A Day At the Circus

A Day At the Circus, Spencer Arias (2024) 4'
for wind band

What can be more thrilling and exciting than a day at the circus? There are romanticized circuses that travel around the country with a band of outcasts who perform mystifying tricks, attempt dangerous feats, and showcase the unique oddities of the people in the troupe. Then, the modern circus with shows like Cirque du Soleil brings this practice to the mainstream. Instead of outcasts, it focuses on the thrill of incredibly choreographed theater pieces centered on acrobatic dancing. It's interesting to see how this has evolved over the decades. What has stayed the same is the audience's adoration for these mind-blowing athletes who push the body to its limits in the most artistic way possible. Rather than highlighting these people's differences, we look at them for the spectacle they can provide us. This piece takes us through a day at the circus, starting with the ringmaster pumping us up. We feel the nostalgia of being a child seeing all of this, with the wide variety of performers, eventually leading us to observe the beauty of an acrobat suspended in the air. I imagine them ascending in a hoop and floating like a star. As the day continues, we build towards the grand finale, with two acrobats flying in the air to achieve one last dangerous feat - diving through a ring of fire into the net while spinning like a cannonball to massive success. The audience goes wild, and the acrobats, beaming, know they just pulled off the trick of a lifetime.

Instrumentation: Piccolo, flute 1-2, oboe, English horn, bassoon, clarinet 1-3, bass clarinet, alto saxophone 1-2, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, cornet 1-3, trumpet 1-2, horn 1-4, tromone 1-2, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba, double bass, timpani, percussion 1-5