IF you love the lush arrangements of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Night And Day and Let’s Do It originally written for Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee, then let The Press point you in the direction of John Wilson's new reconstructions of Cole Porter's film orchestrations.

First arrived the new John Wilson Orchestra album, Cole Porter In Hollywood, released last month on Warner Classics, and now the Gateshead conductor, arranger and musicologist will bring his orchestra to Leeds Town Hall on Wednesday night as part of a tour to mark 50 years since Porter died.

Earlier this year, the orchestra performed Porter's musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate at the BBC Proms and now tomorrow's 7.30pm concert will accommodate numbers from Anything Goes, High Society and Can-Can too.

John is no stranger to the Leeds Town Hall with its distinctive steep banks of seating and the organ behind. "We've played there quite a few times, at least three or four, and I've been there with the Halle, Opera North, and the National Youth Orchestra," he says. "So I know that north face of the Eiger is always a challenge, but it's a fantastic acoustic."

Perfect for Porter. "2014 is the 50th anniversary of Porter's death, which is as good an excuse as any to have a really good dig into his musical songbook, and also the new performing edition of Kiss Me Kate was made available, which was the ideal one to do at the Proms," says John.

"The Kiss Me Kate orchestration had been recopied from 1948, so it needed no work, but I've had to painstakingly transcribe everything for this tour; you have to get it exactly right. It's like painting Leeds Town Hall, but with only the tiniest paintbrush. This time, I've had two people helping with the orchestrations for 24 numbers, otherwise it would take years!"

Warner Brothers had retained their Porter orchestrations, so too had 20th Century Fox , but not MGM, says John. "Apparently they just thought they were yellow bits of paper, not realising they were their only copies," he explains.

He faces varied challenges when reconstructing scores. "Most of the time, I do it from the ear, though sometimes there's a score that had to be submitted for copyright; some were submitted to the Library of Congress, where composers have to submit notes, but it's very hit and miss," says John. "Sometimes a piano rehearsal copy will exist."

John will add nothing of his own creation to the orchestrations. "You want to capture as faithfully as possible what the composer wrote and arranged, and the skill lies in the orchestra's playing of it in performance," he says. "You wouldn't add your own bits to Beethoven's Fifth, and this is the same.

"Porter's enduring appeal is not only the inspired craftsmanship of the tunes but it sounds like the music and the words came to him at the same time. That synthesis is something you only have with Irving Berlin, Noel Coward and Cole Porter."

• John Wilson & The John Wilson Orchestra, Cole Porter In Hollywood, with special guests Anna-Jane Casey, Matt Ford, Richard Morrison and Scarlett Strallen, Leeds Town Hall, Wednesday, 7.30pm. Box office: leeds.gov.uk/townhall