The Carmina Burana has been described as 'Rock'n'Roll for intellectuals' and was criticized in Nazi Germany for its 'obscure language' and 'jazzy atmosphere'.
Compositional Technique
Carl Orff's Carmina Burana breaks with centuries of musical development, replacing harmonic progression with a static, tectonic, and strophic form where musical statements remain the same in all repetitions.
Recording & Production
This recording of Carmina Burana was captured live on May 17, 2008, in the Großer Sendesaal of the NDR in Hanover.
Composition History
Carl Orff's Carmina Burana was inspired by a medieval manuscript he found in an antiquarian's catalogue in 1934, which he purchased for ten Reichsmark.
Performer Biography
The conductor Eiji Oue, who leads the NDR Radiophilharmonie on this recording, was a student of the renowned American conductor Leonard Bernstein, who also introduced Oue to the world.
Composer's Artistic Vision
After encountering the Carmina Burana manuscript, Carl Orff dramatically changed his compositional style, telling his publisher to "pulverize" all his previous works.
