Orff: Carmina Burana

O Fortuna. Everyone knows the overwhelmingly powerful opening motifs of Carl Orff's most famous work. What fewer people know is that Carmina Burana was not intended to be an oratorical work, but was instead expressly meant for the stage. This becomes clear from the piece's (originally Latin) subtitle: “Secular songs for singers and chorus to be sung together with instruments and magical images.” Over the course of the many times he has conducted the work, Tibor Bogányi gradually developed a vision for a staged version. The creators conceived a breathtaking spectacle to surround the three soloists, the three dancers from the Hungarian National Ballet, and the monumental 120-strong chorus singing from memory, as well as the children's chorus, with the 3D “magical images” coming to life on six projection displays and LED walls. Since all this is happening in an opera house, the hour-long Carmina Burana is preceeded by a 30-minute-long opera showcase, a gift concert of sorts, in the hope of Carmina Burana fans returning to opera performances, too.