Spring Break
'Carmina' calls for collaboration
by Wei Huan Chen
Staff Writer
Arts | 4/28/09
Posted online at 10:31 PM EST on 4/27/09
Art of epic proportions is happening. How else can one describe the enormity of a full orchestra, a 100-plus person choral ensemble and two pianos reliving what The New York Times calls "one of music's most resilient creatures?"
The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, in collaboration with the Brandeis University Chorus, the Wellesley College Chorus and guest children's chorus Youth Pro Musica, filled the Levin Ballroom with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana Saturday, April 25. The concert was a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and featured soloists Andrea Matthews, soprano, Mark Kagan (MUS), tenor, and David Ripley, bass-baritone.
Carmina Burana was written by German composer Carl Orff, who based the cantata's lyrics on a collection of 13th-century Bavarian poems of the same name. Although originally regarded as degenerate by the Nazi Party, the piece was eventually embraced in Germany and proceeded to gain worldwide fame after World War II. Now, "O Fortuna," which begins and ends the piece, is ubiquitous in everyday life. The chilling hymn is the theme for Old Spice and Gatorade commercials, countless movie trailers and New England Patriots games.
"It was an honor being a part of one of the most recognizable pieces in music," noted Josh Goldman '11, a percussionist in the orchestra.
In between "O Fortuna" are three movements depicting dancing, drinking and sex. Many of its lyrics are quite lurid, such as the line "Come, come, my beloved/ I am awaiting you with desire." It's surprising that medieval monks wrote this and not college students.
Throngs of listeners came to hear Orff's masterpiece brought to life last Saturday, completely filling up Levin Ballroom 15 minutes before the performance.
Before the concert, esteemed composer and professor Marty Boykan (MUS) was presented with the Distinguished Arts Faculty Award. Boykan, who has taught at Brandeis since 1957, was awarded for his work in the Ph.D. program for music composition and his overall contribution to Brandeis.
The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, in collaboration with the Brandeis University Chorus, the Wellesley College Chorus and guest children's chorus Youth Pro Musica, filled the Levin Ballroom with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana Saturday, April 25. The concert was a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and featured soloists Andrea Matthews, soprano, Mark Kagan (MUS), tenor, and David Ripley, bass-baritone.
Carmina Burana was written by German composer Carl Orff, who based the cantata's lyrics on a collection of 13th-century Bavarian poems of the same name. Although originally regarded as degenerate by the Nazi Party, the piece was eventually embraced in Germany and proceeded to gain worldwide fame after World War II. Now, "O Fortuna," which begins and ends the piece, is ubiquitous in everyday life. The chilling hymn is the theme for Old Spice and Gatorade commercials, countless movie trailers and New England Patriots games.
"It was an honor being a part of one of the most recognizable pieces in music," noted Josh Goldman '11, a percussionist in the orchestra.
In between "O Fortuna" are three movements depicting dancing, drinking and sex. Many of its lyrics are quite lurid, such as the line "Come, come, my beloved/ I am awaiting you with desire." It's surprising that medieval monks wrote this and not college students.
Throngs of listeners came to hear Orff's masterpiece brought to life last Saturday, completely filling up Levin Ballroom 15 minutes before the performance.
Before the concert, esteemed composer and professor Marty Boykan (MUS) was presented with the Distinguished Arts Faculty Award. Boykan, who has taught at Brandeis since 1957, was awarded for his work in the Ph.D. program for music composition and his overall contribution to Brandeis.
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