A ROCK star's concerto celebrating the beauty of Durham City will be premiered next month to mark the 175th anniversary of the city's university.

Former Deep Purple keyboard player Jon Lord, 65, will be one of four soloists, playing Hammond organ, when the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra perform the piece in Durham Cathedral on Saturday, October 20.

The Durham Concerto, based on a day in the life of Durham, was inspired by Durham law graduate John McLaren, a merchant banker, best-selling novelist and classical music lover, who, with the university, commissioned Lord when he left Deep Purple in 2001 to concentrate on composing.

The 45-minute concerto's musical influences span jazz, ragtime, rock, and Northumbrian folk music, including an old miners' lament.

Soloists at the cathedral event will include Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell.

Lord said: "When I first went to Durham, I was speechless. There is something about the place which is awe-inspiring.

"Until then I had only seen Durham Cathedral from the train. Walking up through the old town to Palace Green and that astonishing cathedral, I knew that I had said yes to the right project.

"If people who hear the music get just ten per cent of the buzz I got from Durham, I will have succeeded in my mission."

Mr McLaren, who studied under Tony Blair's father, Leo, as a student at Van Mildert College from 1969 to 1972, said he wanted the piece to convey the overwhelming beauty of Durham and its university to global audiences.

"This is a sensational piece of music. Jon has used the medium of music to evoke the feeling, culture and history of Durham and the North East of England", said Mr McLaren, also founder of the world-famous Masterprize awards programme for classical music composition.

University Chancellor Bill Bryson said: "The prospect of a musician like Jon Lord performing an original concerto in a breathtaking space like Durham Cathedral is terribly exciting, not just for the university, but for music fans everywhere."

■ Tickets for the Durham Concerto cost £3 to £12 and are available from the Tourist Information Centre, in Millennium Place, Claypath, 0191-384-7641 or from touristinfo@durhamcity. gov.uk