Customer Reviews

Orff: Carmina Burana

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had been looking for a really good recording of the Carmina Burana to replace the one that I had, which was Pavel Urbanek and the Prague Festival Orchestra and Chorus, and this one is far better than I had hoped to find. Under the direction of James Levine, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus turn in superlative performances. In addition the wonderful vocal talents of June Anderson, Phillip Creech and Bernd Weikl surpass all others whom I have heard perform this work. Miss Anderson's soprano in particular is a delight to listen to.
The booklet contains translations of all of the songs, which is a tremendous help to those of us whose knowledge of Latin is not complete. I was interested to find that parts of the translations were different from others that I am familiar with.
The digital recording of this performance is fantastic, with not a note over-engineered and no need to adjust the volume as the intensity of the music fluctuates. A great addition to any classical CD collection.

I have the older Deutsche Grammophon recording with the Berlin City Opera Choir and Orchestra under the baton of Eugen Jochum and to be honest, I thought that recording was the best simply because it is commonly regarded as the landmark performance of Carmina Burana (and it is authorized by Orff himself). But Levine's Carmina Burana puts up a good fight and is a better technical performance. The choir and orchestra are not nearly as Germanic and gruff in this recording as they are in Jochum's and, as a result, sound undeniably modern and American. This works to their advantage, however.

Jochum's recording, thrilling as it is, sounds throaty and shouted at times, the orchestra frequently dragging the choir behind it's rushing tempos or vice versa. Levine restrains the orchestra and the singers, putting both in their respective places. His tempos are slower than most, but still are brisk enough to give the entire work a drive second to none.

The Chicago Symphony and Chorus follow the legatos and staccatos exactly as they are written, providing great contrast between slower and faster sections. Both the choral and instrumental elements are robust enough at times to put any German choir to shame, but also have a gentle softness that was absent in Jochum's recording. The result is a well balanced performance and the annunciation of the text comes through cleanly, especially on the first and last movements.

The soloists are equally impressive, with Weikl's expressiveness cutting through the orchestra to provide a wonderful setting of the text. His Ego sum abbas is suitably arrogant and drunken at the same time... definitely not to be missed.

Philip Creech sings the Roasted Swan Song in a high, strained tenor, the way Orff intended. The song isn't supposed to be pretty and Creech obliges us here. It's a great alternative from any of the tenors who sing it in falsetto.

June Anderson, always a favorite at the Met, is at her usual best. In Trutina is dynamically varied while Dulcissime is clean cut. Anderson takes the lead completely in each, never waiting for the orchestra to come in first.

This recording is a hidden gem and I'm surprised more people haven't bought it. Althought the contrasts between loud and soft may be more evident in Jochum's recording, Levine has created an almost techincally perfect performance with clear text and great differences in tempos.

I would recommend this recording over Jochum's to anyone, especially students who are trying to learn the work.

Never before have I heard a Choral work of this magnitude and power. Orff's music is brought to life in this fantastic recording by the Chicago Symphony and Chorus. This is the only choral CD that I own that I can listen to for eternity and never get tired of it. The tone and clarity of the chorus is amazing, and the balance with the orchestra is perfect. Teachers - if you are looking for a tool for diction, tone, musicality, men's voices, and ensemble, you must get this CD. June Anderson will enthrall you with the last two soprano movements (In Trutina, Dulcissime). Bernd Weikl gives us bass/baritones something to idolize and strive to sound like. Many thanks go to James Levine for his extraordinary interpretations.

If there is only one CD that you can get right now, make it this one. The power and precision of this version of Carmina Burana will floor you and anyone else who listens to it. It is one that should be in every musician's library.

Bernd Weikl works wonders in this recording, singing all the music written for his voice range superbly. In tonal color, he reminds me of Sherrill Milnes on the old Ozawa recording, while he sings with a clarity seemingly beyond Milnes for much of his career. This is a rich, full voice, with bell ringing clarity and power. His version of Estuans Interius is thrilling, especially the way he finishes it. That last high note punctuates the song like the exclamation point of a solid hammer blow. Whatever Weikl handles here is done with style and passion.

June Anderson is wonderful on this recording, and sings her parts with a beauty ravishing to my ears. That final climb to the vocal heights at the finish of the body of Carmina is one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard come from any singer. I cannot recommend her highly enough. It's worth the price of this recording just to hear this minute or so of music. Then again, it's worth the money for Weikl's Estuans Interius. And many other parts which these soloists imbue with life make this performance a joy to listen to.

Which brings us the Creech, and the Song of the Roasted Swan. Some other reviewers like the idea that he sings it all in full voice. Frankly, it makes me as uncomfortable to listen to as that poor bird must have felt. The song is supposed to be amusing in a rather sick sort of way, and I think Mr. Creech misses the mark. That is my opinion, for all it's worth.

The choirs and orchestra have not been mentioned so far, and there's a very good reason for that: I prefer Carmina Burana to have its wild side, which Levine, to my ears, misses. However, if you prefer the beauty here over the feral wildness present in the Jochum and de Burgos recordings, then you cannot go wrong here.

Introducing someone, or even yourself, to classical music is a tricky thing. One can hear a particular piece of music for the first time as recorded by a certain orchestra/conductor and be unmoved. Years later one can hear the same piece conducted and played by someone else and suddenly one wonders why one didn't hear the beauty in it before.

Interpretation is everything.

