De aproape doua ore si jumatate a avut nevoie Jon Lord, fostul clapar al trupei Deep Purple, pentru a explora trecutul, prezentul si pentru a merge "inapoi in viitor", precum si pentru a le prezenta bucurestenilor "my 40 year old baby", The Concert For Group And Orchestra, "the piece that I wrote to try to bring together the two loves of my life: the love of the sound of the orchestra and the love of the sound of the rock band". Joi, 5 noiembrie, la Sala Palatului, ajutat de Bulgarian State Philharmonic Ruse si de doua dintre vocile musicalurilor East Side Story si Jesus Christ Superstar (Katja Laska si Steve Balsamo), "Lordul Jon" a cantat piese ca Soldier Of Fortune, dar mai ales Child In Time, capodopera de care fanii romani fusesera privati in urma cu doi ani, la concertul Deep Purple.

"It's wonderful to be back in your country, you're still looking good", spunea Jon Lord, la aparitia pe scena Salii Palatului, anuntand cele doua parti ale concertului. "This evening we're going to play my baby. My 40 year old baby, from 1969, The Concerto For Group And Orchestra. In the first half we're gonna play this piece.

This is the piece that I wrote to try to bring together the two loves of my life: the love of the sound of the orchestra and the love of the sound of the rock band. I had fun doing it then and I'm having fun doing it now, all these years later. And in the second half we'll listen different things".

"Welcome back to part two, in which we're going to explore the past, the present and, who knows, maybe we'll go back to the future. It wasn't a bad joke, was it?", glumea Jon Lord, dupa o ora din The Concerto For Group And Orchestra si dupa inca 20 minute de pauza.

"We start in 1972-71, somewhere around there. We start in the Swiss Alps and we begin with the mist coming down the mountain and the words of Ian Gillan about - I think - having had too many glasses of something the night before. This is an orchetral introduction which describes the gray cold mist and then it gets interrupted and becomes Pictures Of Home." (Pictures Of Home, de pe albumul Machine Head)

"We're gonna go now to 2004, I'm gonna jump around a little bit tonight. This is from the album Beyond The Notes. This was written for a friend of mine, who was feeling way down. And one day I said: "Look, it doesn't matter, everything gets better, the sun will shine again!" and she said: "Good title for a song". So I wrote a song with Sam Brown, called The Sun Will Shine Again", dar cantat alaturi de Katja Laska.

Seara a continuat cu The Bouree, de pe suita Sarabande, din 1974. "I wrote that while I was living in America. I couldn't think of anywhere else to live at the time. It was actualy inspired by hearing a piece by a Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok, a set of dances called Romanian Dances. So there you go: there is a connection to everything".

"This is from 1996-97, album Pictured Within, and this is the title track and it is an autobiography", a spus Jon Lord inainte ca Steve Balsamo sa cante despre prieteni, eroi, viata: "Here be friends/ Here be heroes/ Here be sunshine/ Here be grey/ Here be life/ Here love lies bleeding/ Memories so hazy/ And dreams that drove me crazy".

A fost cantata si o piesa-omagiu, Telemann Experiment, de pe Beyond the Notes (2004). "I first got the idea for that when I heard two pieces of baroque music, written by Georg Philipp Telemann, baroque composer from northern Germany, who is probably at the moment sitting in heaven, going: "Oh, my God! What did they do to my music!" But I loved it and so I wanted to write something to pay homage to mister Telemann."

De pe Pictured Within (1996), a fost cantata inca o piesa, cantata din nou cu ajutorul solistei Katja Laska: "a very sad song, it's a song about losing something and wishing that you didn't have to lose it, losing someone and wanting him back and trying to tell yourself that it's all gonna be fine. I wrote it again with Sam Brown" (Wait A While).

"This is from Sarabande suite and it's just a little Gigue", a fost anuntata ultima piesa din program, dar publicul avea imediat sa isi primeasca portia de bis-minune.

"We're gonna go back now to 1974. And this is a song that I didn't write. I wish I had! It's a wonderful song. It was written by two gentleman, one was called... what the hell is his name? Richie Blackmore", a glumit Jon, pomenind si numele lui David Coverdale si extaziindu-i astfel pe fani. "Yeah! The James Bond of rock'n'roll". Hello, my name is David and... I'm in town for the night"...", a incercat Lordul ceea ce s-a dorit a fi "my David Coverdal impersonation".

"This is a lovely song, I really adore this song. It's called Soldier Of Fortune", a fost semnalul pentru un murmur generalizat din partea fanilor, care nu se asteptau la asa surpriza. Si pentru ca publicul roman sa isi aminteasca aceasta seara, Katja Laska si Steve Balsamo au luptat, alaturi de orga lui Jon, pentru paroxismul muzical din piesa Child In Time.

"I can't leave without playing this song. I'm just gonna start playing it. I love you very much, thank you for all the many years you've given to me. I mean that from deep inside. It's a privilege to have been playing you for all these years", a mai spus britanicul, pentru ca la sfarsitul spectacolului sa ne binecuvanteze. "God bless you! May your God go home with you!".