Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis’s Symphony No. 4, ‘The Jungle’ – programme note (LSO)

Wynton Marsalis’s Symphony No. 4, ‘The Jungle’ – programme note (LSO)

New York City: ‘the most fluid, pressure-packed and cosmopolitan metropolis the modern world has ever seen’, according to Wynton Marsalis. And he should know, having lived there on and off since 1979, when he arrived from New Orleans to study at the Juilliard School. Tapping into this near-40-year relationship, in 2016 the New York Philharmonic commissioned Marsalis to write a work on ‘New York-inspired themes’ for its 175th-anniversary season. The result, a sprawling, 65-minute symphony subtitled ‘The Jungle’, pays loving homage to the city, capturing its melting-pot culture and frenetic energy across six movements.

Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet Concerto – programme note and profile (LSO)

Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet Concerto – programme note and profile (LSO)

Wynton Marsalis made his name as a classical trumpet virtuoso with a recording of the Joseph Haydn, Johann Hummel and Leopold Mozart trumpet concertos. That disc won a Grammy in 1984, along with another of Marsalis’ albums, the jazz smash Think of One …

Wynton Marsalis: Tuba Concerto – programme note & profile (LSO)

Wynton Marsalis: Tuba Concerto – programme note & profile (LSO)

The tuba’s origins can be traced back to the development of the brass band in the early-19th century. Since then, it has found a permanent home in orchestral brass sections, as well as in other musical cultures. But it wasn’t until 1954 that the first tuba concerto was written …

The African-American Spiritual: Across the Atlantic and Back

The African-American Spiritual: Across the Atlantic and Back

The Spiritual has been borrowed, developed and reimagined across countless musical cultures. Here’s a glance at just a few examples of its incredible journey.