La Fenice

Carmina Burana

In Cinemas 1, 2 & 5 Oct 2022
Conductor
Fabio Luisi
Orchestra
Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice
Cast
Regula Mühlemann (soprano), Michael Schade (tenore), Markus Werba (baritono)
Composer
Carl Orff
Duration
1h26
Please note: Sung in Latin, Middle High German and Old French. Presented without English subtitles
Captured live from St Marks Square, Venice, 9 Jul 2022
Official Event Listing

Cantata (1936)

Special Presentation! Captured live from Venice’s iconic Piazza San Marco, maestro Fabio Luisi conducts the La Fenice Choir and Orchestra for Carl Orff’s choral masterpiece, led by three top-flight soloists.

Right from the powerful opening movement ‘O Fortuna’ – one of the most widely known pieces in Western music - Carmina Burana is a captivating spectacle. Composed between 1935 and 1936, the work is based on 24 medieval poems that were among a collection found in a monastery in 1803.

In this breathtaking, monumental piece, soaring cries on the unpredictability of fate transform into lilting celebrations of spring and the raucous pleasures of Bacchus and lust. The texts may be from the Middle Ages, but their sentiments – love, rejection, morality, beauty – are decidedly modern. Through music alone, the piece depicts life in all its glory and volatility.

Patrons please note: This performance is presented in Latin, without subtitles, as it was for its live European broadcast.

La Fenice

The exceptional Teatro La Fenice (the Phoenix) in Venice first opened in 1792 to replace the Teatro San Benedetto, destroyed by fire in 1774. La Fenice itself has twice been badly damaged by fire. In 2003 the theatre was restored, closely following the Meduna brothers’ 1837 design. Known worldwide for its dramatic beauty, La Fenice is also known for being the cradle of many great operas. It was the site of the infamous fiasco at the premiere of La Traviata, and of the great triumphs of Tancredi, Ernani and Rigoletto that helped launch the careers of Rossini and Verdi.

See more productions from: La Scala & All'Opera Italiana