On February 28, 2006, Deutsche Grammophon will release Elvis Costello's 'My Flame Burns Blue,' a live album with the legendary Metropole Orkest, a 52-piece jazz orchestra from The Netherlands, as recorded in concert at The Hague. A bonus disc offers a forty-five minute suite from "Il Sogno," Costello's first full length, orchestral work.

The album alternates between imaginatively reinvented Costello favorites like "Almost Blue," "Clubland" and "Watching the Detectives" (arranged "in the style of a 1950s television theme"), Costello compositions seeing release for the first time on a Costello album and unexpected collaborations. "This recording captures a very joyful evening at the North Sea Jazz Festival and collects together songs and arrangements that have been developed over the last decade," writes Costello in his detailed liner notes.

For the opening track, "Hora Decubitus," Costello was invited by Charles Mingus's widow, Sue, to contribute lyrics to the jazzman's compositions. This song was completed in the immediate aftermath of September 11. "I could offer nothing more than a simple affirmation of life and rejection of vengeance," writes Costello. For the title track, Costello also wrote lyrics for Billy Strayhorn's final composition, "Blood Count."

Other highlights seeing release on a Costello album for the first time include "Speak Darkly, My Angel," "Can You Be True?" and "Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue," which was written for and recorded by west coast bluesman Charles Brown as "I Wonder How She Knows."

"Il Sogno" was originally commissioned by the Italian Dance Company, Aterbaletto, for their adaptation of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Following its premiere in Bologna with the Orchestra del Teatro Communale, the ballet was staged throughout Italy, Germany, France and Russia. 'Il Sogno' was subsequently recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by Michael Tilson-Thomas. The recording was released in September 2004 by Deutsche Grammophon and stayed at the top of Billboard's Contemporary Classical Charts for fourteen weeks.

'Il Sogno' received rave reviews upon its release (click here for Starpulse's 4-star review). Mark Swed at The Los Angeles Times declared, "Costello's sound is surprisingly fresh. His melodies are memorable. The sudden swings into jazz prove pure delight... [The performance is] bursting with life." The Boston Globe's Richard Dyer proclaimed, "You'd have to go back to George Gershwin to find a composer-performer undertaking a project as ambitious as 'Il Sogno'... It is full of character and storytelling, and the orchestration is skillful, unusual, and colorful."

In January 2006, Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve will begin a worldwide tour of symphony halls performing with local orchestras. The concerts consist of a suite from "Il Sogno" followed by songs arranged for voice, piano and orchestra by Costello, Sy Johnson, Bill Frisell, Vince Mendoza and Steve Nieve.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters made their South American debut in October 2005 with a series of appearances in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. They hope to record again in 2006.

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