Music / Concerto for Group and Orchestra

Come and listen! We saved you a seat.

Concerto for Group and Orchestra is the debut live album by Deep Purple, released in 1969. It is a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Arnold.

At the time of its release, it surprised many, because it was the first mainstream collaboration between a rock band and a classical orchestra.^note  That is, if you don't count Frank Zappa, who already worked together with a classical orchestra on his solo album Lumpy Gravy (1968) and also performed live on stage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1968 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. However, the aforementioned concert would only become available on CD on Ahead of Their Time (1993). And, of course, The Beatles also asked George Martin's help for orchestral accompaniment as early as "Eleanor Rigby" on Revolver (1966), not to mention "A Day in the Life"'s exploding orchestra on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). It paved the way for other famous rock/orchestra collaborations in the future, and likely the entire genre of Symphonic Metal.

Interestingly enough, Concerto for Group and Orchestra happened relatively early in Deep Purple's career - in fact, it's the first album officially released by the classic "Mark II" lineup. The song "Child in Time" even debuted on this album, before it was featured again in a hard rock version on Deep Purple in Rock.

In 1999, 30 years after the first performance, the concert would be performed again with a recreated score (the original score was lost in 1970).

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Tracklist:

1. "Symphony No. 6, Opus 95" (25:13)
   1. "1st Movement: Energico" (9:19)
   2. "2nd Movement: Lento" (8:52)
   3. "3rd Movement: Con Fuoco" (7:02)
2. "Hush" (4:42)
3. "Wring That Neck" (13:23)
4. "Child in Time" (12:06)
5. "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" (51:43)
   1. "First Movement: Moderato-Allegro" (19:23)
   2. "Second Movement: Andante" (19:11)
   3. "Third Movement: Vivace-Presto" (13:09)
6. "Parts of the Concerto's 'Third Movement'" (5:53)

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Principal Members:

• Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
• Ian Gillan - lead vocals
• Roger Glover - bass
• Jon Lord - Hammond organ
• Ian Paice - drums
  • The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under conduction of Malcolm Arnold.

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Concerto for Tropes and Orchestra:

• Classical Music: Well, duh!
• Cover Version: Malcolm Arnold's own Symphony No. 6, specially written for the occasion, and the Joe South cover "Hush".
• Distinct Double Album: Inevitable, seeing the length of the standard classical piece. (It is worth noting that the original vinyl release contained only the "Concerto for Group and Orchestra", and was released on a single LP, which required splitting the second movement across two album sides and stretched the limitations of what would fit on a side of vinyl. The other tracks have been added to reissues of the album. The entire concert takes up three LPs or two CDs).
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Despite being the first Deep Purple release to feature the Mark II lineup, the album maintains the more psychedelic sound of the Mark I band.
• Epic Rocking: Well... how much more epic can you get? The tracks are veritable jams that stretch out several minutes, like the 25:13 "Symphony No. 6, Opus 95" and the title track, which goes on for 51:43 straight ahead! All this, backed by the huge Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Genre-Busting: It's a composite of rock and classical music. At first the band and orchestra play separately, but later during the performance, they start to perform together until they become one soundscape.
• Genre Mashup: A crossover between classical music and rock that indeed attracted attention from both audiences.
• Instrumentals: The music is mostly instrumental, due to the nature of classical music, of course.
• Limited Lyrics Song: "Andante" is the only movement in the title suite that has lyrics, and those lyrics are only in two fairly short sections in the middle.
• Live Album: The entire performance is live.
• New Sound Album: This album was a genuine departure from the group's previous output and it still is in their entire repertoire. At the time, it was also the first major collaboration between a rock band and a classical orchestra, despite minor predecessors such as The Beatles and Frank Zappa.
• Non-Appearing Title: The album title is not said anywhere on the record.
• Progressive Rock: The album is one of the more unique classics in the genre, given that an actual classical orchestra is performing along with a rock band. While rock bands had used orchestral elements before, no prior collaboration between a rock band and an orchestra had been this extensive.
• Repurposed Pop Song: "Wring That Neck" originally appeared on the band's 1968 album The Book of Taliesyn.
• Silly Love Songs: "Hush"
  Hush, I thought I heard her calling my name
• War Is Hell: "Child in Time"
  See the blind man shooting at the world
  Bullets flying taking toll

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