Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie Review

This is one circus you won't want to miss.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 23, 2010

John Corigliano may well be one of the greatest composers you’ve never heard of. Despite being the proud winner of both the Pulitzer Prize (for his Second Symphony) and an Academy Award (for his score to The Red Violin), and enjoying an incredibly successful and long career that stretches back to his days as Associate Producer of the Leonard Bernstein Young People’s Concerts, Corigliano has yet to really erupt into the mainstream audience’s consciousness. Instead he remains an iconic figure to an elite few who have come to recognize his achievements as second to none, especially in the post-Bernstein landscape of American composition. Corigliano can be alternately bombastic, layering dissonant strata of massed sound that at times are very reminiscent of the iconoclastic Edgard Varèse, and then turn around and deliver wholly (or at least mostly wholly) diatonic lyricism that harkens back to the 18th and 19th century. (In the unintentional irony department, vis a vis Varèse, it’s interesting to note that Corigliano’s highly acclaimed score to the Hugh Hudson Pacino starrer Revolution was never given an official soundtrack release, until niche label Varèse Sarabande—named, at least in part, after the composer—finally granted it a special release last year). This new Naxos audio Blu-ray is an astounding collection of sonorities, all the more remarkable in that both of the large scale pieces contained on it, the Third Symphony, otherwise known as Circus Maximus, and Gazebo Dances, are orchestrated for wind ensemble (though truth be told Corigliano also utilizes a plethora of percussion and, lest anyone be dozing, the occasional shotgun blast).

Corigliano takes an architectural approach to his composition, not only in the scores themselves, which are frequently assembled out of blocks of sound, but also in the inspiration which lights his compositional muse. As he states in his very interesting liner notes to this release, “For the past three decades I have started the compositional process by building a shape, or architecture, before coming up with any musical material. In this case, the shape was influenced by a desire to write a piece in which the entire work is conceived spatially. But I started simply wondering what dramtic premise would justify the encirclement of the audience by musicians, so that they were in the center of an arena. This started my imagination going, and quite suddenly a title appeared in my mind: Circus Maximus."

That quote should set audiophile heart (and ears) aflutter, for it points to a composer completely aware of what surround sound can deliver. But even that hint fails to completely prepare the listener for the outrageously effective panoply of sounds that at times almost assaults the ears throughout Circus Maximus. Divided into eight sections, which are played without pause, this piece is an encyclopedia of brilliant wind writing. At times we have plaintive shrieks which are almost reminiscent of the screaming violins of Herrmann’s Psycho score. At other times tubas fart unceremoniously. In the second movement, saxophones emit a bluesy jazz riff while various instruments declaim from every imaginable corner.

The bulk of Circus Maximus operates within a tonality pushing world that elevates sonority above traditional melody and harmony. That said, Corigliano can deliver some achingly lyrical moments as well, as he does in the almost chorale sounding Prayer which utilizes a succession of “Amen” plagal cadences (IV-I) to increasingly dramatic effect. But a lot of Circus Maximus plays like Varèse in ancient Roman times, with weird sound effects and huge constructs of sound crashing together, making impenetrable edifices.

Circus Maximus is going to be a wet dream of sorts for surround sound aficionados. Instruments dart to and fro, Corigliano actually has discrete bands moving through the soundfield, and the listener is constantly kept off guard as to what is going to happen next, and from where. The musical content may in fact be rather recondite, especially to those less schooled in the vagaries of modern compositional technique, but the actual experience of just hearing all these incredible sounds appear in startling spatial array is magical.

Much more accessible is the second piece on this disc, a sort of suite called Gazebo Dances. Corigliano originally wrote these as four handers for two of his pianist friends, but later orchestrated them for concert band. (Another version for orchestra is also available, but not included on this disc). This is a relatively early work of Corigliano’s, from 1972, and as such it shows the brashness and flash of youth. But it’s inerrantly appealing, from its Rossini influenced Overture to the very fun Tarantella finale. While this suite doesn’t really provide the sonic overload that Circus Maximus does, it’s much easier to listen to, and those unfamiliar with Corigliano’s often pungent style may well want to start their trip to the circus with this little stopover at the park gazebo.

Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Though there is video of a sort, it's simply an MPEG-2 encoded menu screen which features the Naxos logo interspersed with the Blu-ray logo. There are track listings and the two audio options available which you can toggle to with your remote. You can also independently choose either of the lossless audio options with the colored buttons on your remote.

Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wow. Zowie. Astounding. There simply aren't enough adjectives to describe this amazing audio Blu-ray, delivered with two lossless audio options, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (24 bit/88.2 kHz) or LPCM 2.0. (It should be noted my display actually showed 96 kHz when I was playing the disc). Corigliano composed Circus Maximus with space in mind, and it shows in virtually every note. This is one of the most amazingly visceral surround tracks I've ever experienced. Just put aside for a moment the track's splendid lucidity and absolute clarity, with impeccable dynamic range and fidelity throughout all frequencies. For once we get actual surround intelligence when it comes to the spatial organization of the music. Corigliano includes a chart of the massive wind ensemble (and accompanying instruments) he scored for, and it helps to realize the overwhelming number of players included on this recording. Add in a marching band, which evidently does indeed march, and the soundfield is literally bristling with activity. The musical content of Circus Maximus may throw less adventurous listeners for a bit of a loop, but I can't imagine anyone, even sequestered souls who haven't ventured into anything post-Brahms, not being amazed by the clarity and immersion of this absolutely stellar recording.

Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The insert booklet is a nice tri-fold printed on glossy stock which includes a chart of the musicians and some very interesting musings from Corigliano himself.

Corigliano: Circus Maximus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Take a chance on some modern music, and experience what a surround recording actually can deliver, especially when it's a recording of music which has been composed with a heightened awareness of space and movement. Corigliano certainly deserves a much wider audience, and my ardent wish is that this new audio Blu-ray helps to make that happen. Very highly recommended.