Recently, a friend of mine went off to see a performance of Carmina Burana at Roy Thompson Hall, here in Toronto... as opposed to the hall of the same name in Tillsonburg. I met him the next day and we revelled in the joy and delights of Carl Orff's iconic work. We hummed, reminisced, impressed the other with our vast knowledge of the work, and compared our various recordings.We, no doubt, came across as somewhat pompous to anyone who might have had the pleasure of witnessing our rather uncivilized shenanigans. This music has that affect; otherwise reserved and sane people go a little nutty after being exposed to the songfest of Carmina Burana.
The great thing about this work, other than its obvious harmonic and melodic attributes, is the fact that it is a very interpretive piece. Everything from a small ensemble singing and acting, to a large scale and straightforward symphonic performance, to a dance company doing their own thing, has been done to play out Carmina Burana. And I am still missing a few examples.
O Fortuna... Oh, my.
I told this friend I would look for my copy of another work he might like; Leonard Bernstein's Candide.
Nectar of the gods.
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