Desert Island Classics #4
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (b. 1895 – d. 1982) was a German composer and music educator, but is best known for his cantata Carmina Burana completed in 1937.
After a youth of musical studies, Orff was drafted into the military during World War I in 1917, and was subsequently wounded in action. This experience changed his entire outlook on life, his thoughts on the future, and eventually his music. After the war and recovery from his injuries, Orff would hold various posts at opera houses and also resumed his musical studies in Munich. During this time Orff would be influenced by several German writers, but in terms of music he was especially influenced by the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. Orff was particularly taken with music that may be described as earthy, folkloric, and tied to rituals. As such, Orff believed in uniting the arts such as music, dance, visual, poetry, and design, and he was part of a larger movement at the time to incorporate these elements into music.
The work of German playwright and theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht also greatly influenced Orff, and he became increasingly involved in musical education. Orff became a pioneer in musical theater in Germany at the time, and in particular fusing music and dance. Orff was attracted to early music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and he produced several notable stage productions that were adaptations from the music of Monteverdi and Striggio. Although successful, Orff’s adaptations were not well-received by the Munich press and he was viewed with suspicion as somewhat of a revolutionary.
More controversial is Orff’s association with the Third Reich in Germany, and Nazism. There has been a lot of debate around this topic, as well as some misinformation. The facts are Orff never joined the Nazi party, and never held any leadership position within the Third Reich. There is evidence Orff remained friends with many artists and musicians of Jewish descent both during and after the war, and some testified to his character during denazification. Still, Orff was a member of the Reich Chamber of Music, which was required of him to work as a teacher and composer during the Third Reich. He also participated in composing new music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, along with other composers, after Mendelssohn’s music was banned by the Nazis. Orff hesitated to complete it however, perhaps owing to some pangs of conscience over the circumstances under which it was commissioned.
Orff underwent denazification in 1946, being declared “acceptable”. He was placed under a category that described him as “compromised by their actions during the Nazi period but not subscribers to Nazi doctrine”. Nevertheless, there are inconsistencies in reports, and some indicated deception on the part of Orff or at least not always being forthcoming in his answers. There is no doubt Orff benefitted from the Nazis, certainly more than many of his contemporaries, and even though he claimed to never having received positive reviews from Nazi critics, that was not entirely true. His income also rose sharply during the final years of the Third Reich. Oddly, in interviews Orff never used his close relationships with Jewish colleagues or his own somewhat distant Jewish heritage to place himself in a better light. Nor did he point out the subversive or anti-authoritarian nature of some of his works.
A sort of scholarly dispute still persists regarding the question of whether Orff claimed to be a founding member of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. Some scholars maintain that during his denazification process, Orff claimed to have helped establish the White Rose resistance movement in order to smooth his way through denazification, and many of those same scholars claim that Orff actually collaborated with the Nazi authorities. However, other scholars say that Orff made no such claim about the White Rose and was never part of the resistance. Whatever the facts may be in the White Rose controversy, Orff’s reputation still lives under the shadow of the Nazis at least to some extent.
Orff’s most famous work, his Carmina Burana, was premiered in 1937 in Frankfurt, and soon became one of the most popular and significant works composed during the Third Reich. In a large sense, the association of Orff with the Nazis comes from this fact. However, it is still vigorously debated just how much this work had any real connection to the Nazis, and there are certainly other works that received more performances than Carmina did. Moreover, the work’s unusual rhythmic aspects, its non-traditional themes, and its unique instrumentation and percussion, led many in Germany to criticize it. After the war, the music’s connection with the Third Reich led to it being rarely performed for many years outside of Germany. But this gradually changed, and by the 1960s Carmina Burana was being performed regularly all over the world. It remains extremely popular today, and portions have appeared in many movies and commercials.
Carmina Burana, composed mostly in 1935 and 1936, is a cantata based on 24 poems from the medieval collection Carmina Burana. Its full title in Latin is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis (Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images). Orff’s work is actually one part of a triptych that also includes Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. However, Carmina Burana is most often performed separately. The text is mostly in Latin, but also includes some High German and Old French. The poems cover a wide range of topics including fortune and wealth, the pleasures and perils of drunkenness, gluttony, lust, and the nature and fragility of life.
