It goes without saying that the Robert Shaw-trained Atlanta Symphony Chorus sings with amazing precision and ideal blend, but whereas Shaw’s previous recording for Telarc was blandly correct, Runnicles has his singers and players fully involved in realizing the meaning of these colorful texts. Three examples (of many) stand out: the tubular bell strokes that mark the ends of stanzas in Ecce gratum the sweetly dissonant oboe counterpoint (specifically marked “espressivo” in the score) to the flutes in Amor volat undique’s ritornello and the forward massed woodwinds in Blanziflor et Helena. Even the segues from one song to the next have been perfectly timed–most impressively in the third part (Cour d’amours), which builds to a huge climax marking the return of O Fortuna.Īs with all great performances of Carmina, the conductor–in this case Donald Runnicles–extracts wonderful dabs of color from Orff’s neo-primitive accompaniments. The two opening numbers of Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi explode swiftly out of the starting gate, setting the stage for excitement that never lets up. Everything goes right, and virtually every single piece has something distinctive about it. This lively, lusty, stunningly recorded new Carmina Burana goes right to the top of the heap, sharing pride of place with the celebrated performances of Jochum (DG), Kegel (Berlin Classics), Blomstedt (Decca), and Ozawa (RCA).
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