Orchestral Premiere of Famous Hits by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

The Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra will perform works by some of the most influential jazz figures such as George and Ira Gershwin, with popular singers. Symphonic arrangements of hits by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong will also be part of the concerts on February 14 and 15 in Pécs and on February 18 in Budapest.

The orchestra announced in a press release that it will give four crossover concerts during the carnival season: on February 14, Valentine’s Day, and 15, the orchestra will perform the greatest hits of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in Pécs at the Kodály Center, and on February 18 at Müpa Budapest.

Among the performers will be award-winning jazz trumpeter Kornél Fekete-Kovács, singers such as Nika Mónika Veres, Kriszta Pocsai, and Gábriel Farkas, while the symphonic arrangements will be by András Vass and conducted by Grammy Award-nominee Péter Illényi.

András Vass, the permanent conductor of the orchestra, is credited with helping the orchestra find its way to jazz and popular music hits. The conductor-composer not only rewrites the popular music basis for large orchestra, but also creates a common language of baroque music, jazz, and classics year after year.

Quoting Vass, the statement read:

there are many recordings of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing duets, but only with jazz trio accompaniment. These had to be reworked for large orchestra. As the music is rich, it can be shaped, articulated and adapted in many different ways.”

Legendary jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s part will be played by Kornél Fekete-Kovács, one of the finest jazz trumpeters living in Hungary today, with whom the orchestra has worked on a number of projects, from joint recordings to crossover collaborations.

For more information on concerts and tickets, please visit the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra’s website.

Last year, thanks to the exquisite arrangements made by Vass, the energy of swing was “unleashed” from the bars as the orchestra performed famous hits by Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand in Pécs and also at Müpa Budapest:

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Pannon Filharmonikusok