Search - Orff :: Carmina Burana

Very polished, if you like your Carmina to behave itself

rrr338 | 08/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I essentially agree with the reviewer below. The Robert Shaw Chorale and the Atlanta Symphony do a very commendable performance here. The singing is polished, expertly timed, and blends beautifully with the orchestra. If you prefer this more exacting style of performance, you will probably rate this recording highly. On the other hand, if you prefer this piece to reflect its highly spiritied and indeed profane nature, there are other recordings that go in that direction. Herbert Blomstadt and the San Francisco Symphony have done a nice job in getting the "racous and raunchy" feel for this music across. There is an older recording with Eugene Ormandy on the CBS label that does likewise, but it suffers from its age (digital technonology can only do so much for older recordings). The best, most spirited recording of this piece that I have heard was over a public radio station, and it was the Berlin Radio Philharmonic (and unfortunately I did not get the conductor or featured singers). I am still searching for this one, because you could easily visualize the "knowing glances" of the male and female choruses as they worked themselves up to the sensual parts. They seemed to be having a lot of fun, keeping with the spirit of the music. Finally, the comment about some of the softer parts getting "lost," and requiring adjustment in the volume (for the Shaw verision) strikes me as accurate. That is exactly what I did upon first trying this CD, and I think any recording should not require fiddling with the volume control."