Today’s piece is Carl Orff’s “scenic” cantata, Carmina Burana. This piece is probably most noted for the famous (or perhaps infamous at this point) chorus at the beginning of the piece, “O Fortuna”, but the piece itself is actually a vast, 90 minute work based on a secular Latin text of the same name from the 11th century. Orff’s work, composed from 1935-1936, sets 24 of the poems that comprise the text, and the cantata as a whole is part of a set of three cantatas.
This cantata is by far the most well known however, and Orff himself referred to it as the start of his real music. The poems themselves are all about the fickleness of fate and fortune, and about all of the temptations that man encounters in life, such as drinking, gluttony, lust, etc.
The cantata is referred to as “scenic” because Orff originally intended for it to be performed almost like an opera, with sets and minimal costuming and staging for the soloists and also perhaps for the ensemble. In modern performances, however, it is done almost exclusively as a concert work, without any sets or costumes and with no staging whatsoever.
The piece calls for vast orchestral and choral forces, with a large orchestra, vast percussive forces, double SATB choruses, a children’s chorus, and STB soloists who sing interspersed between the larger choral numbers. The solos are noted for the extreme ranges, with the soloists regularly singing at the top their tessaturas. The soprano and tenor solos both reach up to the high D for the respective voice types, and the baritone solo requires enormous control as it ascends to a falsetto high B on a few occasions. There also is an immense dramatic requirement for the soloists, as they are often singing above the full orchestra, and in rare occasions above the entire choral ensemble as well. The baritone solo is noted as being especially difficult due to the frequency of the baritone solos and the high sustained tessatura, with the baritone regularly singing high Gs and Gbs, with an optional high A at the end of one of the solos, all in full voice.
The music itself has been criticized as being simpler than most 20th century music, as polyphony and development of themes are absent through the majority of the piece. Additionally, Orff avoids harmonic complexity throughout the work, using a simpler, more tonal language. While this makes the music much more accessible to the average concertgoer, some critics have pointed out the conspicuous lack of complexity. This may well be because Orff was influenced by Renaissance styles and early Baroque music. Orff frequently emphasizes rhythm and orchestration as opposed to melodic or harmonic complexity.
This particular performance is quite well done, even if some say that the performance tempi in many of the movements are too fast. I personally feel that it brings out the inherent drama of the work, and the combined ensemble has a rich, full sound to it that really brings the work to life. The soloists are also incredible, for the most part, with Kathleen Battle and Thomas Allen singing the soprano and baritone solos magnificently. Frank Lopardo sings the tenor solo, and while he does a commendable job with the majority, his upper range extending to the high D seems a little forced, and indeed, in the video one can see the violinist directly behind him laughing occasionally as he reaches for the high notes. He does a commendable job, but there is a notable difference in his tone color and the depth of his sound as he ascends and descends from the dreaded high D.
And so, without further ado, enjoy this wonderful piece!
