minds and draws them into a smoothing, comforting and tranquil world. My favourite track on the album is Rags & Galas with its upbeat rhythm and wonderous accompaniment.

This album is not just for those with a classical ear but those who enjoy music in all its form.