Event

Carl Orff's Carmina Burana

Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum presents:
Carmina Burana

In 1937, German composer Carl Orff composed Carmina Burana, a 25-movement scenic cantata based on 24 medieval poems from a collection by the same name. On April 11, conductor Gary Ewer will lead Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum and Nova Voce in a performance of this choral masterpiece, accompanied by pianists Tara Scott and Jennifer King, along with a 6-member percussion ensemble.

The title Carmina Burana translates as Songs of Beuren, a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria, though we now know that the poems originated from Seckau Abbey, Austria. Most of the subject matter was decidedly more worldly than what one might expect of poetry written in an Abbey, perhaps summed up best in this short line: voluptatis avidusI am eager for the pleasures of the flesh. Carmina Burana quickly became an audience favourite worldwide, and is undoubtedly Orffs most well-known and celebrated work.

Soloists for this concert are Jennifer Farrell, soprano, Ross Thompson, baritone, and Luke Morrison, tenor. In addition to Nova Voce, Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum is joined for this performance by a childrens choir comprised of singers from the Halifax region.