“I don’t need time. I need a deadline.” - Duke Ellington

Throughout music history, the boundaries between genres have occupied both musicians and audiences. Genres such as classical music, folk music, jazz, schlager or techno all have rules for what characterizes them. Some think in boxes and see a virtue in staying within the boundaries.

But what happens if you push the boundaries or even blur the boundaries between genres?

Duke Ellington stood out in his time and was also a workhorse without equal. As a composer and arranger, he helped enrich the cultural heritage and put the big band format on the world map. He was an equilibrist and moved elegantly into the space between classical and jazz.

During the evening, the audience will experience a musical journey through three works by Duke Ellington. The first two works have their origins in the classical world, where Edward Grieg's interpretation of the story of the fictional character Peer Gynt's adventurous life story, as well as Pyotr Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet The Nutcracker. The music from both works has become a household name, where, for example, the music from The Nutcracker can be heard in the majority of American schools at Christmas time.

Ellington's inspiration from the Middle East can also be heard in excerpts from his own compositions in the Far East Suite. Where he embarks on longer compositions, perhaps inspired by the classical masters and the longer forms of classical music he interpreted in the big band works Nutcracker Suite and Peer Gynt Suite.

The Aarhus Jazz Orchestra is conducted by the Berlin-based saxophonist/composer/conductor Malte Schiller. Malte has worked and is working with Metropole Orkest (Netherlands), HR Bigband (Germany), "Jazzkombinat" (Germany), Nordwest Bigband (Germany), Vince Mendoza, Kurt Elling, Michael Kiwanuka, Jules Buckley, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

Aarhus Jazz Orchestra is a professional big band and consists of some of the best musicians on the Danish jazz scene. Aarhus Jazz Orchestra garners good reviews both at home and abroad and has been nominated for – and won – a Danish Music Award on several occasions. Over the years, the orchestra has worked with international soloists such as Kurt Elling, Eliane Elias, Jamie Cullum, Melody Gardot and Randy Brecker.