Carmina Burana

"Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magic images"

This was the actual subtitle that Carl Orff chose for his cantata in 1937! A piece that is most commonly referred to by "Carmina Burana" today.

I went to see Carmina Burana's ballet, directed by John Alleyne, this evening and was stunned! The wave of passion coming from the stage just knocked me over! The music was performed by Vancouver's Chamber Choir and was absolutely perfect!

The name comes after a monastery from which the poems were originally found. The lyrics were the work of medieval poets, monks and minstrels and, surprisingly, were mostly secular... Carl Orff arranged his cantata based on these lyrics and, needless to say, achieved a huge success.

Apart from the great music, dancers showed a great deal of emotion too... you could literally feel the lust and desire...a truly unforgettable performance!