In the history of jazz, there is a long tradition of big band renditions of classical favourites. In Kangasala Arts Centre, UMO plays Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and many other charming tunes.

“In the 1920s, it was customary to introduce the classical-minded audiences to Afro-American-influenced dance music, foxtrot and the new type of orchestra – consisting of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a rhythm section – by playing arrangements of ‘light classical’ compositions.
By mid-1930s, the international swing fever established the big band as a standard type dance orchestra – the status it maintained until the breakthrough of rock and roll. Swing orchestras carried on the tradition of 1920s with a hint of musical humour, a good example of which are Glenn Miller’s versions of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ Symphony.
In the 1940s and 1950s, big bands and jazz music in general started to take more interest in listeners, instead of dancers. Since then, there have been some more serious attempts to merge jazz and classical music. Gil Evans’s arrangements for Miles Davis are a good example. Luckily the tongue-in-cheek style hasn’t been altogether forgotten either”, the conductor of the concert, Kirmo Lintinen, says.

This is not a show for ones with no sense of humour.

The concert is part of Avanti!’s, UMO’s, and Fibo’s joint concert series. Duration approx. 1 hour, no intermission.