Jon Lord - Sarabande (1976)

The Philharmonia Hungarica acompaña a Jon Lord en este disco que nos trae el Mago Alberto, siempre zarpándose con sus aportes, ahora con una nueva versión de un disco que ya hemos presentado hace tiempo. Un disco de puro rock progresivo sinfónico muy lejos del estilo típico de Deep Purple, esta es la versión remasterizada de un disco fundamental en la historia musical del querido maestro Lord que tantas alegrías siempre nos ha dado. Nueva remasterización ideal tanto para el que conoce este trabajo como para el que no, les recomiendo que no se lo pierdan.

Artista: Jon Lord

Álbum: Sarabande
Año: 1976
Género: Rock sinfónico
Duración: 50:06
Nacionalidad: Inglaterra / Hungría



"Saraband"e es el segundo album solista del querido Jon del año 1976, al cual lo grabó en Alemania junto con la Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra, dirigida por Eberhard Schoener. Como dato de color, quien toca la guitarra en el disco Andy Summers, quien luego seria The Police.
Vamos de una con el comentario del Mago Alberto...

Jon Lord, un pionero de la fusion,un tecladista de excelencia, un niño prodigio formado en el clásico y el jazz, supo darle a Deep Purple su toque personal y si bien el grupo es básicamente una banda de hard-rock, Lord supo darle su tinte sinfónico cuando tuvo la oportunidad.
Pero fue en sus trabajos solistas donde se pudo apreciar y disfrutar a un verdadero músico de raza. "Sarabande" un trabajo junto a la Orquesta Filarmónica Hungara,(en realidad un rejunte de músicos húngaros refugiados) es una muestra de todo el talento que desarrolló Lord en toda su vida, y es también quizás uno de los verdaderos discos de fusión entre la música clasica y el rock sinfónico.
El trabajo de Andy Summers (The Police) es espectacular, y el aporte de el baterista de Spencer Davis Group, Pete York, es tambien para destacar. Quizás Setiembre haya sido uno de los meses mas prolíficos de ediciones remasterizadas de trabajos de diferentes géneros que estaban en cola de espera y que por fin salieron a la luz.
Esta nueva versión es absolutamente brillante, todo suena con más cuerpo, mas definido, y recuperó polenta al 100%, así que está más que justificada su reproducción.
Señoras y señores cabezones, éste es un disco memorable, para el que ya lo conoce, aviso que es la versión remasterizada, y para quien no, paso a comentar que en pleno auge del progresivo allá por 1976, el lord inglés, Jon Lord, decide darle forma a este proyecto acompañado por la Orquesta Sinfonica Húngara, y arma un disco de la PM, con todos los ingredientes del clásico y el rock, y créanme que esa mezcla es descomunal, quizás algunos prejuiciosos cataloguen a Lord sólo por su presencia en Deep Purple, pero este disco no tiene ni la mas mínima referencia al grupo mencionado, esto es progre de pura cepa.
Cabe mencionar el aporte del pre-police Andy Summer en todo el album, quizás sus primeros avatares por los estudios de grabación; yendo específicamente al disco, se van a encontrar quienes no lo conozcan con un despliegue descomunal de cuerdas, solos de pianos y moogs, percusión, mucha percusión, y climas diversos que te llevan de un lugar a otro sin descanso, no podría dar como referencia ningun track, porque es tan disímil el proyecto que por momentos parece un soundtrack de alguna película de ciencia ficción.
Los viejos conocedores del progresivo saben perfectamente de que se trata esto, una gema que no pueden dejar de pasar por alto.
Una belleza que ya esta publicada en el blog cabezón pero que ahora aparece renovada, cargada de energía y que te la presentamos en Hi-Res. No se puede desperdiciar en absoluto.

