Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

John Brown Big Band and NC Shakespeare Festival join forces to present “Duke” Ellington’s classic “Such Sweet Thunder.” This wonderful evening at the Cotton Room in downtown Durham will include ballroom seating, heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages.

Tickets cost $75.00 for one or $140.00 for two. Tickets also available for show only for $35.00

Ellington became interested in a suite inspired by Shakespeare in 1933 after a visit to the Stratford Shakespearean Festival in Stratford, Ontario, and first performed Such Sweet Thunder in 1957. Its title was taken from Act IV, Scene 1, of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “I never heard so musical a discord, such sweet thunder.” Ellington described the composition as his “attempt to parallel the vignettes of some of the Shakespearean characters in miniature – sometimes to the point of caricature.”  “Over the past five centuries,  Shakespeare’s stories, characters and words have inspired countless other works of art,” NC Shakespeare Artistic Director PedroSilva said. “At its highest form, art awakens fascination with other, new interests, as happened when Duke Ellington first delved into Shakespeare. Fans of literature and theatre will hear Such Sweet Thunder and broaden their appreciation of this form of music. And jazz aficionados will come away with a deeper understanding of what inspires a master like Duke Ellington.”

Call 919-530-8380 for more info.