In a performance called "monumental" by its conductor, the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble will feature John Corigliano's "Circus Maximus," a piece of music which literally surrounds the audience with sound. The free concert will take place in Bailey Hall on the Cornell University campus on Sunday, February 24, at 3:00 p.m.
"The music involves huge forces, including 11 surround trumpets, surround flutes, clarinets, percussionists, and a saxophone quartet," said conductor Stephen Peterson, a professor of music performance at Ithaca College. "There will also be a small marching band, which will make its way through the hall during the climax of the 37-minute work."
The percussion section includes two sirens and a shotgun, Peterson added.
"The only venue in the area that could accommodate this piece is Bailey Hall, and the Cornell Department of Music graciously offered the use of Bailey for this event. We're grateful to so many people at Cornell, as well as 30 additional Ithaca College musicians, to make this program possible."
The piece has been performed by college wind ensembles and the U.S. Marine Band, always to rave reviews that have noted the overwhelming reaction of audiences to the huge work. The Austin Chronicle wrote: "What was most powerful and extraordinary about 'Circus Maximus' was the way it reflected those pressures and the character of our culture -- the violence, the pride, the impatience, the disconnectedness, the sense of menace and of mourning -- to a degree that was unnerving."
Also on the program of music by American visionaries are works of Copland and Ives, and "Lollapalooza" by John Adams. The guest conductor for these works will be Cynthia Johnson-Turner, Cornell's director of wind ensembles.
For more information, call 607-274-3717.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20080218085806384