Mago Alberto

Interesante este trabajo de Lord. Un proyecto de fusion, rock y musica clasica. Se trata de una suite compuesta por varios temas con nombres como Fantasia, Sarabande, Caprice y Pavane. La pieza cuenta con partes orquestales y otras solo con una banda de rock con los teclados de Lord como solista, en donde alterna su Hammond, los sintetizadores y el clavecin muy al estilo de J. S. Bach, pero Lord, más que un mero componente de la banda, parece un mediador entre la orquesta y la banda. Y esa impresión se deriva precisamente de sus cambios de instrumento. Quizás sea el trabajo definitivo de Jon respecto a su idea mezclar elementos de la musica clasica, particularmente Bach y el Barroco, con el rock.

Las composiciones eran buenas , los músicos eran sobresalientes y el conductor (de la orquesta) entendió la música. Todo salió junto y puedo decir , que nada que haya hecho antes o hasta ahora se acerca a Sarabande.

Jon Lord

Siempre tuve la sensación de que era un típico músico con las inquietudes más cercanas al rock progresivo pero metido en una banda de hard rock, que al mismo tiempo era encorsetado por el estilo de su banda, la hacía subir de nivel como un globo del tamaño del Zeppelin, y cada vez lo confirmo más y más. Sea como sea, Deep Purple (y sobretodo Jon Lord) siempre fue una banda muy querida por todo gustoso del rock progresivo, ya sea por el vuelo creativo que llegaban o por el virtuosismo de sus músicos. Pero no importa porqué, el tema es que siempre fueron muy afines al oyente prog, incluso que me atrevería a decir que aún más que Led Zeppelin y sin querer desmerecerlos, simplemente que los purple creo que tenían más puntos en común con la búsqueda del público prog, y una de esos puntos en común era, justamente, Jon Lord. La banda brilló a gran altura hasta el punto de convertirse en uno de los grupos más influyentes dentro del rock y el heavy metal posterior.
Influido por la música clásica, el blues y el jazz, Lord usó su órgano Hammond para crear un sonido distorsionado y poderoso que era sello inconfundible y daba una polenta tremenda a cada track...

Como comentario al margen, les cuento que la zarabanda es una danza lenta que tiene origen en América Central en el siglo XVI. Una de las características de la danza bastante sensual, y a veces ello se nota en el disco.

