When circus meets classical music

The Vanegas Duo on the Wheel of Death - accompanied by the symphony orchestra (c) Daniel Burow

Circus arts and classical music – Circus Roncalli recognized early on that these two elements could complement each other perfectly. From 2002 until the 2010s, the company presented the "Circus meets Classic" series, first at the Dortmund Concert Hall, and later in other cities. The fact that the Berlin Tempodrom, where the Roncalli Christmas Circus takes place every year, became the venue for the encounter between orchestral musicians and artists, however, is due to a curious coincidence. In the first year that Roncalli rented the Tempodrom for its Christmas Circus over the New Year period, the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin (DSO) assumed it would be able to hold its New Year's Eve concert there, as it had the previous year, and had even already sold tickets.

So Patrick Philadelphia, now Managing Director of Roncalli and still Head of Production at the Tempodrom, proposed a pragmatic solution: the New Year's Eve concert could be combined with performances by the Roncalli artists. The orchestra management, initially skeptical, agreed, and the event was a big success. Since then, the New Year's Eve concert has taken place every year as a collaboration between Roncalli and the DSO – now in its 21st year.

How do you manage to integrate a symphony orchestra with an existing circus show, which otherwise runs every day, for just two days – New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? There's hardly any time for rehearsals. The Tempodrom is only available for a rehearsal with the performers and orchestra the day before – during the day, because the regular show runs again in the evening.

Rehearsals with conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire and her orchestra (c) Daniel Burow

This can only work through meticulous preparation. In advance, the DSO's artistic planner, Marlene Brüggen, receives videos of the performances booked for the Christmas Circus. Together with conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire, she develops suggestions for suitable musical pieces. The first challenge is ensuring the length of the pieces is appropriate, as both the highly structured classical music and the fixed circus acts allow only limited room for adjustments.

The musical suggestions are then reviewed by Patrick Philadelphia. With his keen sense of circus dramaturgy, he assesses whether the music "works" with each act and identifies any necessary adjustments by the performers or musicians. This review takes place while the regular shows are already underway. This allows the music to be combined with video footage from the show, transitions and set changes to be precisely timed, and planned in relation to the music.

The music suggestions are then reviewed by Patrick Philadelphia. Some scenes from the regular show, especially comedy reprises and ballet performances, are removed to create space for musicians' solos. There are also moments where the music takes center stage – for example, when two musicians play a cello variation of the jazz piece "Turtle Shoes" by Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin in the center of the ring.

This isn't the only instance where the music selection spans genres. Classical pieces by Tchaikovsky or Strauss are interspersed with variations from jazz or film music. The music must be varied and appealing to both the typical concert listeners and the diverse circus audience. Furthermore, the music must complement the dynamics and aesthetics of the acrobatic acts – such as heroic film music for the strongmen of Duo Vitalys or the lively Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss for the comic reprises of "Professor Wacko."

The performers receive the music selection one week before the show. The twelve-member Shandong troupe from China, which has two performances in its program, simultaneously began rehearsals with the band music to adapt to the new pieces. Absolute synchronicity and timing are particularly important for the large group performances. For the solo and duo performances, the rehearsal time with the orchestra is usually sufficient.

The musicians of the DSO during the New Year's Eve performance (c) Daniel Burow

On the rehearsal day, December 30th, the schedule is precisely planned. First, the one hundred musicians of the DSO warm up and rehearse the passages where they perform without the acrobatic accompaniment. Then, each act has 15 minutes with the orchestra. If the timing isn't quite right during the first run-through, either the artist slightly adjusts their sequence of tricks, or the conductor utilizes the flexibility offered by the score's well-considered repetition sequences. In the end, everything comes together perfectly, and each performance concludes precisely with the final notes of the music.

This very special spectacle is performed three times – twice on New Year's Eve and once on New Year's Day evening. In between, on New Year's Day afternoon, the regular show with Roncalli's own circus orchestra takes place. The set changes between performances are completed in record time.

Over the years, the event has become a fixture on Berlin's cultural calendar and guarantees packed houses. A special, festive atmosphere fills the Tempodrom. For many Berlin music and circus lovers, the New Year's Eve concert has become a traditional way to ring in the new year. And for the performers, these are truly special shows. Aerialists Marika Ashley and Rochelle Berwick, for example, recounted how intensely they felt the orchestra's Swan Lake music during their already ballet-inspired aerial hoop act.

With Fučík's "Entry of the Gladiators" - hardly any other piece of music is so closely associated with the circus - the musicians and performers bid a fitting farewell to the enthusiastic audience. The New Year's Eve concert by the DSO and Roncalli is undoubtedly a resounding success.