November 12, 2023

If there was ever a “perfect storm” in music, it would be Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana which the Lansing Symphony performed this weekend.  This work is the result of a combination of powerful elements, namely, inspiration, ancient but timeless, falling into the hands of the right composer at the right time. It is a work grounded in fundamental human experiences. I would go more into the detail of the content, but this is a family show. A quick internet search will yield the texts for those looking for some excitement.
 
And dare I say it is the most popular piece of “classical” music? Yes, Beethoven Symphony 9 is popular too, but Orff brings an audience like no other…they are ready for an epic experience. The energy of the audience, awaiting the first “O Fortuna” is palpable.
 
“Why is it so popular,” one might ask.  The answer is that Orff knew exactly what he was doing in setting these ancient, evocative texts. He found a voice that echoes their middle-ages origin, yet frames them in a contemporary language that heightens their impact.  He mainlines the essence of the message directly to the heart of the listener--- no frills, no just pure, unadulterated, expressive content that flows from the joys, torments, and desires of the anonymous souls who wrote these poems centuries ago.
 
Kudos to our chorus for the program, 250 voices made up the Michigan State’s University Chorale, State Singers and Choral Union.  Our magnificent soloists were Penelope Shumate, soprano, Babatunde Akinboboye, baritone and David Shaler, tenor as the roasting swan, complete with costume and props befitting a night in the tavern. The orchestra was in fine form as well…such an exciting evening for a capacity crowd.
 
We opened the program with a work by the American composer, Valerie Coleman called “Umoja: Anthem of Unity.” The title says a lot of course. This work is one of the great gifts to the orchestral repertoire we have received in recent decades, and I look forward to the next opportunity to perform this new masterpiece.
 
Up next for me, Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony and Flint Institute of Music. Yes…it’s that time of year!
 
NEXT UP:
 
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 2 at 7:30 p.m. and December 3 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Tchaikovsky    The Nutcracker
 
#lansingsymphony #flintsymphony #valeriecoleman