Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra perform Marsalis's All Rise

The scope of Wynton Marsalis's All Rise, a monumental jazz symphony in twelve movements that calls for over 200 musicians, means that we don't get the chance to see it performed every day — and that it's all the more precious when we do. This impeccable full-scale performance that kicked off the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival features Marsalis himself at the head of a towering cast of performers, including his world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, all under the baton of maestro James Gaffigan. The twelve movements of Marsalis's symphony — in honor of the classic twelve-bar blues progression — progress through the experiences of a human life, from the divine wonder of "birth and self-discovery" to the tribulations of "mistakes, pain, sacrifice, and redemption" and, finally, the equanimity of "maturity and joy," spotlighting a host of diverse musical styles and influences along the way. Commissioned for the turn of the millennium by the New York Philharmonic, All Rise became a symbol of perseverence and, as one concertgoer put it, a "reminder of who we are," when Marsalis and the Los Angeles Philharmonic recorded it in the days following the attacks on September 11, 2001. Every new performance adds another layer to the rich history of this "engrossing and courageous work which reconciles diffuse musical cultures and languages" (Gramophone).