Orff : Die Kluge, Der Mond, Carmina Burana, Catulli Carmina, Trionfo di Afrodite

Description

A triply interesting box set, first for its remarkable presentation (the expressionist wood engravings that adorned the original covers), then for its content, a tribute to conductor Herbert Kegel, who tirelessly worked in Leipzig, where he was the permanent conductor, and later in Dresden, to create works by composers from East Germany (Eisler, Dessau, Wagner-Régeny); finally, for its program: the two operas by Carl Orff, Die Kluge, Der Mond, and the "Trittico teatrale": Trionfi; the entire set recorded in the 70s and 80s (here in a superlative remastered sound) with the forces of Leipzig. The writing of the two operas (1939 and 1943) differs little from Orff's principal work: Carmina Burana (1937), characterized by rhythms based on ostinatos, repeated formulas, choral scansion, declaimed recitatives, and a few arias that temper the surrounding and driving tension. Orff, while drawing inspiration from popular folklore (from Grimm's tales), blends cabaret spectacle and medieval imagination to create works that are at once pastiche, singspiel, and entertainment, "...not devoid of philosophical depth" (Piotr Kaminski). The triptych Trionfi was composed between 1939 and 1953, three works that share a similar theme, the incorporation of ancient texts. A medieval manuscript from the 13th century (Carmina Burana), verses from the poet Catullus (Catulli Carmina) complemented by those of Sappho and Euripides (Trionfo di Afrodite). They testify to the composer's fascination with lyrical poetry: "These short lines, as if carved in stone, fascinated me; they shone with all their brilliance, for me they embodied music." Unstoppable rhythm, flexibility of the orchestra, responsiveness and articulation of the choirs and each soloist and narrator. Kegel gives this triptych an objective, nervous, and sharp reading, highlighting the dramaturgy far from any showiness, and rigorously respecting the score and the central aspect of the work: the integration (considered unintelligible by some critics of the time) of the language (Latin or German) into the body of original and accessible music that draws from multiple sources: from Gregorian chant to jazz, passing through Bach and Monteverdi. (Jérôme Angouillant)