Carl Orff: Carmina Burana [CD]

Carmina Burana, the staged cantata by Carl Orff, is a unique work in music history, according to conductor Paavo Järvi: "The meeting of medieval texts with such bold, original orchestral colors creates an archaic and at the same time timeless sound world in which choir, orchestra and soloists shine together. The work also has an unusual history: composed shortly after the National Socialists came to power in Germany, it was initially rejected because of its Latin texts and the erotic nature of some of the songs; nevertheless, Orff and his work were later highly regarded by the Reich. The composer (who hid the fact that he was 'a quarter Jewish') did not support the regime, but made the most of his success... Orff was 42 years old when he had his breakthrough with the Carmina, which he described as his Opus 1, and discarded all his earlier compositions. Turning away from the Romantic style, he now wanted to create music associated with rhythm, simple, repetitive melodies and forms that were not too complex. The great success of this work underpins this decision."