CARMINA BURANA

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ductor who formatted the recording with only four tracks (1. Introduction - Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi; 2. Part 1, Primo vere and Uf dem Anger; 3. Part II - In taberna; 4. Part III - Cour d’amours, Blanzifl or et Helena and the return of Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi). It is also important to consider that it might have been the decision of a recording engineer or other technical factors that prevented a scenic continuity, rather than the conductor’s musical decisions. Within the surveyed recordings, the greatest discrepancy in attacca recognition came between movements 5 (Ecce gratum) and 6 (Tanz). These two movements occur in the middle of the scene labeled Primo vere. Movement 6 is the beginning of Primo vere’s “internal scene” Uf dem anger. There is no attacca marking between the two movements. Several conductors did perform what appears to be an attacca between these two movements (Jochum, Penderecki, and Thielemann). Perhaps this was done in order to maintain the structure of the overall Primo vere scene. Musical Decisions Other Than Those Marked in the Score In any piece of music, whether it be by Mozart or Bartok, conductors will take liberties outside of what the composer has indicated in the score. Such liberties include ritardandi, accelerandi, grand pauses, or fermati, to name only a few. However, taking into account how specifi c Orff was in marking his score, such liberties are even more evident than usual. The conductor who went farthest from Orff’s indications was Leopold Stokowski in his 1957 recording with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In this age of studied performance practice, Leopold Stokowski is now infamous for his romanticizing of Bach and other tremendous liberties taken with established repertoire. In Stokowski’s rendition of Orff’s work, he actually cuts the fi rst twelve bars as well as measures 53 and 54 marked feroce from Movement 14. There is no indication in Orff’s score that these cuts are acceptable. In some cases, conductors will cut portions of the text to accommodate the performance abilities of the ensemble. However, bearing in mind that these cuts are small and, in the case of movement 14, the material that was cut is repeated later, it is questionable as to whether this was Stokowski’s motive. The cuts may also have been made due to time limitations on the recording medium available. Another decision made by Stokowski comes in the baritone solo, movement 16 (Dies, nox et omnies). In this recording, a baritone and tenor are used. The tenor sings the sections usually performed by the baritone in falsetto. Although this decision may have been made due to vocal limitations of the baritone soloist, artistically it pays no attention to the text or Orff’s conception of characters playing a role. Throughout this performance, Stokowski takes numerous liberties with tempo and articulation that are not indicated in the score and are not heard in any other recording. One other conductor who took extreme liberties with the score was Penderecki in his 1994 recording of the “Karol Szymanowski” State Cracow Philharmony Orchestra and Choirs. For example, in the fi rst four measures of the piece, Penderecki makes extremely large pauses at each Luftpause, interpreting the marking as a fermata over a rest, rather than a slight pause. This luftpause interpretation is also taken at measure 31 (Figure 3) and each subsequent strophe throughout movement 5. There also seems to be very little, if any, recognition of scenic unity on the Penderecki recording. Attacca markings are sporadically recognized, creating no cohesion between each scene. The single movement in which most conductors took some sort of artistic license was in movement 14 (In taberna). Orff’s By Paul Brandvik Author of The Compleet Madrigal Dinner Booke THIRTY SCRIPTS, each containing All DIALOGUE (including greeting, toasts, festivities, and humorous Renaissance play) necessary for A SUCCESSFUL MADRIGAL DINNER! For complete info: VISIT OUR WEB SITE: www.madrigaldinner.com knight-shtick press Box 814, Bemidji, MN 56619-0814 218-586-2270 madrigaldinner@madrigaldinner.com CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 4 59
CARL ORFF'S <strong>CARMINA</strong> <strong>BURANA</strong> 60 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 4 Luftpause is particularly problematic in this movement. For example, in the fi rst 12 bars of the movement there are four Luftpause. No conductor in this survey made any observation of these four markings (Figure 4). However, in measure 24 a Luftpause is marked after the last beat of the measure (Figure 5). Fritz Mahler and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos interpreted this marking as a grand pause before the new section of music. Sawallisch interpreted this marking as a one beat rest before the new tempo. De Burgos also places a grand pause in measure 36, where there is no indication for such an interpretation (Figure 6). One other recorded discrepancy comes in measure 70 of Movement 14 (Figure 7). Here, we see no indication for a break in sound or tempo before the subito molto stentato section. However, Frühbeck de Burgos, Mahler, Sawallisch, and Tilson Thomas all placed either a break or grand pause before this new section. When these two bars are analyzed harmonically, we see a series of fi rst inversion chords (perhaps mimicking fauxbourdon) in the choral part all over an E pedal. The downbeat of measure 71 is an F-major chord in fi rst inversion in both the choral and wind parts with a “D” pedal in the strings. The indicated E pedal of the strings and woodwinds is harmonically leading to the F-major 6-3 chord at the tempo change. In addition, the chord progression of measure 70 ends with an E-major 6-3 chord, which also leads the listener to F major. To place a break after this progression seems to destroy the harmonic
Page 1 and 2: CARL ORFF’S CARMINA BURANA An Ana
Page 3 and 4: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA The cond
Page 5 and 6: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA Specifi
Page 7 and 8: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA Conducto
Page 9 and 10: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA • A mo
Page 11: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA measure
Page 15 and 16: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA Shinyuka

CARMINA BURANA

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