CONCERT PROGRAMME
C. Orff. „Carmina Burana“
This autumn, maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra under his direction have chosen to perform an exceptional piece – the magnificent stage cantata "Carmina Burana" by the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982) for soloists, choir and orchestra. The work, which gained worldwide fame shortly after its premiere, was written using the 24 poems of a medieval manuscript with the Latin title “Carmina Burana” (eng. “Songs from Beuern”) as choral texts. The literary work found in a Benedictine monastery in the Bavarian Alps includes a total of 254 poems and dramatic texts composed by unknown wanderers between the 11th and 13th centuries – these poets were probably mostly students of theology. The work satirically talks about the impermanence of success, the ephemeral nature of life, and laughs at the pleasures and dangers of earthly life's joys.
Shortly after the very successful premiere of the work in 1937 at the Frankfurt Opera, C. Orff stated: “Everything I have written up to this day can be destroyed. “Carmina Burana” is where my collected works begin.” “Carmina Burana” has become one of the most famous choral works of all time, and its main theme “O Fortuna:, which opens and closes the cantata, is one of the most performed themes in classical music in the world.