Carmina Burana is divided into three major sections, which contain a total of 25 movements. It is structured as follows:
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi Fortune, Empress of the World
1. O Fortuna Latin “O Fortune” (choir)
2. Fortune plango vulnera Latin “I lament the wounds that Fortune deals” (choir)
Part I. Primo vere “In Spring”
3 Veris leta facies Latin “The joyous face of Spring” (small choir)
4 Omnia Sol temperat Latin “All things are tempered by the Sun” (baritone)
5 Ecce gratum Latin “Behold the welcome” (choir)
Uf dem anger In the Meadow
6 Tanz Dance (instrumental)
7 Floret silva nobilis Latin / Middle High German “The noble woods are burgeoning” (choir)
8 Chramer, gip die varwe mir Middle High German “Monger, give me coloured paint” (Small and large choir)
9 (a) Reie Round dance (instrumental)
(b) Swaz hie gat umbe Middle High German “They who here go dancing around” (choir)
(c) Chume, chum, geselle min Middle High German “Come, come, my dear companion” (small choir)
(d) Swaz hie gat umbe (reprise) Middle High German “They who here go dancing around” (choir)
10 Were diu werlt alle min Middle High German “If the whole world were but mine” (choir)
Part II. In Taberna In the Tavern
11 Estuans interius Latin “Seething inside” (baritone)
12 Olim lacus colueram Latin “Once I swam in lakes” (tenor, male choir)
13 Ego sum abbas Latin “I am the abbot (of Cockaigne)” (baritone, male choir)
14 In taberna quando sumus Latin “When we are in the tavern” (male choir)
Part III. Cour d'amours Court of Love
15 Amor volat undique Latin “Love flies everywhere” (soprano, boys' choir)
16 Dies, nox et omnia Latin / Old French “Day, night and everything” (baritone)
17 Stetit puella Latin “There stood a girl” (soprano)
18 Circa mea pectora Latin / Middle High German “In my breast” (baritone, choir)
19 Si puer cum puellula Latin “If a boy with a girl” (3 tenors, 1 baritone, 2 basses)
20 Veni, veni, venias Latin “Come, come, pray come” (double choir)
21 In trutina Latin “On the scales” (soprano)
22 Tempus est iocundum Latin “Time to jest” (soprano, baritone, choir, boys' choir)
23 Dulcissime Latin “Sweetest” (soprano)
Blanziflor et Helena Blancheflour and Helen
24 Ave formosissima Latin “Hail to the most lovely” (choir)
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi Fortune, Empress of the World
25 O Fortuna (reprise) Latin “O Fortune” (choir)
The structure is based to some extent on the “Fortuna Wheel”, seen on the cover of the published score, and looks like this:
The wheel represents:
Regnabo, Regno, Regnavi, Sum sine regno.
(I shall reign, I reign, I have reigned, I am without a realm).
The wheel turns through success, joy, and fortune to bitterness, then grief. But hope returns in the turning of the wheel. It is a constant cycle.
Musically, Orff’s style here is straightforward and melodic. There is no counterpoint (counterpoint is the use of more than one melody at the same time, displaying contrast with the main theme). Orff doesn’t use complex harmonies, and this may be one of the secrets to its appeal. Orff greatly admired early composers such as Monteverdi and Byrd, and so there are some analogies to be made there. But Orff is most similar to some of Stravinsky’s works, a composer he revered. We hear this primarily in some of the primal rhythms employed where, similar to Stravinsky, rhythm is itself one of the most important elements of the structure. Rhythms and dynamics change quickly in Carmina Burana, but they form an integral part of the style to such an extent that we sometimes miss how strikingly fresh and original it sounds.
Along with a large orchestra, Carmina Burana also calls for the following percussion instruments: 5 timpani, 2 snare drums, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, suspended cymbal, antique cymbals, ratchet, castanets, tambourine, sleigh bells, tam-tam, tubular bells, 3 bells, 3 glockenspiels. gong, and xylophone. The percussion, brass, and chorus, along with several solos from the soprano and baritone, form the greater part of the cantata.
Desert Island Recording
The recording of Carmina Burana I could not be without is the 1990 recording by Herbert Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and the San Francisco Boys Chorus, on the Decca label. The soloists are soprano Lynne Dawson, baritone Kevin McMillan, and tenor John Daniecki. This recording is nothing short of a sonic spectacular, and has been one of my favorite recordings of all-time for many years. Swedish-American conductor Blomstedt is an underrated conductor, and for the first half of his career worked mostly in eastern Germany cities such as Dresden and Leipzig. During the 1970s and 1980s, Blomstedt became known especially for his interpretations of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Bruckner, Strauss, and Hindemith. His tenure in San Francisco ran from 1985 to 1995, and resulted in several very good recordings, but none better than this Carmina Burana.
The dynamic range of the recording is very wide, meaning loud parts are quite loud and softer sections are quite soft. Keep your volume control handy. Recorded in Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, this is a “state-of-the-art” audiophile recording. I find the sound engineering ideal for Carmina Burana, accentuating the more visceral and rhythmic qualities of the piece.
