Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an artist deeply aligned with the ACO spirit. Hailing from a rich jazz heritage, he is renowned for his thrilling virtuosity and boundless musicality.
In the Concert Hall, our largest venue. | View Seat Map
“The energy blistering: this is more like dancing on air. Eight years since Marsalis was last in Sydney, and never has he sounded better.”
Sydney Morning Herald
A vivid program inspired by Latin American jazz
Branford Marsalis’ ACO debut is a vivid program inspired by Latin American jazz, directed by ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä.
Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Fantasia for Saxophone and Orchestra is a Marsalis favourite. Written in New York, it is music with an alluring combination of driving beats and lyricism. Marsalis also plays Sally Beamish’s serene Under the Wing of the Rock, arranged especially for him by Beamish, in a bluesy translation for saxophone.
Marsalis’s performances alternate with Satu Vänskä taking centre stage in Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, a heady mixture of tango rhythms and ingenious references to Vivaldi’s famous concertos. The concert concludes with Ginastera’s wild and exhilarating Concerto for Strings.
Presented by Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Artist Information
Branford Marsalis Saxophone
Satu Vänskä Director & Violin