El trabajo definitivo de Jon respecto a su idea mezclar elementos de la musica clasica, particularmente Bach y el Barroco, con el rock.
En mi opinion personal, el mejor album post Purple de cualquiera de sus miembros (sip incluido Ritchie). Claro musicalmente hablando.
La historia se inicia con el Concerto for Group an Orchestra de 1969, donde Deep Purple en vivo, junto a una orquesta conducida por Sir Malcom Arnold, le dan vida a esta obra compuesta integramente por Lord. Seguro que la gran mayoria de fans de Purple la han esuchado, es de la pioneras en su genero, quiza otras bandas se habian adelantado en incluir instrumentos clasicos como The Beatles, pero estos eran
mas bien arreglos musicales, que composicion de corte clasico, el rock progresivo- sinfonico tambien habia nacido hace poco, los Moody blues
eran un buen ejemplo, pero ni cerca estaban de la complejidad del concerto.
Los que han escuchado esta primera obra se habran dado cuenta de sus falencias (pero sus virtudes sobrepasan por mucho las mismas), una de las principales, la poca integracion de las partes, se da a momentos un versus de la banda contra la orquesta.
Luego esta el Gemini Suite del 70, esta vez compuesta por Suites, que se supone, reflejan la personalidad de cada integrante de Purple. Aun de estar ordenado de esta forma, se agruparon las suites en forma de 3 movimientos (supongo que para emular al concerto).
Este trabajo si bien es mas
"maduro", respecto a que las partes estan mas integradas, la orquesta y el instrumento, es mas simple (y corto), ya que no es los mismo integrar a una
banda completa, que a un instrumento individual. Los mejores momentos del mismo son a mi parecer la seccion de Guitarra y la Vocal y el gran final donde realmente hay unos grandes momentos de compenetracion de Purple y la orquesta.
Luego estan el Gemini Suite de estudio (inferior al de Purple a mi parecer) y Windows, que esta mas basado en el Jazz que en rock.
Finalmente la historia nos lleva al album definitivo de este genero. Sarabande, compuesto por Jon Lord, Eberhar Shoener conduciendo a la Filamornica de Hungria. A diferencia de Windows, este Sarabande no esta basado exclusivamente en Bach, si no en general en todo el barroco, que por supuesto lo incluye a el.
- Fantasia: Se incia el album con esta especie de intro - fanfarria, donde lo que mas destaca para mi son la percucion y la orquesta, que le dan a esta pieza un aire misterioso, crea una expectativa sobre lo que vendra. En su seccion central tiene momentos melancolicos, pero el optimismo de la fanfarria vuelve al final. Si lo analizamos bien, Jon compuso este album durante el final del tour de Purple MKIII, la grabacion de Come Taste the Band y por supuesto el final de la banda, asi que se entiende que durante todo el album haya momentos tristes, que reflejan el estado de animo de su autor.
- Sarabande: Esta pieza que le da titulo al album, esta basada en una pieza de danza (aparentemente con motivo eroticos), de origen español, mas que la sarabanda del barroco. Nos damos cuenta de ese aire a danza ya en su incio con el piano de Lord, casi un ritmo latino, seguido por la percusion que incrementa esta sensacion, le sigue el fraseo de la guitarra, que sera recurrente durante toda la pieza, por la
guitarra o por la orquesta. Al igual que Fantasia, tiene un segmento melancolico, volviendo finalmente al optimismo del comienzo. Bueno una puta genialidad del maestro.
- Aria: Esta hermoza y delicada pieza esta constituida por Piano y Sintetizadores. Es triste e introspectiva, si tubiera que describirla con palabras, pero seguramente los sentimientos que provoca en el oyente son algo subjetivo. A mi me recuerda un poco al primer movimiento de la sonata Luz de Luna de Beethoven. Al final a la melodia creada por el piano y sintetizaodres le acompañan cuerdas que incrementan la melancolia del tema. Conmovedora.
- Gigue: Luego de la delicada Aria, Jon nos introduce en que en mi opinion es el mejor tema del album. Abre la orquesta creando un clima misterioso y expectante, el que Jon resuelve con unos arpegios en piano (pero en el mismo plan oscuro), luego le acompaña el fraseo de la orquesta, que comienza un in crescendo que termina con, todos, incluido bajo y una fuerte percucion con esta intro. Jon le pone fin con una contra melodia, si es que existe siquiera el termino ( a veces me nace la duda si sera algo hecho con guitarra). Rememorando mucho de lo hecho en Purple, con una entretenida ritmica hay una ida y vuelta de una magistral guitarra de Somers(pre-Police), llena de sentimiento, de lo mejores que he escuchado, nada que envidiarle a uno del mismisimo The Man in Black y de respuesta uno de nuestro Jon que le supera en mi opinion. Y vaya que Lord sabe sacarle feeling al Hammond. Tambien incluye un completo solo, de los mejores, de Pete York, este hombre si que es un batero de rock sinfonico, se come a Palmer con papas fritas. El tema es perfecto, a mi me deja escalofrios en la espalda un buen rato.
- Bouree: Tiene una estructura y duracion similar con Gigue (unos 11 min), esta basado en tonos arabescos, parte con bateria y se le suma la percusion, creando un ritmo pegajoso, como el de la danza del vientre, se suma a la ritmica el piano, despues de un desarrollo, entra eL clavinet (creo que es uno) con el "riff", si se me permite llamarlo asi y luego la orquesta, cuerdas, vientos etc, hay un corte por una melodia del clavinet, estilo barroco, la cual da paso al solo de Jon, tormenta de notas, estilo Jon Lord, si no terminas moviendo la cabeza, dedicate a otra cosa. Como de costumbre hay una contra de guitarra, tambien esta para chuparse los dedos (aja se que gusto y oido son sentidos distitos, uds me entienden). El gran final es otro in crescendo con el riff arabesco del principio (hay un sonido que corona el final, metalico, no se un gong pequeño?, una especie de campana?).
- Pavane: Me cuesta escribir sobre este tema, me faltan palabras, es una especie de balada, no es como Aria, es mas complejo. Es melancolico en secciones, pero otras son como "bohemias". Guitarra acustica, piano, orquesta, seccion de jazz, solo esuchenlo. Relajante y sofisticado lo resumen bien.
- Caprice: Si el anterior es sofisticado, este es simple, divertido, ludico, el sonido de los teclados le da un aire algo infantil, el ritmo te atrapa de todas formas, un toque de optimismo dentro del album.
- Finale: Es un movimiento que rememora Fantasia del principio y su aire misterioso e invitante, pero con segmentos que recuerdan todos los temas anteriores, una especie de resumen final y una conclusion orquestal con sintetizadores. Lo mas impresionante de este movimiento es preguntarse si fue ejecutado en tiempo real o es algo trabajado en produccion.
En conclusion, el mejor puto album post purple, una obra maestra

