Metropole Orchestra 60 Years!

Two years ago I went on a trip to the Netherlands, visiting family & friends as usual, but also walking & cycling around, plus taking loads of photos. Less time was spent in secondhand stores looking for music, partly due to the amount of CDs I already have and the space they occupy I guess.

But one purchase stood out, a beautiful hardcover book titled Metropole Orkest 60 Jaar!
Over the years I had seen the name of this Dutch Orchestra passing by, but couldn’t recall much, which was a bit awkward… As the book looked interesting, it had plenty of photos, discography, and a DVD, I couldn’t resist.
This book hit the spot, besides providing intriguing details about the post WW2 Dutch ‘light music’ scene, it was a pleasure to read as it became clear to me that I had been exposed to their music since my youth!
Over the years the Orkest has proved itself to be flexible enough to work with all kinds of artists, such as Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Jarreau, New York Voices, Tori Amos, Bono, Brian Eno, Hardwell, Elvis Costello, Within Temptation, Snarky Puppy, Marcus Miller, Todd Rundgren, Jacob Collier, Markus Stockhausen, Louis Cole, Triptykon, Cory Wong, Cory Henry, Basement Jaxx, Pat Metheny, Adrian Belew, and Robbie Williams.

 

As the Orkest has released many albums over the years it was difficult to make a selection for a single CD, but I included a few tracks from the 60 Years DVD plus a sampling of recent works. It seemed fitting that I ended with their cover of the Dutch rock classic “Hocus Pocus” (Focus!) from a long time ago…

Question: Please let us your favorite Orchestra or perhaps an orchestral cover of a song...