Concerto for Group and Orchestra

The 28-year-old Jon Lord, with no experience at all of writing for orchestra, composed this work in only three months in the lead-up to its premiere with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Malcolm Arnold. It was his first work for orchestra, launching his career as both a classical composer and a founding member of Deep Purple. It is notably rich in youthful invention, sound in structure, and sophisticated in craftsmanship. It broke new ground at the time, and seems only to have grown in stature across the intervening years. The full score appears here in print for the first time ever, meticulously edited by the composer’s long-time musical collaborator Paul Mann.