hassheku1

Como no podía ser de otra manera, ahora vamos con algunos comentarios en inglés para que todo aquel que quiera adentrarse un poco más pueda hacerlo.

As Lord wrote in the liner notes, on this classical-rock fusion album, recorded in Deep Purple's dying days, "The theme behind the music on this album is that of a baroque dance suite; a form of music which was brought to its highest level by Bach. The title of each track is the name of a dance used in one of these dance suites, and I have tried to use the same tempo and feel as an original Sarabande, Gigue etc." The wholly instrumental work includes both some purely orchestral/symphonic passages and some fusiony rock chunks, as well as parts where the two forms merge to some extent. Among the rock section, Lord's keyboards are supported by ex-Spencer Davis Group drummer Pete York and a pre-Police Andy Summers on guitar. German composer and conductor Eberhard Schoener conducts the Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra. The 1999 CD reissue (Purple 305) has extensive historical liner notes.

Richie Unterberger

Whatever you want to say about Jon Lord’s discography, there can be little argument that this particular album is pure symphonic rock. On the symphonic side is the Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra, conducted by Eberhard Schoener. On the rock side are Lord, Police guitarist Andy Summers, and Spencer Davis Group drummer Pete York. And just to spice things up, former elf drummer and world-music percussionist Mark Nauseef adds his appreciable talents as well.
This album was recorded over just three days in Germany late in 1975, and was released by (big surprise) Deep Purple Records ltd. The entire album was composed and scored by Lord.
This is an all instrumental album, and frankly I can’t imagine any vocalist could have added anything to it anyway. Apparently a sarabande is a triple metre slow dance that originated somewhere in Latin America, and was later adopted as a movement in Baroque-era suites. In those days the slow tempo and suggestive metre was considered somewhat obscene. And no, I did not know this – I looked it up, so if that’s incorrect please disregard. Another big surprise (not!), Debussy and Monteverdi were both fond of this musical style and incorporated it into their music a hundred years or so later. Now I’m not a musician, or even an expert on music history, but I do believe that there is a connection between this suggestive style of dance music in Baroque suites, and the contradanza in Ravel’s ‘Boléro’, also from the Baroque era. That was also considered a suggestive and obscene ballet score. And the slow, building ¾ dance timbre that builds to a maddening crescendo in that work has been repeated ad nausea in modern progressive and post-rock by bands like Jefferson Airplane, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and even ELP. So I guess this work has some historical significance.
But these tracks don’t get me as worked up as either ‘Boléro’ or the Godspeed albums. Today they mostly sound like energetic classical music conducted by an orchestra, which is of course exactly what they are. Lord adds plenty of embellishment on all manner of keyboards, including grand piano, ARP, a Hammond, and string synths. Summers really doesn’t add a whole lot to the mix, although he manages a bit of almost flamenco acoustic picking on “Bource” (a little difficult to separate from the keyboards), and cuts loose just a bit on the percussion-frenzied “Caprice”.
The rest of the tracks are serious symphonic stuff, with the exception of “Pavane”, which combines acoustic guitar, piano, and only a mild accompaniment of strings.
This is not a rock album, and it is not anything like you would expect if the only Jon Lord you’ve ever heard is his work wit Deep Purple. But this is one of the albums that earned him the progressive label, and combines with ‘Windows’ and ‘Gemini Suite’ to provide the most conclusive argument that the title is legitimate.
Lord has managed to wander off on different paths during his long solo career, but before he started down those many roads he delivered this archetype symphonic rock gem for us to enjoy, perhaps just to prove he could. A 4.5 effort, technically perfect and engaging, but just a tiny bit shy of essential. Highly recommended for symphonic rock fans, as well as fans of exquisite piano and acoustic guitar.

