Orff Opera Planned

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 14

Orff Opera Planned

Carl Orff’s medieval opera, “Carmina Burana,” will be performed in Christchurch on December 7, for the second

time in New Zealand. “Carmina Burana” has no plot or cast of characters; it is the setting to music of thirteenth-century Latin verse (with Old French and Old German interpolations) on spring, drinking and love, with a hymn to fortune at begining and end. Written in loose, satirical and passionately indecorous style, the “cantiones profanae” —Orff’s subtitle for his opera—were drawn from ancient manuscripts discovered in 1803, and were the songs of the “goliards”; wandering students, ecclesiastics and rogues of the tenth to thirteenth centuries who

had left the life of the universities and monasteries for that of the road and the tavern.

From the 200 poems contained in the original manuscript, Orff, a contemporary German composer, chose 24, and, as with the troubadour song, more poems survived than tunes, so, although a few of them have their original melodies, Orff was able to compose his score virtually at will. With the deliberate intention of creating a work of popular appeal, Orff set the verses to simple, almost neoprimitive music without the complexity, formal elaboration or the involvement of a score from an opera by, say, Wagner or Verdi. It is written for a large orchestra with a sizeable percussion section, inch-Hug two pianos, bells, drums, as well as solo voices. The effect, one reviewer wrote, after hearing it for the first time, is intoxicating. The deliberate simplicity of the music suits the frankness of the texts, the abandon of the verse and the irresponsibility of the sentiments.

Repetitive rhythm, antiphony, chant, harmony, unison and shouted chorus all make it up to be one of the most popular works of any modern composer and one which has been chosen to be performed in Canada next year as part of the centenary celebrations.

“Carmina Burana” is part of a trilogy, all related in style and grouped under the name “Trionfi.” It was written in 1936, and first performed in Frankfurt a year

later. Understandably, the opera is particularly popular in Germany and has been recorded.

The Royal Christchurch Musical Society, with soloists Emily Mair, Grant Dickson and George Metcalfe, will present the work with the N.Z.B.C. Symphony Orchestra under Juan Matteucci.

Two Youth Concerts Two youth concerts will be given by the N.Z.B.C. Symphony Orchestra under Juan Matteucci on December 5 and 7, in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of UNESCO. Both concerts will be held in Canterbury Court. The programmes will have' particular emphasis on music, for youth. The first concert will consist of four works —Respighi’s “Fountains of Rome,” Mendelssohns Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, featuring the young Auckland pianist, Peter Clarken, as soloist; Stravinsky’s 1 “Circus Polka” (written for the Elephant’s Dance at the famed Ringling, Barnum and Bailey circus); and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2. The second concert will include Wagner’s “Flying Dutchman” Overture, Bartok’s Divertimento for Strings, Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasie Overture, and Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.”