CARMINA BURANA

CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA
The conductors represented are considered
to be among the most esteemed of
their time. In addition, three of the recordings
in the study were prepared with Carl
Orff present at rehearsals and at the actual
recording session. 3 These recordings are
quite informative of what may have been
Orff’s original intentions. This analysis hopes
to guide artistic decisions for future performances
of the work.
The sixteen recordings were selected
according to issue date and nationality of
conductor and performers. The recordings
were analyzed based upon three principal
categories:
Outstanding Performance
Opportunities Designed for
Undergraduates
Yearly fully-staged undergraduate
opera and opera scenes
Recital series and master classes
Choral tours and major works for
choir and orchestra
Vocal Faculty includes:
Robert Barefield
Edward Bolkovac
Cherie Caluda
Kevin Jones
Doris Lang Kosloff
Michael Kutner
Joanna Levy
Michele McBride
Marjorie Melnick
Korby Myrick
Wayne Rivera
Kyle Swann
Stuart Younse
Audition Dates
for Fall 2011
Entrance
December 11
(early notification),
January 28 & 30,
February 18 & 19
50 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 4
• Tempo (tempos of the recordings were
compared to Orff’s tempo indications);
• Text (pronunciation, and articulation);
• Musical interpretation (rubato, stringendo,
portamento, phrasing, articulation, and
elision).
Tempo
Each movement of every recording in
the study was timed with a Tempowatch,
both at the beginning of the movement, and
at various tempo changes indicated in the
score. These timings were then compared to
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Orff’s metronome markings in the published
score. In total, fi fty-one timings were taken
from each recording. The studied recordings
were also compared and contrasted with
each other.
Of all sixteen recordings, the Deutschen
Oper Berlin recording, with Eugen Jochum
conducting, was the closest to Orff’s indicated
tempo markings. Twenty-three of the
fi fty-one-timed sections were within plus or
minus fi ve clicks of the metronome markings
given in the score. Of these twentythree,
ten of the timed sections on the
Jochum recording were exactly the tempos
indicated in Orff’s score. Second closest to
Orff’s tempo indications was the Hartford
Symphony performance, conducted by Fritz
Mahler. Twenty-two of the fi fty-one timings
taken were within fi ve metronome markings
of Orff’s. Of these twenty-two, nine
were exactly the tempos indicated in Orff’s
score. Orff was in attendance at both these
recording sessions. The Jochum recording is
marked as “authorized by Orff.” The fact that
Orff was in attendance at the two recordings
most resembling his tempo markings creates
a compelling argument that Orff’s markings
were to be taken literally and followed as
closely as possible.
The recording that deviated most
radically from Orff’s markings was the Berlin
Philharmonic recording, with Seiji Ozawa
conducting. Only fi ve of Ozawa’s tempos
fell within fi ve clicks of Orff’s metronome
markings. The one section in which most
recordings came closest to Orff’s markings
was the fi rst four bars of the opening
movement. Of the sixteen recordings, twelve
were within fi ve clicks of Orff’s marking. The
movements in which all conductors were
furthest from Orff’s markings were the
scatenato section at the end of movement
14 (In Taberna); the opening of movement
15 (Amor volat undique); movement 17 (Stetit
puella); the ancora piu mosso in movement
18 (Circa mea pectora); and movement 24
(Ave formosissima). None of the conductors
was within fi ve clicks of Orff’s metronome
markings in these movements or sections.
The recording with the overall fastest
tempos was the Michael Tilson Thomas
recording with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Twelve of the selected timed sections were