News
The Hungarian Deep Purple Cover Band are back from Russia, where18 November 2009, 15:23
The Hungarian Deep Purple Cover Band are back from Russia, where they enjoyed the company of Jon Lord (ex-Deep Purple) for ten days on the eastern tour of the Maestro's special programme unifying classical music and rock 'n roll. The set featuring some of Lord's most popular pieces involving a symphonic orchestra and a rock band (inc. Concerto for Group and Orchestra), which the artist had already performed with Cry Free on four occasions in Budapest and Bratislava, was now presented in three major Russian cities, Yekaterinburg, St.Petersburg, and of course the capital, Moscow. All three venues had different orchestras fronted by different conductors, and though they all belong to the top of the classical scene, this meant a special challenge for the 68-year-old keyboardist/composer. Thus the solid musical foundation of the show was provided by Cry Free, the only fix element of the act (along with standard vocalists Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska), and Lord repeatedly expressed his observation that without the musical background represented by the Hungarian group he wouldn't have been able to stand up to the triple challenge. With the confident performance of the rock section, however, the great composer could focus all his attention on the actual orchestra and conductor, letting them in on every important detail of his groundbreaking concept, and enabling them to become worthy "adversaries" of the rock band led by the Hammond organ and the electric guitar. The musical "competition" of the two parties triggered a frenetic response from the keen Russian audience. Jon Lord and his musicians received standing ovations from all three crowds, altogether about 6-7,000 people at the three venues. Another evidence for the success of the concerts is that the organisation process for the next Russian tour already started while still there in the country. It is planned to take place in about a year and a half, and the legendary musician will return with an all new and different concert program including more Deep Purple songs and more of his solo material. Good news for the fans living in the Central/Eastern European region that 2010 will see several Jon Lord shows and short tours in the area, quite a few of which are scheduled to feature Cry Free, the Hungarian Deep Purple Cover Band again.