Bob Moore

A memorable classic symphonic prog album .
When I first listened to this album by Jon Lord, I was surprised with the fact that Jon made an album that was totally different in style and approach from whan I had known him couple of years before through his tenure with Deep Purple. By that time I was listening to albums like Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti", Deep Purple "Burn", "Made In Japan", "Machine Head", Jethro Tull "War Child" "Aqualung" and having "Sarabande" in one of the play list albums was a kind of break from normal undertaking on classic rock albums. Of course, by that time I also knew Depp Purple's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" but "Sarabande" for me was much more accessible musically - that's why I frequently spun the Perina cassette of "Sarabande" more than "Concerto for Group and Orchestra". I also love Jon's "Windows" album which local cassette maker in Bandung, Yess, labelled the cassette with "When Rock Meets Classic" - that might be my first introduction on the marriage of rock and classical music.
Knowing that this album was composed and scored by Jon Lord and was recorded in only couple of days that's enough to conclude that Jon Lord is really a very talented musician. I finally got the CD version in 2001 issued under license to Eagle. One of the things that I love is about the inclusion of a 12-page sleeve notes describing Jon Lord and Sarabande album. Through this album he successfully gathered professional musicians under Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra (conducted by Eberhard Schoener), percussionist Mark Nauseff whom I knew contributed also to Ian Gillan Band's "Child In Time", guitarist Andy Summers whom later I knew as member of rock new wave trio The Police, and Pete York on drums. In fact, Eberhard Schoener solo albums were progressive in style and must be added into this site - one of them that I know quite well is "Bali Agung" which features "Kecak Rock". Kecak is a Balinese dance which is very famous in Bali, Indonesia.
Musically, this album is really heavy with classical music content while Jon had creatively inserted rock components into the music. The opening track "Fantasia" demonstrates clearly the classic symphony nature of the music where the track serves as an overture to the whole album. It is structured in three sections with grandiose orchestra. What follows is an attractive composition, the title track "Sarabande". I believe any human beings would love this song - whether he likes or not rock music or general music. It's simply composed in a way that melody and beats are combined beautifully in multi structure sections through out the song. Another great offering this album has is the fifth track "Bouree" which is similar in style with "Sarabande" i.e. in dance beats in eastern nuance. Through "Bouree" Jon combines the work of violin and keyboard / Hammond solo beautifully and all of them are laid down wonderfully in music structure that has a very nice flow. There are quite balance solos performed during this track. Other tracks are excellent as well like "Aria", "Gigue", "Pavane" etc. I think this album is the best out of all albums ever made by Jon Lord. For detailed analysis and review of each song, you can read completely in the CD sleeve notes, written by Vince Budd.
Overall, this is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED album for those who like Jon Lord and symphonic rock. I don't think it's wise owning legendary albums by legendary bands but missing this great album by Jon Lord. You definitely must have it. Keep on proggin' ..!