Winner of a 1992 Grammy Award, this is far more than just a good sounding recording. Choral annunciation and dynamics are precise and electrifying. The recording is quite masculine where appropriate, but Blomstedt also knows when to emphasize the more tender and lyrical moments. Speeds are middle of the road, and at times a bit faster, but for me the pacing is perfectly done throughout. The brass are exceptionally full and clear, and the percussion are earthy and elemental. The chorus brings me goosebumps. Blomstedt, a devout Seventh-Day Adventist, is masterful at bringing out all the color and secular brashness of this work.
Baritone Kevin McMillan is among the best on record, my only quibble being that in spots his voice is rather recessed when I would like it to be more forward in the sound. Occasionally I find myself wanting more power from him. But he brings swagger and character to each of his solos. Soprano Lynne Dawson is better than average and her light, ethereal voice has a pure and youthful tone that works well for her solos.
Finally, if you love the opening and closing O Fortuna, it has never been recorded better than here. Blomstedt holds the final note, both times, for what feels like the longest time. A recording not to be missed.
Recommended Recordings
Carmina Burana is a much more difficult piece to pull off successfully than it may appear, and while there are a large number of recordings available, only a handful truly do it justice.
A classic recording from 1968 was made by the Deutsche Grammophon label with Eugen Jochum leading the Oper Berlin Orchestra and Chorus, with soprano Gundula Janowitz, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and tenor Gerhard Stolze. Sound is very good, choral diction is clear and present, and dynamics are extremely well done. Brass, woodwinds, and percussion are all impressive. The acoustic is rather “rustic”, bringing an almost medieval feel to the recording. There is mystery and lyricism to be felt in each movement. Fischer-Dieskau has a glorious tone, except when he shouts, which is off-putting but fortunately doesn’t happen often. He brings lots of personality. Janowitz is superb as usual, even if her steely tone and vibrato are not to everyone’s taste. Jochum emphasizes the lyricism more than the power of the work, and this is a valid approach which brings much pleasure. The choral work is simply outstanding.
The German conductor Kurt Eichhorn was not widely known outside his native Germany, and he spent most of his conducting career around Munich. But he recorded Carmina Burana in 1973 with the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Chorus, for RCA (recently reissued in a Kurt Eichhorn box by Sony). Soloists were the great soprano Lucia Popp, legendary baritone Hermann Prey, and tenor John van Kesteren. The only reservation I have about this recording is the somewhat unbalanced sound, and variable sound quality. But the performance is absolutely terrific. Listen to how we can hear the piano wonderfully in “Fortune plango vulnera”, and to how lusty and full the male chorus sounds. The singing throughout is detailed, sensitive and downright haunting. Hermann Prey is excellent, full of character and colorful phrasing. I find his tone ideal. The trumpets and horns are brilliant and exciting, if at times a bit overly brightly recorded. The Bavarian Radio Chorus is sparkling, engaging, and even bawdy at times. Eichhorn speeds up and slows down at just the right times to enhance the picture, and brings out the best in his performers. Last, but certainly no least, is the great Lucia Popp. She is at the top of sopranos for this work in my book, and her voice is gorgeous. The high notes in “Dulcissime” hold no terrors for Popp, and she brings personality and playfulness to her solos. Just a great recording once you adjust to the sound.
Michael Tilson Thomas is one of the best conductors of 20th century music on record. His recordings of Stravinsky, Copland, Gershwin, and Orff are among the best available, and the recordings he made in the 1970s tend to be his best. Such is the case for his 1974 recording of Carmina Burana with the Cleveland Orchestra on the Sony label. He is joined by the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus & Boys Choir, and soloists soprano Judith Blegen, baritone Peter Binder, and tenor Kenneth Riegel. This recording of Carmina Burana, made in the sympathetic acoustic of the Masonic Temple in Cleveland, is exceptional in every way. Tilson Thomas seems to have a natural feel for the rhythmic and dynamic contrasts, and his decisions feel consistently right. Peter Binder has a wonderful tone for Orff, and he keenly characterizes each of his solos differently based on the content of the poem. Soprano Judith Blegen is playful, seductive, and delicate, and possesses a beautiful tone as can be heard well in “In Trutina” and “Dulcissime”. “Ecce gratum” is taken too fast for me, but it is undeniably exciting, and “Floret silva” has a contagious swagger with exuberant singing. The percussion and brass (and the all-important piano!) are stunning in their virtuosity and impact. “In Taberna” brings an increase of speed, which the chorus executes in thrilling fashion. There are too many highlights to list here, but this is a great recording in every way.
