Originally, the title Carmina Burana referred not to a piece of music, but rather a medieval (13th century) codex containing a collection of poetry. The texts, predominantly written in Latin and partially in Middle High German, Old French and Provencal, were found in the Benediktbeuern Monastery in Bavaria. In 1935/36, the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982) set 24 verses of this goliardic poetry of scholars and monks to music, creating a large-scale cantata. The musical language of the work is characterised by rawness and directness; a modernisation of an imagined medieval style. A 'neo'-style, then, yet one that is still thrillingly and zestfully new, just like the numerous neoclassical works that Stravinsky composed around the same time. There is something magical about Carmina Burana, a feeling that is enhanced by the vital role of repetition in the work. This remarkably stirring, hypnotising music never fails to hit the spot. Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, a one-time winner of the Budapest International Conducting Competition, has been a favourite of Hungarian audiences for half a century. Kobayashi guarantees thrills in every genre and style, though he is always most at home when dealing with monumental oratorical compositions that require large musical forces. So we can be sure that under his baton, the true sorcery of Carmina Burana will be brought to the fore.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic