Bolcom’s curtain raiser, Circus Overture, was written in honor of Slatkin’s 70th and premiered by the conductor and Boston Symphony, which commissioned it. It’s a 5-minute riot, full of marching evocations of the midway — or perhaps the parade of life? — along with lickety-split wind lines, exaggerated tempo changes and a snippet of Ellingtonian talking brass, including a muted trombone growling out a reference to Chopin’s ‘Funeral March.’ That’s vintage Bolcom wit: Slatkin, who has championed the Ann Arbor composer for decades, specifically asked him not to quote ‘Happy Birthday.’
The Detroit Free Press, Oct. 10, 2014
Orchestral version may be rented from the Theodore Presser Company.
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