Gatot Widayanto

A crash of orchestra and cymbals opens this huge work, one of a small number of genuine symphonic constructions by a rock musician. Composed partly in the form of a traditional baroque dance suite, 'Sarabande' was a touch more than just another pet project by a self-involved and misled rocker. Keyboardist Jon Lord had been working toward this his whole career. The title piece is strong, with a cool bass line and Lord's infectious synth, built up with masses of horns, strings, and percussion shifting from Latin moves and sweeping winds to jazzy and romantic encounters. This is *orchestral* rock more than it is *symphonic*, and the record is bold even for 1976, betraying little of Lord's purple past. In the 11-minute 'Guige' we hear remnants of Dave Brubeck's proto-fusion and even Bo Hansson's distant impact, as instruments talk to each other in spirited conversation. The second half grooves smoothly into hip street rhythms, Arabian sand storms, Eastern treasure and T.E. Lawrence. 'Caprice' is first-rate syn-phonic rock sewn into a fascinating quilt of opera, pomp and circumstance and is benefitted by Eberhard Schoener's firm conducting.
Along with other beloved and bemocked prog/classical excesses like Rick Wakeman's 'Journey to the Center of the Earth', the Nice's 'Five Bridges Suite' and Mahavishnu's 'Apocalypse', Jon Lord's opus holds much quality music and is among a handful of records representing all that was both marvelous and maddening about that indulgent era. What a glorious time.

David

Baroque and roll
Following his live 1974 release "Windows", Jon Lord decided that his next album should benefit from the production and engineering facilities available in a studio. He put together a small band of whom only Pete York had played on the previous album, the most notable of the newcomers (from a fame perspective at least) being Andy Summers, later of the Police, on guitar. An orchestra is once again deployed; this time we have the Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra conducted by Eberhard Schoener.
To understand the motivation behind "Sarabande", we need go no further than Jon's own words: "(it is) that of a baroque dance suite; a form of music which was brought to its highest level by Bach. The title of each track is the name of a dance used in one of those dance suites and I have tried to use the same tempo and feel as an original Sarabande, Gigue etc." The music is therefore written by Lord himself, but he makes his inspiration clear. Ask a music expert though and they will tell you that Lord's lofty pretensions are at times suspect, the "Fantasia" and "finale" here having little to do with baroque, while several recognised baroque dances are overlooked.
The "Fantasia" is actually just that, a fanfare to introduce the album; it quickly leads into the 7 minute title piece. "Sarabande" signals that this will be no "Windows" part 2, the composition and performance both being much tighter. The synthesiser sounds explored by Lord may seem prosaic now, but at the time they would still have been pleasingly new and modern. The synth counterpoints well with the lead guitar of Andy Summers throughout the piece while the orchestra is effectively used as an alternative lead instrument.
"Aria" is a delicate piano and synthesiser duet, it's theme sounding simultaneously familiar yet refreshingly new. The two longest pieces on the album are "Gigue" and "Bouree", both of which run to 11 minutes. "Gigue" would make for a great piece of soundtrack music for a horseback chase in a western or a road movie. Summers is allowed to show his under- appreciated talents on lead guitar while Lord displays his more familiar dexterity on organ. Once again, for no explicable reason, a drum solo by Pete York is again inflicted upon us.
North African desert sounds and styles come to the fore on "Bouree", the soundtrack theme moving straight into "Lawrence of Arabia" (or maybe "Carry on, follow that camel"!) before the gentle "Pavane" restores a more serene order. Once again, Summers shows how his abilities were suppressed during his subsequent career, as he moves to classical guitar. "Caprice" wakes us up again with a start as it dives head first into the most spirited part of the album. It is all over in 3 minutes, making it the obvious choice for a single release. ("Bouree"/"Aria" was in fact the only single release). The album concludes with a brief "Finale" which seems like the album played all over again in 2 minutes.
In all, the general observation that this is Lord's finest solo work from the 1970's gets my vote too. This quasi-classical work finds him blending that style with rock better than any of his other attempts.
Chronologically, "Sarabande" finds Lord dealing with the departure of Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple after the "Stormbringer" tour, and preparing to record the band's first and only album with Tommy Bolin. "Sarabande" was actually released after "Come taste the band" by which time it seemed that Deep Purple had run their course.
This would be Lord's last solo album for several years, Jon preffering to work on projects both within and outside Deep Purple. It would also be his last album of this type (i.e. with a full orchestra).

