Carmina Burana

Barts Choir presents three 20th-century classics.

Carl Orff’s most popular work was inspired by the composer’s discovery of a collection of medieval songs in Latin and Old German.

As he wrote later, ‘The goddess Fortuna must have been smiling on me when, as if by chance, she put a copy of a catalogue in my hands’. That catalogue contained the Carmina Burana (Songs of Beuren) texts.

Setting these revolutionised Orff’s own musical style, with simple tunes, driving rhythms, repeated bass figures and brilliant and percussive orchestrations, which influenced much later music, particularly for film and television.

The concert opens with Toward the Unknown Region, setting words by Vaughan Williams’ favourite poet, Walt Whitman, and concluding triumphantly with a blaze of choral and instrumental sound.

This is followed by his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, where the composer takes the original Tudor hymn tune and transforms it into music of transcendent beauty and power.

You may also like the following events from Barts Choir:

• This July, 16th July, 07:30 pm, Mozart Requiem in London

Also check out other Entertainment events in London, Music events in London, Concerts in London.