an interlude

In-between my two Jónsi posts, I must remind you all that this Friday, Northwestern's Symphonic Wind Ensemble will be performing John Corigliano's third symphony, Circus Maximus, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (50 Arts Circle Drive in Evanston, IL). It is part of a whole slew of Corigliano events this week and next at Northwestern. I can personally vouch that Circus Maximus is going to sound awesome, and I'm pretty confident we will blow all other performances (including the Baltimore Symphony) out of the water. At first I thought the piece was ridiculous, and it still is, but it's grown on me and is pretty damn entertaining. The concert will be live-streamed on the internet beginning 7:30pm Friday (also featuring Corigliano's Gazebo Dances and Strauss's Festmusik der Stadt Wien), but really needs to be experienced in the hall. Tomorrow Corigliano arrives to coach us, as well as the specialist we're bringing in to shoot a shotgun, the sound of which concludes the piece. As I said, this is something you'll want to see in person.

It's a bittersweet moment for me: my last big concert at Northwestern. As The New Yorker so eloquently puts it, onward and upward with the arts.