Peer Gynt Suite: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Ellington and Strayhorn's treatment of Peer Gynt reveals just how much these five movements can yield when arranged for jazz ensemble. The solos are transcribed directly from the Columbia recordings, giving your ensemble access to the exact voicings and solo choruses that made those recordings legendary. At Grade 5, the part writing demands serious musicianship from your section leads while remaining within reach for an advanced high school or college ensemble.

Grieg's lyrical, Nordic melodies emerge transformed yet recognizable through Ellington's harmonic language. The suite moves from the sunrise clarity of "Morning Mood" through the visceral drama of "Hall of the Mountain King," then shifts into the quieter sorrow of "Ase's Death" before closing with dance energy. The arrangements honor both composers' sensibilities, creating a bridge between Romantic orchestral color and jazz modernism.

Advanced jazz ensemble directors working with college-level or advanced high school ensembles who can handle the chromatic sophistication and solo demands of Ellington-Strayhorn voicings. This is repertoire for players who read well, listen actively, and understand that transcribed solos represent not just notes but interpretive choices.

• Balance the ensemble so that solos emerge clearly from the section accompaniment. The reharmonizations can obscure the melody if the section plays too heavily; let dynamics serve the line.
• Study the original Ellington recording alongside your rehearsals. Hearing the recorded solos and articulations will anchor your ensemble's interpretation and help your improvising players understand the stylistic language.
• Lock the rhythm section into a conversation with the drums. Grieg's original melodies suggest rubato and lyrical phrasing, but this jazz treatment depends on a grounded, conversational groove between bass, piano, and drums to support both the composed sections and improvised passages.
• Shape dynamics across full movements rather than phrase by phrase. These five pieces tell a continuous story, and the arc from "Morning Mood" through "Ase's Death" depends on ensemble control and attention to long-line breathing.

Open a concert with "Morning Mood" as a recital opener that immediately signals sophistication and variety to your audience. The full five-movement suite works beautifully as a closing set, offering substantial programming weight while showcasing ensemble artistry across multiple moods and tempos. You might also program individual movements strategically throughout a concert, using "Hall of the Mountain King" as a high-energy centerpiece.

• Reading and interpreting Ellington-Strayhorn voicings and reharmonizations
• Executing articulation and phrasing cues that serve both composed and improvised sections
• Balancing ensemble texture to highlight soloists without losing harmonic clarity
• Understanding transcribed solo language and applying it to original improvisation
• Maintaining ensemble cohesion across suite-form structures with contrasting tempos and moods