Some questions about Burana

"Poem Burana" Lai Weifeng

There are many famous choral passages in classical music, such as the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mozart's Mass in C, Bra The German Requiem, the "Triumphal March" from Verdi's opera Aidali, the "Hum Chorus" from Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly, etc. are all well-known masterpieces. But if I want to find the choral work that is most popular among audiophiles and is most easily accepted by modern people and generates excitement, I would like to think it is Carl Orff's oratorio "Carmina Burana" None other than.

Creative background

In most people’s impressions, Off seems to be a one-piece composer who has only written one work, "Poem Burana", because in their impression, besides Apart from "Poem Burana", it seems that he can't name his "second piece"! In fact, Auf also wrote six operas including "Oedipus King", "Wise Girl", and "Moon", three concertos, three suites for chorus and orchestra, teaching works and hundreds of children's songs song. It's just that the world is most familiar with "Carmina Burana", the first of his "Victory Trilogy".

Off was born on July 10, 1895 in Benediktbeuren, a small town in Bavaria quite close to Munich. His family was well-off and very educated. Although Off lacked professional training since childhood, he had already published works at the age of fifteen, and they were written using new perspectives that were different from the past. It was not until he graduated from high school at the age of 19 that he entered the Munich Conservatory of Music to receive formal music education. After graduation, he worked as a chorus conductor at the Munich Theater, Mannheim Opera House, Darmstadt Opera House and other places, and then developed a great interest in creating dramatic music.

In 1924, Offe and dancer Dorothee Gunther founded the Guntherschule School, which was a turning point in Offe's career. Guntherschule is a new and creative music education school. Auf believes that music must be combined with rhythm, and rhythm must be combined with music. Through singing, rhythm and the use of simple percussion instruments, Off established the well-known "Karl Off music education system."

"Poem Burana" is a work he began to write in 1935-36. He considered it to be the first work after mature thinking about his personal musical concepts. When he was 41 years old (1936), he completed Burana. After the creation of poetry, it is the arrival of the maturity period of Off's creations. After completing this song, he once said: "This is my first work. All the works I wrote in the past can be discarded!" He successfully integrated his new musical concept into the music and wrote this piece. ***Twenty-five pieces include classics for soloists, choruses, and full orchestra.

Creative materials and techniques

The materials used in the lyrics of "Poem Burana" were not written by Off himself but have some origins and allusions. It turns out that in an ancient monastery established in 740 AD on the Benedictine hill in Bonn, Auf's hometown, there is a medieval copy of Burana. It was not discovered until 1803. In 1847, the Bavarian scholar Schumel compiled more than two hundred poems from the poems preserved in the monastery and published them. It was not until 1935 that Auf himself had the opportunity to read the German translation of Burana, a collection of poems from the twelfth century, for the first time.

Why do we translate the name Carmina Burana into "Burana"? Carmina Burana written on most album covers is actually Latin. When translated into English, it should be Songs of Beuren, and Beuren (transliterated as Burana) is an ancient place name. The "Poem Burana" popular among audiophiles got its name from the English translation. .

The extensive content and vital descriptions of this collection of poems aroused Off's reverie and stimulated his creative motivation. He immediately realized that his new musical concept could be used as a basis for this collection of poems. try.

Off spent two years clarifying his ideas and decided to start composing in the form of a scenic cantata. The arrangement used: three solo singers, soprano, tenor, and baritone, plus a choir, orchestra, a large percussion group, and two A large performance lineup with two pianos and five timpani is used to show the boldness of the music. The twenty-five lyrics of the whole song are divided into three parts: "Spring", "In the Tavern", and "The Officer of Love", plus the prelude of "Fate, Queen of the World" at the beginning, and the twenty-fourth section "Female". "Hero and Helen" and the end of the twenty-fifth paragraph "Destiny, Queen of the World" are summarized.