James Levine is widely known as a master of opera, and this record is one of the many reasons why his reputation is so solid. If you are just beginning your exploration of classical music and opera, this CD is a great place to start. Orff went to great lengths in his attempt to write music that felt accessible, emotionally and technically, to both seasoned classical music listeners and the uninitiated audience. But without an equally accessible and technically brilliant interpretation, Orff's efforts would be lost.

To anyone who is unsure if they are going to like opera, start with this CD. It can never replace a front row seat in the concert hall, but it is a far more affordable and convenient way to introduce yourself to what a hundred people making music together can sound like when everything is just right.

Carl Orff may not have attained "household name" status, but the dazzling "Carmina Burana" has become a staple in the modern classical music repertory. The work has appeared in so many concert halls, recordings, movies, television spots, rock concerts, and presentations that it may rank as one of the twentieth century's most famous classical pieces. And this CD presents a great recording of Orff's most famous work.

But "Carmina Burana" doesn't always sound like twentieth century music. "O Fortuna", the blaring ominous opener, sounds like a blend of classical, medieval, and modern. And the themes of fortune, Spring, Love (and lust), and drinking sound anything but modern. The latin text doubtless lends a large part of the medieval flavor, but German also appears throughout the song cycle.

The text comes from a now famous 11th-13th century collection of some 1,000 poems and songs. Historians believe that the "goliards" (wandering freethinking poets) composed these poems, which laid undiscovered until 1803. In the 1930s these secular and sometimes bawdy songs caught the attention of the very Roman Catholic Orff. "Carmina Burana" premiered in Nazi Germany in 1937 to great acclaim (though some found it "degenerate"). Initially written as accompaniment for elaborate theater stagings, the work usually gets performed in concert halls without the visuals. The music definitely warrants such a performance. It stands completely on its own; ranging from the inexorably powerful to the delicate and lovely. Orff pulled out all the stops when he composed this incredible music.

"O Fortuna" remains justifiably famous with its riveting rhythms and staccato chorus. This tune bookends the entire song collection, suggesting that the work as a whole deals with the ineffable viscissitudes of life. Next, Spring arrives and brings with it dancing (track 6 will get any feet moving), drinking, and the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Though some gain from this happiness, some wallow in misery. "Olim lacus colueram" ("Once I Lived On Lakes") tells a ghastly story from the point of view of a swan roasting on a spit. The tenor solo sings with the perfect amount of agony as the music provides appropriately horrifying accompaniment. "Floret silva nobilis" ("The Noble Woods are Burgeoning") finds a lover bemoaning the parting of her lover. The music punctuates her woe with horse hoof beats fading into the distance. Woes of Fortune and the changes brought with springtime provide the thematic structure for the songs. In the end, the refrain of "O Fortuna" provides a reminder that our pleasures and our misery remain fleeting and subject to the wiles of fortune. Thematically, the piece is timeless.

James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra pull off quite a performance on this CD. Anyone looking for a solid straight through recording of this famous work will find it here. The CD booklet doesn't give much information on Orff or on the work, but it does contain all of the lyrics in Latin/German and English. Regardless, the music prevails and this recording will not disappoint.

This piece is so vast I don't know if it makes sense to call one recording the "best." Like any other cycle there are stronger and weaker points. But out of the four versions I own and all that I have heard (including the Orff-authorized one) this is the one I always return to. I like the tempos, most of the solos are very good, and the sound quality and balance between the orchestra and the vocals are also pleasing. One of the most distinct aspects of this recording is that it really captures the feeling of being at the Ravinia Festival on a summer evening. This is not one of the world's greatest acoustic environments to be sure, but it is a comfortable "live" sound and feel, not the dry and sometimes harsh studio sound I've found on other recordings, and it works for this often loud and massive piece. For those who prefer a ruthlessly gutteral approach to the work (which may have been what the composer intended) this is not the one, but for shear enjoyment I give it my highest recommendation.

I have had the opportunity to compare this recording with two other versions and this shows the benefit of a full digital recording and mastering. The sound is clear and quite brilliant. The voices (soloists and chorus) are well balanced against the symphony, they are not muted at all, and the result is an emotional experience to listen to. What a pure pleasure.

Well, leave it to a German to come up with one of the Greatest and well known pieces of music ever written... I wuld like to say that this CD comes with a lyric sheet and it has been nominated(and it may have won) a Grammy. This is great, my trite words cannot do it justice... in conclusion, let me just say that you have probably heard this from Excalibur and maybe even the Omen... Please buy this CD.

When I bought this CD, I expected a beautiful, powerful, austere, haunting, loud piece all rolled into one CD. The CSO, bless their hearts, obliged me here. The brass, as usual are painstakingly precise( as is the chorus when the score calls for staccato passages such as the pianissiomo section on the first track)as seen in tracks such as track 10, the last part of Uf dem Anger. Of course I cannot diminish the other parts of the orchestra but my mind often freezes up when doing these reviews because I have so much I want to say and don't want you to think I'm a babbling idiot. Anyway, really, the only detraction to this recording is the tenor, Creech I believe it is. I find his sqawking irritating( I am speaking specifically of the Roasted Swan Song). I cannot attest to whether that's what Orff actually wanted as another critic here suggests. If that is what Orff wanted, then shame on him. Regardless of that minor flaw, the disc is a proud testament to what happens when Levine meets the CSO.