Sarabande (album)

Sarabande
Studio album by Jon Lord
Released 1976
Recorded 3–6 September 1975
Genre Progressive rock, Classical music, Jazz Fusion, Symphonic Rock
Label Purple Records
Producer Jon Lord and Martin Birch
Jon Lord chronology

Windows
(1974)		 Sarabande
(1976)		 Before I Forget
(1982)
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Sarabande is the second solo album by Jon Lord recorded near Düsseldorf (Germany). The orchestra was conducted by Eberhard Schoener.

Sarabande is considered one of Lord's best solo works.

Lord was quoted: "the compositions were good, the musicians were outstanding and the conductor understood the music. Everything came together and I have to say, nothing I made before or since comes close to Sarabande."

The complete Sarabande suite was premiered in live performance in Budapest on 18 September 2010 and later in Sofia on (30 October) and Essen (15 November). Lord amended the 1975 orchestrations, and also orchestrated Aria, which was played on piano and synthesizers on the recording, and Caprice which was simply a group performance on record. 'Finale' was made-over to allow the ‘parade of themes’ section -which was done with tape-loops on the recording- to be played live.

Cover art

The cover shows the drawing of an ourobouros (a snake biting its own tail), on which three naked women ride. The woman at 120° (clockwise) from the top stands in a position evocative of the woman on Whitesnake's Lovehunter cover. The original Jon Lord sleeve was designed by Kosh, and the illustration by Mike Bryan.

Track listing

  1. "Fantasia" – 3:30
  2. "Sarabande" – 7:20
  3. "Aria" – 3:42
  4. "Gigue" – 11:06
  5. "Bourée" – 11:00
  6. "Pavane" – 7:35
  7. "Caprice" – 3:12
  8. "Finale" – 2:03

Musicians

Production notes