In this work, Auf can be said to have integrated ancient Greek drama, medieval mystery scripts, and Bavarian folk dramas, using nostalgic materials to create a movement with a novel vocabulary. In terms of creative techniques, Off uses the simplest melody materials and strong rhythms, and repeats phrases without any development or transformation in large numbers. In a seemingly monotonous way, he creates an endless stream of energy and excitement. The mood of the modern audience. The harmony of Burana is so simple and simple. Although the counterpoint is limited, the use of voices is numerous and uncomplicated. The mood of the music changes with different lyrics and singing arrangements. The music progresses in a "block" shape, and the intensity ranges from pianissimo to pianissimo to Extremely strong is so willful, and often does not have the buffer of crescendo and diminution, but it still has a vaguely strong inner logic.

This form of scenic cantata can be said to be an oratorio that combines drama, music and religion. After the success of Burana, Off completed "Catulli Poetry" in 1942 and "Catuli Poems" in 1951. "Lady Victory" was completed in 2001, and the three works are collectively called the "Victory Trilogy", which is his final welcome piece.

Comparison of recording versions

The premiere of "Burana" was held in Frankfurt on June 8, 1937. Within five years after its premiere, the song was only available in German It became popular in the region, and it was not until its successful performance at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1942 that it took its international steps. Since the song was so popular among audiophiles, the recording was not bad in comparison.

In recordings, the TAS list that audiophiles care about most includes two pieces of "Burana". Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony 1980's recording at Telarc won the honor of being listed on the TAS list. It is a disc that super audiophiles will drool over. Robert Shaw's ease and confidence in choral works, coupled with the super baritone Hagegard (he also played in Ma The precise performance of the song (played the leading role in the tower version) gives this piece a complete look. Producer Robert Woods, sound engineer Jack Renner, recording location is the Art Center of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Another famous version of TAS is the Storkowsky/Houston Symphony recording at Capital (EMI). Friends who are interested may wish to find it and listen to it themselves.

Preven and Seiji Ozawa have both recorded more than one version of such a classic piece. Previn recorded two versions. The first version was an analog recording with the London Symphony at EMI in 1974. It was produced by Christopher Bishop and recorded by Christopher Parker. The recording location was the famous Kingsway Hall. This version is also recognized as a must-have version by audiophiles, with thick sound quality, upright expression, and rich and natural tone. This version also received three stars from Penguin and Gramophone's "Good CD Guide" for outstanding performance. Tenor English and baritone Allen both performed equally well. Brilliant, the overall liveliness and detail of the music can be said to be better than Ozawa's Philips version. The other version is a new 4D recording by the Vienna Philharmonic in 1993 at DG, with outstanding performance by soprano soloist Barbara Bonney, recording engineers Jobst Eberhardt, Jurgen Bulgrin, and producer Christopher Alder. It is obvious that Previn highlighted the elegant timbre of the Vienna Philharmonic, which is even richer and more natural under 4D recording. However, since this version is a new release, the comments from all parties have not been clear yet.

Strictly speaking, Seiji Ozawa has also recorded three versions. His 1989 Philips recording with the Berlin Philharmonic (soprano Gerbelova) won three stars from Penguin and the Outstanding Award from Gramophone's "Good CD Guide" Performance and recording reviews (similar to Blomstedt's), the effect of this digital recording far exceeds the previous RCA version he and Boston made in 1969. In addition, Ozawa also released a video on Philips. The orchestra was still the Berlin Philharmonic, but the soprano was replaced by Kathleen Bartow.

For those who pay more attention to music, don’t miss the Penguin Samsung Flowers and the Top 300 Japanese Famous Songs! The Ormandy/Philadelphia CBS/Sony version is priced at a mid-range level with Penguin Samsung and is extremely competitive in the market. Ormandy interprets this song with a very slow beginning, which may not sound interesting at first, but the music gradually gets better as the lyrics change. The soloist has no star but achieves a good balance with the chorus, "Philadelphia Sound" What is pursued here is not the beautiful sound, but the cleansing of the soul and the harmony of music. This is a very different interpretation and should be listened to.

Jofm/Berlin’s Deutsche Oper Berlin’s DG recording in 1988 has become a mid-priced version. It has won three stars from Penguin, Gramophone’s “Excellent CD Guide” for outstanding performance, and the top 300 Japanese recording art masterpieces. Review, it can be said to be the favorite version of music fans. Even the reissued large flower version is still very good. The chorus' articulation and rhythmic power are unparalleled, and the soloists are golden casts: soprano Janowicz and baritone Fischer Diskau, who accurately convey the expressions of a divine drama. Producer Hans Hirsch, sound engineer Klaus Scheibe.

