A LEGENDARY composer's grandson and a top DJ have come together to create a ground-breaking Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra.

Anyone curious to discover a new music genre can hear the first-ever public performance of this ambitious project in Blackheath next month.

Respected composer Gabriel Prokofiev is grandson of the Russian maestro Sergei, world-renowned for works such as his ballet, Romeo and Juliet.

Gabriel's latest composition is a traditional orchestral score incorporating solo passages performed by international club king DJ Yoda on his wheels of steel.

The project was conceived by Will Dutta, a final-year student at Trinity College of Music.

"I've been involved in hip hop for a while. I used to snowboard a lot and being part of that scene, combined with a love of classical music, I wondered how I could merge the two together, without sacrificing artistic standards," says Will, who is producing the project.

"You don't want it to become cheesy or dumbed down and patronising."

"I came up with this idea of a concerto for turntables about two years ago and I've been working on it ever since."

He took his idea to Greenwich-born Gabriel, who received critical acclaim for his String Quartet No 1, which has been performed on TV and radio.

"Gabriel is very well respected," says Will. "I found out he's also long been involved in the underground dance scene.

"So he was perfect, a classical composer with a natural understanding of the dance music world."

Gabriel and Will agreed their top choice for soloist would be DJ Yoda.

Yoda has played at high-profile events around the world. His floor-filling sets feature eclectic samples such as TV themes, nursery rhymes and 80's pop.

Q Magazine hailed Yoda as one of the "10 DJs you must see before you die".

"He's a phenomenal scratcher, one of best around," says Will. "We wanted someone who could treat the turntables as an intrument.

"We're asking him to do pioneering things which haven't been done before."

The orchestral score includes passages written for the turntables.

"I'd like to see more people writing for the new technologies in the future,"

explains Will. "Sometimes we get stuck in a mindset with classic instruments."

The upcoming concert, with a 20-piece orchestra is a preview performance. The final version, planned for next year, will feature an 80-piece symphony orchestra.

Will, at 23 years old, is a budding impresario and has set up his own production company to develop new musical projects.

He is excited about the concerto.

"It's going really well and the interest is fantastic," he says. "Something like this has been waiting to happen. It could be a new direction for music."

Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra, April 6, Blackheath Halls, 10pm, £5/£3 concs, call 020 8463 0100 or visit blackheathhalls.com