defrocked monks | Vienna Choral Society

Carmina_Flyer_0416 Here’s what happened when word got out about our plans to stage Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana: We had interest from singers, “Carmina groupies” one board member dubbed them, who wanted to join us in the last quarter of the season. Just to sing the masterwork.

Sample conversation:

VCS: You do realize you’ll still have to pay dues, buy the music, and the attire, and it’ll be just for this one concert, right?
Singer: Yes! OMG I just want to sing Carmina! Please can I join? Here, take my money!

And then there were the singers who came back from retirement and/or rearranged previous work conflicts that had dogged them all season, just so they too could sing Carmina.

What the heck is it about Orff’s masterwork that moves us so?

For the uninitiated, you may assume that Carmina Burana is your stereotypical classical work. Complete with soaring music, a text with Kyries and Glorias, and a stationary, oh-so-serious chorus of voices singing music that moves you, but you don’t know why. Between the sweeping phrases of Latin (and German!), the thunder of the timpani, and that vague recollection of an Old Spice or an Australian beer commercial (“It’s A Big Ad!”), you are ready to enthusiastically applaud at the end of the 40-50-60 minute stretch. [Read more…]

Thank you so much for coming out to see us, and sing with us last weekend! You are the most sporting audience a choir can hope to have, and we loved both singing for you, and watching you sing with us.

And now, we dive right into rehearsals for our final concert of the season. We sing CARMINA BURANA, 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 21, 2016.

If it’s new to you, Carmina is an opera with lyrics from medieval Latin poetry, set to music by Carl Orff. I know, you stopped at Latin. But it’s us, VCS. So what you need to know is that it’s the coolest kind of opera.

Did we mention that the words (on very human themes of lust, greed, all the vices) were written by snarky clergy in satire of the Catholic Church? Or that they were rediscovered in the early 20th century by defrocked monks? Really, you can’t make this stuff up.

Here’s the other thing: We’ll sing Carmina with two pianos, ~~six~~ five percussionists, and the awesome kids from the Mosby Woods Mustang Chorus. (Yes, the very same who sang with us a couple of years ago at the Lullabies concert, under the direction of the fabulous Camille Haberland.)

Have you marked your calendar yet? Please do!

Cura, ut valets!*

(*The interwebs tells me that’s Latin for “Take care that you be well.”)

FYI – we expect a big crowd, and we’ll have information about tickets ASAP. But remember, you get first dibs if you’re on our mailing list. It’s easy! Subscribe in the box below.

There. You’re done.

Carmina, The Soap Opera Of The Classical World

On To Carmina Burana!

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