Bob McBeath

Praise the lord (with moderation!)
During the period from the late 60's to the mid 70's, Jon Lord was very much interested in fusing Classical music with Rock. 1976's Sarabande album was the very culmination of that interest and most probably the most successful of his works in this style (I must admit that I have not heard them all, hence the 'probably'). I would say that this is about 80 - 85% Classical music and about 15 - 20% Rock music. In stark contrast to Concerto For Group And Orchestra, the Rock elements are perfectly blended into the overall mix of Sarabande. While Concerto For Group And Orchestra sounded more like a battle of group against orchestra rather than any kind of interesting fusion of Rock and Classical music, Sarabande achieves the goal of actually fusing the different styles together (even if the Classical elements dominate things). Maybe Lord himself also thought that he had achieved his goals with this album since this was the last album he ever did in that style.
The Rock elements consist of drums, occasional electric and acoustic guitars, bass and a quite interesting array of different keyboards including Hammond organ (obviously!), acoustic and electric piano and some different synthesisers. While Lord is most known for his Hammond playing, he did use synthesisers during the latter half of the 70's and occasionally in the 80's both with Deep Purple and on outside projects. However, from the 90's onwards he went back to his roots and played only Hammond and piano like he did in the 60's and early 70's. Maybe the presence of synthesisers is what has made Prog fans like this album so much? Or maybe it is the memorable melodies? Anyway, I think that this is worth listening to, but it is by no means essential.

Fritz-Anton

Do not judge a book by it's cover.
Despite a craptacular art cover (creepy mustachioed exhibitionist or something) this album is a total keeper for the orchestra-keyboard-marriage lover that I am. I went around the block many times over, re-listening to the same old records and trying to discover some new material. I even went to the newcomers, unfortunately, nothing new to the horizon, just the same old flash in the pan: boom bang goes the drums, duhduh duhduh goes the bass and nini nini on the keys...yawn.
Finally Jon Lord arrived (too late) in my life, without Ritchie Blackmore this time. Frankly, this is a balm to me. On the contrary of ELP, Trace or Par Lindh Project, Jon Lord takes his time and does not focus on 'Hey Mom! Look what I can do!' attitude. He is not showing off; should he a bit more? If you like Triumvirat or Rick Wakeman, this could grind your gears (useless drum solo in Gigue, bongos, little keyboard diversity and humble technique). On the other hand, if you're a keyboard driven veteran, you could appreciate the modesty and the exotic/ modern music tangent of the album. The orchestral arrangements are nice and catchy, many times I surprise myself to air-maestro. Jokes on the side, the orchestra is very well melted in the songs: bombastic when needed and emotional as well.
Why this album is not in everyone's collection? Is it because it's on the simpler side of prog? Hey, a guy needs a bleeping break once in a while and Sarabande is a perfect soundtrack to chill out in your chair with a book and a pint of Harp lager.
Dedicated to the Raiders of the Lost ARP.