Other recordings to explore
The recordings below each have their own merits, and while perhaps not in the same class as those listed above, they are worth hearing.
Berlin Philharmonic and Rundfunkchor Berlin conducted by Simon Rattle (Warner, 2004) showcases excellent percussion and the glorious baritone voice of Christian Gerhaher (reminiscent of Fischer-Dieskau) but suffers from over resonant sound which blurs some detail.
The 2018 live recording by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Wiener Singakademie conducted by Long Yu on the Deutsche Grammophon label has garnered a lot of positive attention. The beginning “O Fortuna” is fantastic, and the forward momentum is effective. The soloists are quite good, especially the soprano Aida Garifullina. However, the sound is like an echo-chamber and is distracting.
Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are interesting in their 2002 release on the Telarc label. The sound is good, and the choral work is very fine. The baritone Earle Patriarco is one of the best you will hear with superb characterization.
Riccardo Chailly and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin and Chorus is captured in a sonically excellent recording from 1983 on the Decca label. The chorus is clear and powerful, and the soloists are also quite good. Stephen Roberts lighter baritone voice is unusual but appealing, and Sylvia Greenberg has a lovely, floating sort of voice without too much vibrato. Dynamics are well-judged and the sound is full and warm from the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin. Very enjoyable.
Finally, German conductor Gunter Wand and the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus was recorded in 1984 and is now on the Profil label. While the sound is not ideal, Wand brings real character to the proceedings and the orchestra and chorus sound as though they are having fun. The baritone Peter Binder appears once again, and he is again impressive. The soprano Maria Venuti is not among the best, sounding too matronly for my taste. But overall this is worth hearing.
I enjoyed revisiting so many wonderful recordings of this popular music, and I hope you enjoy it as well. Until next time, thank you again for reading!
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Notes:
Busch-Frank, Sabine (24 June 2020). "'Er war politisch erschreckend naiv.' Der Wiener Historiker Oliver Rathkolb hat das Leben Carl Orffs in der NS-Zeit untersucht". Donaukurier [de] (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2022.
Kater, Michael H. (2000). Composers of the Nazi Era: Eight Portraits. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-515286-9.
Kohler, Andrew S. (2015). 'Grey C, Acceptable': Carl Orff's Professional and Artistic Responses to the Third Reich (PhD dissertation). University of Michigan. hdl:2027.42/111359.
Liess, Andreas (1966). Carl Orff: His Life and His Music. Translated by Parkin, Adelheid and Herbert. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0714501514.
Monod 2003, p. 302. "[Orff] was sharp enough to have taken advantage of the Americans' lack of knowledge and to have utterly bamboozled the psychiatrist."
Morgan, Robert (1991). Twentieth-Century Music. New York: W. W. Norton. p. 258. ISBN 0-393-95272-X. (note in this source that the description of Die Bernauerin on p. 259 in fact matches Astutuli.)
Orff, Carl (1975–1983). Carl Orff und sein Werk. Dokumentation. 8 vols. Tutzing: Hans Schneider.
Prieberg, Fred K. (2009). Handbuch Deutsche Musiker 1933–1945 (2nd. ed.). Self-published CD-Rom.
Rathkolb, Oliver (2021). Carl Orff und der Nationalsozialismus. Publikationen des Orff-Zentrums München, Band II/2. Mainz: Schott Music. ISBN 978-3-79-572755-0.
Rathkolb 2021, p. 146 n. 578 Regarding Orff's memberships or lack thereof in Nazi organizations, see also documents from a Nazi Party inquiry into Carl Orff in 1942 and Dr. Bertram Schaffner's official report of Orff's denazification (1 April 1946), printed in Rathkolb 2021, pp. 202, 205, 236 and Kohler 2015, pp. 391–393, 422.
Rockwell, John (5 December 2003). "Reverberations; Going Beyond 'Carmina Burana,' and Beyond Orff's Stigma". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
Rösch, Thomas (2021a). "Carl Orff 1895–1982. Der Lebensweg eines Musiktheater-Komponisten im 20. Jahrhundert". In Henkel & Messmer (2021), pp. 11–44.
Rothstein, Edward (31 March 1982). "Carl Orff, Teacher and Composer of Carmina Burana, Dead at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
Schaffner, Bertram (1948). Fatherland: A Study of Authoritarianism in the Germany Family. New York: Columbia University Press.
Taruskin, Richard (2005). The Oxford History of Western Music. Vol. 4 "The Early Twentieth Century". Oxford: Oxford University Press.