Deep Purple With Orchestra Live In Verona
Deep Purple
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Review Date: October 26, 2014

The legendary prog rock group, Deep Purple, has been prolific in its release of music and video in recent years. The latest to be served up by the boys from Hertford is “Live In Verona.” Filmed in the spectacular surroundings of the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater originally built in 30 AD, the visual impact of such an ancient venue is both surreal and eye-popping. I had to imagine what the creators of that site and their fellow citizens would think seeing such a show being held there.

This concert from the summer of 2011 captures Deep Purple joined on the ancient stage by the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt for performances of all their classic tracks. The  line-up of Deep Purple for this historic performance was Ian Gillan on vocals, Ian Paice on drums, Steve Morse on guitar, Roger Glover on bass and Don Airey on keys.

The set list includes such Deep Purple favorites as “Smoke On The Water,” “Lazy,” “Strange Kind Of Woman,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Highway Star,” “Woman From Tokyo,”  “Hush,” and “Black Night” with all performed with the extra added embellishment of a full symphony orchestra whose presence give an added depth and range to these memorable classics. The result is nothing short of astonishing. I’ll just say that you’ve never your favorite Deep Purple tunes quite like this.
 
In my mind, Deep Purple is still one of the best hard/prog rock bands on the planet and are, undoubtedly, at their best when performing live.  “Live In Verona” gives fans what is arguably the best example of the band at its musical and performing best. It’s a definite “must-buy” for any fan.