Some of rock music’s pioneers have fallen flat on their faces with forays into “classical” territory, not least because that world tends to be sniffy about whether the music is “crossover”, creatively redundant, commercialised rubbish, clichéd, or uncomfortably pretentious (or all five). However, both artists here have long maintained an active interest in removing boundaries between genres.

Jon Lord has concentrated on composition since leaving Deep Purple. This large-scale orchestral concerto – arguably a tone-poem – was commissioned by Durham University to celebrate its 175th anniversary. Six movements (two for each phase of an imaginary day in Durham) demonstrate Lord’s considerable skill at imaginative soundscapes. “The Cathedral at Dawn” hints at Tavener and Vaughan Williams, its juxtaposition of sustained orchestral textures sentimentally appealing. Lord’s contributions as a performer are cleverly integrated, with prominent solo bursts few and far between. “The Road to Lindisfarne”, with its plaintive Northumbrian pipes, perhaps sounds like a blockbuster movie soundtrack.

Lord’s music is compellingly sonorous, his programmatic narratives are crystal-clear, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic play with passion and tenderness. Pedants might find the final moments like Mahler pastiche, but its climax is undeniably powerful and gripping.

Steve Hackett was one of the more artistically adventurous members of Genesis, a band whose creative vision moved from progressive rock to formulaic pop after the guitarist’s departure in 1977. Nowadays Hackett prefers the term “permissive rock”, and his remarkable ability to play blistering electric guitar and move seamlessly onto a classical instrument is a staple characteristic of his eclectic (if not schizophrenic) solo albums. His acoustic guitar albums were often blighted by swampy reverberation and reliance on effects processors but he is accomplished enough to allow his playing to speak for itself. “Tribute” does his “classical” playing full justice: the recorded sound is still not as natural and naked as classical purists might prefer, but the use of reverb is subtler thanks to Roger King’s excellent engineering. The Bach tributes are performed with impressive agility (most notably an astonishing performance of the Chaconne from BWV1004), and there is a finely played arrangement of a Byrd keyboard piece, but La catedral and La maja de Goya best show Hackett’s highly personal, involving and poetic style of playing.