Carmina Burana, Carl Orff
Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, the powerful, scenic cantata for orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists features in this season's Caracalla Festival in Rome. The festival usually takes place at the ancient Roman bath complex known as the Terme di Caracalla, built in the third century. However, since the baths are undergoing restorative works this year, this concert, performed by the renowned Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, is staged at Circo Massimo. The historic venue – also sometimes called Circus Maximus – was the largest circuit used for chariot racing throughout much of Rome's Republican and Imperial periods.
Carl Orff composed Carmina Burana, part of his Trionfi trilogy, after being inspired by a collection of medieval poetry edited and subsequently published by Johann Andreas Schmeller in 1847. Orff selected 24 of these poems to create a libretto exploring age-old themes such as earthly pleasures, the awakening of spring, feelings of love and the fragility of human fate. With themes that are easily recognisable today, the German composer developed a score that took in a wide range of influences. Although Carmina Burana premiere took place on 8 June 1937 at the Oper Frankfurt, its compositional style undoubtedly draws from Baroque and early music. It also shows influences of the much more contemporary style of its day, notably the work of Igor Stravinsky, for example.
Audiences are often captivated by the pulsating and swiftly shifting rhythms that Orff uses throughout the work. His use of harmony is restricted, marking a distinct difference from the Romantic composers of the 19th century. Much of the harmony is in modes, such as the Dorian and the Aeolian, that would have been familiar to the ears of the mediaeval people reflected in Schmeller's collection of poems. Technically demanding, Carmina Burana requires a great deal of skill from the vocal soloists in particular, meaning performances often linger long in the memory of listeners.
This concert of Carmina Burana at Rome's Circo Massimo provides a splendid opportunity to witness Orff's most famous work, including the choral piece, 'O Fortuna', which has been widely used in films, television productions and various media for many years. One of the most frequently staged pieces of the modern repertoire, the music is thrilling, while its text serves as a warning about how fate, luck and fortune each play their parts in shaping human lives. Carmina Burana, brought to life by a highly regarded orchestra and choir in such a stunning Roman setting, makes for a breathtaking spectacle that all music fans will want to experience.