Search - Orff :: Carmina Burana - Fruhbeck de Burgos

In a Field of Strong Competition, This CARMINA BURANA Remain

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The ever popular Carl Orff CARMINA BURANA is performed frequently and recorded regularly, and the quality of the performances ranging from amateur ensembles to the finest orchestras in the world always seem to satisfy audiences at least on some level: much of that fact is due to the quality of the piece itself. No, it s not profound, but it is a beautifully conceived, written and orchestrated (with a nod to some excellent choral writing and solo work) that it would take a very bad performance to fail to uncover the joys of hearing it repeatedly.



For this listener this older recording, gratefully remastered, of the cantata is the strongest of all. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, the Wandsworth School Boy's Choir and soloists soprano Lucia Popp, tenor Gerhard Unger, and baritones Raymond Wolansky, and John Noble in a performance that is excitingly propulsive, pausing for dramatic emphasis when the score calls for that and driving to spectacular climaxes as they arise. The orchestra is sensitively responsive to his subtle touches with superb solo desk playing as in the 'Olim lacus colueram' introduction. The chorus is lusty at times and romantic at other times. Lucia Popp's radiant soprano makes 'In Trutina' soar, and the other solo and duet roles are sung as well as any on disc.



But it is the shaping of this performance that makes it so special and under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos this work that approaches over-exposure sounds fresh and new with every repeat hearing! Grady Harp, July 09"