Symphonic Ellington: A Guide to the Duke’s Orchestral Work

As a season of 125th-birthday celebrations for the Duke Ellington ends, we at Wise Music wish to thank everyone who celebrated the “Maestro” the past few years. To sound the music of Duke Ellington in the orchestral hall provides symphonic audiences with the chance to encounter a vital strand of American music-making. It is also an overdue reclamation of Ellington’s status as a quintessential American composer. He has left an inexorable mark on over five decades of artistic creation and culture, with echoes resounding across musical fields, civil rights, cultural diplomacy, and more.

So that Ellington’s music can continue to enrich orchestral culture around the world, Wise Music is pleased to present the following guide to our symphonic arrangements of Ellington’s suites and other large-scale works.

Download the 'Symphonic Ellington' guide or peruse its online version in the window below.

 

To complement our guide, highlights from our Ellington catalog have been compiled into a Spotify playlist.

We extend special thanks to conductors Thomas Wilkins, William Eddins, and JoAnn Falletta for contributions born out of their extensive personal experience in programming and conducting Ellington’s music. Together, we hope these resources will further the 21st-century swell of interest in symphonic Ellington.