Contra Costa Wind Symphony's classically trained musicians get into classic rock at their next concert, at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 in Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts.
Photo by Laurie Hindes
Headlined with the U.S. premiere of a new arrangement for Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra, the concert also features the music of Queen, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. There is free admission for students.
Wind Symphony founder and conductor Duane Carroll says his background is firmly rooted in classical music, and until recently unlike his peers, who have stacks of well-worn rock albums, Carroll had none.
His rock affinity started just three years ago, when CCWS gave the U.S. premiere of The Queen Symphony, an hour-long suite of the music of the rock band Queen, with a 180-voice chorus.
Carroll calls the concerto on the Sunday program "a fusion of classical and rock musicians uniting in an evening of classic rock favorites," which also includes several Beatles tunes, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and music from Led Zeppelin.
The 50-piece wind symphony will be joined by well-known rock musicians, including bassist Terry Miller, who currently tours with the Zac Brown Band. "Terry's Kids," a group of young musicians trained by Miller, will perform music of Deep Purple in rock band style.
The classical-rock blending of the concerto goes back 44 years, when Deep Purple and London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed it together. It paved the way for other rock/orchestra performances, such as Metallica's S&M concert and Roger Waters' The Wall: Live in Berlin.
The new transcription for wind symphony and rock band was composed by Deep Purple's Jon Lord, with lyrics by Ian Gillan.