Jonathan Payeur

Many consider Sarabande to be the most successful of Jon Lord's experiments to combine an orchestra and rock band. In spite of Lord's hard rock credentials, do not go in expecting a symphonic metal album. As the song titles suggest, the focus is on classical music rather than rock, with the songs being based on Baroque dances.
The album is certainly more cohesive than Lord's earlier effort with Deep Purple, Concerto for Group and Orchestra, where the objective was to start off with the orchestra and the rock band in opposition and gradually integrate them over the course of the three movements.
Sarabande was recorded in Germany, by the Philharmonia Hungarica, a distinguished symphony orchestra founded by Hungarian expatriate musicians fleeing the Red Army's occupation of Hungary in 1956.
Lord is also backed by a rock group comprised of competent session musicians. Future Police member Andy Summers does a fine job on the guitar, particularly his electric solos on Gigue and Bouree. The drummer is Pete York, formerly of the Spencer Davis Group. Mark Nauseef, who would later be drummer in the Ian Gillan Band, provides interesting percussion. The bass is played by Paul Karas, previously of Rare Bird and Stackridge. Lord does not try to hog the spotlight and plays a variety of keyboard instruments.
Fantasia is the only purely orchestral piece and stars things off with bombastic brass. The middle section with woodwinds, harp and stings is quite lovely.
The title track starts off with just the rock band playing a jazzy Latin American-influenced tune. Soon strings join in, followed by brass. Lord and Summers have solo spots halfway through.
I originally thought Aria is a misnomer, since it is not a vocal work, but apparently the term 'aria' was also used for instrumental pieces. It's a beautiful and melancholy piece that showcases Lord's piano playing. Interestingly, the sparse accompaniment is played on synthesizers, though it fooled me. Its mood is somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
According to a quote by Jon Lord on his website, Gigue quotes the first twenty-four bars of Bach's 4th English Suite. Similarly to part 3 of Concert for Group and Orchestra, Gigue is slightly marred by a superfluous drum and percussion solo towards the end. Nevertheless, I consider it to be the most progressive composition on the album, with a multipart structure, and good solos by Summers, Lord and York.
Bouree has nothing to do with the Bach composition famously recorded by Jethro Tull. In fact, it has a distinct Middle Eastern feel, but in a much more authentic style than Blackmore's future Kashmir-style compositions with Rainbow and Deep Purple (Stargazer, Gates of Babylon, Perfect Strangers, Hungry Daze, Ariel). Mark Nauseef adds plenty of percussion effects. Great guitar and clavinet solos.
Pavane is a melancholy track, focused on acoustic guitar and piano later. Only the orchestra's string section is featured on this piece.
Caprice is a lively composition with an organ solo. It does not feature the orchestra. Due to the varied synths and uptempo, the piece reminds me of Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleve from Wakeman's The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
Finale begins by reprising themes from all previous compositions accompanied by drum rolls. It ends in the same way as Fantasia, with a few overdubbed synths. This track is rather disjoint, since it was assembled by splicing extracts from the previous compositions, but it is short and finishes on a satisfying note.
I would have preferred for the music to be in a more baroque style and livelier. As is, the music sounds much more like 19th or 20th century classical music (which it is!). There is little of the music that reminds me of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti or Pachelbel. I was expecting counterpoint, fugues, chamber music, Bach-style organ compositions, harpsichord sonatas or something in the vein of Lord and Blackmore's composition April, which remains one of my favorite Deep Purple songs.
Personal preferences and expectations aside, the music is very well orchestrated and performed. The album showcases Lord's compositional skill. The quality is very even throughout the album and the themes are memorable. I must admit that the album has grown on me with repeat listenings.

Robert

A very good album, though often overlooked (just take a look at the amount of ratings). If you have ever sought for an album where classical music and rock really merge into another (with stress on classical music) you should give this one a try. 8 very good tracks, pleasant to hear, though sometimes a bit unconspicous. There are slight reminisences (not quotations) of The Gemini Suite, Lord's Concerto and sometimes a hint of ELP. Most memorable are Sarabande, the beautiful Aria, the lively Gigue and the oriental tinged Bouree. Though there a comparisons at hand (Rick Wakeman, ELP etc.) I think this music could have been invented by Jon Lord only, for if he has to choose between rock and the classical music, he opts for the latter. So, if you like this kind of music, buy this CD. It will grace your collection. 4 stars.
Favourite tracks: Sarabande, Aria, Gigue, Bourrée

Thomas Janssen

En definitiva, un bello y excelente trabajo del maestro Lord que aparece en el blog como homenje a un grande.
Para terminar, un par de videos de "Celebrating Jon Lord", una noche muy especial en recuerdo de Jon Lord, en la que miembros de Deep Purple más el Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson, Rick Wakeman, Paul Weller y Glenn Hughes, entre otros, interpretaron los más míticos temas del gran compositor.

Lista de Temas:
1. Fantasia
2. Sarabande
3. Aria
4. Gigue
5. Bouree
6. Pavane
7. Caprice
8. Finale

Alineación:
- Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra / Eberhard Schoener, conductor
- Jon Lord / Hammond organ, RMI piano, Steinway and Yamaha Grand pianos, Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Pro soloist, String ensamble synthesisers
- Paul Karass / bass
- Andy Summers / guitar
- Mark Nauseef / percussion
- Pete York / drums, gong, sleigh bells, shaker