Mainstage in Concert

Symphony No. 3, Circus Maximus

By John Corigliano

John Corigliano’s massive 2005 work for a large concert band is known for its intensity and theatricality as it stretches the boundaries of the wind ensemble. A synthesis of genres, the piece references jazz, martial fanfares, circus music, and hunting calls, interspersed with lyrical passages. Interested in immersing the audience, both spatially and metaphorically, Corigliano employs an onstage ensemble, a marching band, and a 12-gauge shotgun, and places the audience as if they were at the center of an arena, such as ancient Rome’s Circus Maximus.

In a symphonic portrait of a world caught between competing realities, Corigliano compares today’s ubiquitous obsession with entertainment and violence to the ancient Romans enjoying the sight of lions devouring human beings for amusement, writing that “The parallels between the high decadence of Rome and our present time are obvious.”