John Corigliano is widely known either for his score for the movie
“The Red Violin”, or for his First Symphony, inspired by the AIDS
crisis. His Second Symphony - for which he won the Pulitzer Prize
- was for strings alone, so he “answers” it here with his rather
grand third symphony for winds and percussion.
In
eight movements that are played without pause, Circus Maximus
takes as its inspiration the similarities between the high
decadence of the final days of the Roman empire and the present
time. The piece “was built both to embody and to comment on
this massive and glamorous barbarity,” according to the composer,
and it does so in part by surrounding the audience with not
only the large concert band on stage but almost as many other
musicians placed carefully around the hall. The liner-notes
include the composer’s map which precisely places each of
the musicians, including what tier of the seats they are to
stand in! The sixth movement even features a small marching
band marching through the aisles of the concert hall, and
the piece ends with an actual gunshot – was there ever a band
piece more deserving of a surround-sound recording? Better
still, paired with a carefully-produced video so we can see
all the inherent theater in the piece at the same time? Sadly,
what we have here is a traditional stereo recording – but
it appears to be the first time the work has ever been recorded,
so something is certainly better than nothing. The piece is
brutal, in a quasi-Shostakovich vein in its louder passages,
but, as with Mahler, there are longer stretches of quieter
motion which make the full ensemble passages feel that much
more intense. This is, without question, one of the most important
pieces written for band in some time, but from a few listens,
I’m not positive that it’s a “masterpiece”, though this recording
sure does make me want to experience the piece in concert.
Fans of band music need to hear it at least once, and the
University of Texas makes it hard to believe that it’s a college
group performing.
The
CD is nicely rounded out by Corigliano’s transcription of
his own Gazebo Dances – originally written for four-hand
piano, but reminiscent of American outdoor band concerts and
thereby ideally suited for the medium. It’s a delightful work,
anchored by a long, gorgeous slow movement. There are several
other recordings of this work, and this is the best I’ve heard.
It’s
nice to see this recording on the Naxos American Classics Series
instead of the Wind Band Classics series. Perhaps those drawn
to new American music will dip their toe in this and like what
they hear. For a contemporary band recording, though, I’d recommend
Junkin’s recent Grainger disc with the Dallas Wind Symphony first.
Benn Martin
