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Swingin’ The Ballet album cover

Album guide

Swingin’ The Ballet

Antti Sarpila & Opera Big Band

Released
2008
Label
Antti Sarpila Oy
Forces
Clarinet, Saxophone, Big band
Personnel
Antti Sarpila clarinet, soprano and tenor saxophone, leading the Opera Big Band, with Riitta Paakki piano, Jarmo Nissinen guitar, Mikko-Ville Luolajan-Mikkola bass, Raimo Nikulainen drums

Seven years after Swingin’ The Opera, Antti Sarpila returned to the Finnish National Opera Orchestra for a live sequel recorded in the company’s own opera house. This time the players turn from the stage to the ballet pit, with Tchaikovsky supplying most of the evening’s material.

The music from The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake becomes big-band swing under Sarpila’s direction, with his clarinet and saxophones taking the melodic lead. Two encores then step outside Tchaikovsky altogether, sending Rimsky-Korsakov’s bumblebee and Verdi’s drinking song through the same irreverent machinery.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsTchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Verdi · classical source works

Sixteen tracks have an identified classical recording of their own; track 13 has none because the particular number from Swan Lake could not be established.

Jazzed upAntti Sarpila & Opera Big Band · 2008
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Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Swinging BeautyTchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act I: No. 6, Waltz, the Garland Waltz
  2. Sleep FastTchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act II: No. 19, Entr’acte symphonique (Le Sommeil) et Scene
  3. Aurora’s DreamTchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act I: No. 8a, Pas d’action, the Rose Adagio
  4. White Cat StompTchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act III: No. 24, Pas de caractere, Puss in Boots and the White Cat
  5. Nutcracker StompTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Overture
  6. March Of The Toy BonesTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act I: No. 2, Marche
  7. Fairy PlayTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 14c, Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
  8. Pied Piper’s SwingTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 12e, Danse des mirlitons
  9. Arabian NightsTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 12b, Danse arabe, Coffee
  10. Nut CaseTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 12c, Danse chinoise, Tea
  11. Swing Of The FlowersTchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II: No. 13, Valse des fleurs
  12. Swing LakeTchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: No. 10, Scene
  13. Swan SwingUnidentified source
  14. I Left My Harp In San Pan’s DiscoTchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: No. 13e, Danse des cygnes V, Pas d’action, Andante
  15. Jumpin’ At The Swan LakeTchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act I: No. 1, Scene, Allegro giusto
  16. Fight For The Humble FeeRimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan: The Flight of the Bumble-Bee
  17. Ad LibiamoVerdi: La traviata: Brindisi, Libiamo ne’ lieti calici