The classical music manufacturer EMI has shown great interest in this track, and eight versions have been released. The EMI version of Muti/Philharmonic Orchestra received an outstanding performance evaluation from Gramophone's "Good CD Guide". After the shocking beating of the first drum of "Fate, Goddess of the World", Muti slowly moved at a slower speed. Brewing, not letting the emotions out all at once, the ability to control the chorus is extraordinary. The performance of the percussion group, especially the cymbals, is quite eye-catching, which further highlights the rhythmic nature of "Poem Burana". What's more, with the composer's personal guidance, there is no doubt about the sense of authority. It is a version with great potential. Soprano Ogg's texture is lighter, but it is not overshadowed by the orchestra. The recording engineer is Peter Bown. According to the data, this version was recorded in 1980, but it was not released until 1990/91. I don't know if it is due to a citation error in the data or Other reasons contributed to the slow release progress.

Weissemost/London Philharmonic EMI version is a fairly new recording, recorded by John Kurlander, recorded at Abbey Road Studio 1, and is also the latest set of the "Victory Trilogy" "recording, among which "Katuli Poetry" also won three penguin awards. Weiselmost interpreted it with concise expressions and active rhythm. The chorus part seemed free, without the heaviness of past versions. Soprano Hendricks has performed in the RCA version of Mata in the past, and now she sings more skillfully and skillfully.

The EMI recording by French conductor Prason/Duluth Municipal Orchestra is probably the latest recording of this piece with a new cover design, which won three stars from Penguin.

Open the Penguin review and you will find many versions with three-star reviews. Among them, the more eye-catching ones are: Blomstedt/San Francisco Symphony's 1991 Decca recording won three stars from Penguin and Gramophone's "Good CD Guide" Highly praised for its outstanding performance and recording, it is a modern interpretation full of exquisiteness. The late conductor Mata's 1980 RCA digital recording was a super-low-priced version. Penguin gave it a three-star rating, and the lead vocals included Hendricks and Hagegard. Hickox/London Symphony's Carlton (IMP) version was produced by the same orchestra as Previn's first recording, and was rated three stars by Penguin. There is also a Schlatkin/St. Louis RCA version, which is also a Penguin three-star version. Mehta/London Philharmonic's recording at Teldec featured the most promising coloratura soprano Sumi Jo, who also won three Penguin stars.

There are two versions with two Penguin stars: Durati/Royal Philharmonic's 1976 Decca version. Although it was recorded at Kingsway Hall, the re-edition (Phase 4) was not very good and only received two Penguin stars. The ultra-low-priced version of the Naxos, with Gunzenhauser conducting the Czech Radio Symphony, only received two penguin stars because it lacked the sense of indulgence. Li Wen/Chicago Symphony DG version won the Grammy Award for Best Chorus.

There are three other special editions worth mentioning: Schmidt-Isserlis, the conductor who is the first choice for Japan’s famous 300-meter disc, actually has a recording with the Stockholm Philharmonic at BIS. I really want to listen to it. have a look. In addition, E. Chumachenko's piano arrangement (1992 recording, Wergo) and R. De Cormier's electronic synthesis version (1989, Newport) have their own characteristics.

And hm once released an archaeological edition of the medieval Burana original, which was released as five LPs. I wonder if the CD is out?

List of Burana recordings

Matta/London Symphony RCA (soprano Hendricks, baritone Hagegard)

Tyson Thomas/gram Riverland Orchestra CBS SK 76372 (33172)

Schmidt-Isserlis/Stockholm Philharmonic BIS CD421

Seiji Ozawa/Berlin Philharmonic Philips 070 131- 1-5 (DVD) Bartow

Smetacek/Czech Philharmonic Supraphone 11 0321 (1988/11) 2SUP0025

Ormandy/Philadelphia Sony 47668-2

Heritier/Geneva Percussion Ensemble CASC VEL 1009

Stupel/Rubinstein Philharmonic DANA DACOCD400

Bronstedt/San Francisco Decca 430 509-2

Seiji Ozawa/Berlin Philharmonic Philips 422 363-2 (Gebelova)