Paavo Järvi and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich release their latest recording: a new ‘Carmina Burana’
Giorgio Koukl | 29 JAN 2025
Ear Relevant
Eminent conductor Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich recently recorded Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, with the album released January 24 on the Alpha Classics label. The soloists are soprano Alina Wunderlin, countertenor Max Emanuel Cenčić, and baritone Russell Braun.
ALPHA1031 cover art (click to enlarge)
This cantata draws its text from 24 medieval poems found in the Benediktbeuern Manuscript, a 13th-century collection discovered in 1803 in a Bavarian monastery. The poems cover themes such as fate, the fleeting nature of life, love, lust, and hedonistic pleasures. Their language goes from Latin for most of the 25 tracks to medieval German, used principally in the “Primo Vere” section (Spring). The hallmark of the whole work is the iconic opener, “O Fortuna,” which, with its dramatic and foreboding structure, symbolizes the unpredictability of life and fate’s power over humans. This theme is also used as the cantata’s conclusion.
Generally speaking, Carmina Burana can be divided thematically into three parts: the already cited “Primo Vere” section, which focuses on nature, renewal, and youthful love. Its musical style can be described as joyful and light, with dancing rhythms to depict the blossoming of spring.
Maestro Paavo Järvi, well known for his precision and love of details, delivers a magnificent rendering of this part. He seems to privilege the use of percussive instruments, giving them far more space than usual with an astonishing result: the music obtains a deeply “medieval,” nearly shamanic timbre, which is, in fact, an excellent idea.
Each section of the Zürich orchestra is of top quality and very well captured by the sound engineers.
The second part, “In Taberna” (“In the Tavern”), describes a rowdy, medieval tavern scene. Themes include drinking, gambling, and hedonism. During the Nazi era, when the premiere took place, these texts were heavily criticized as being too provocative and on the brink of being obscene. That, together with the fact that the primary sung language was Latin, didn’t find the approval of the Hitler dictatorship regime, with the unwanted result that successive performances in Germany were halted for years. The fact that Mr. Orff was, in his own words, “a Quarter Jew,” even if he managed to hide this fact, didn’t help either. The musical style of this section is mainly fast, rhythmic, and energetic.
The third part, “Cour d’Amours” (“Court of Love”), centers on romantic love, courtship, and desire. Roughly speaking, its prevalent musical style is lyrical and tender but also passionate.
Mr. Orff completely disregarded and rejected his musical production before Carmina Burana, designating it as his Opus 1. That is a pity as his precedent compositions, some with very intriguing impressionistic qualities, would certainly deserve to be played today.
Now, what can be said about this rendering: the conductor, Paavo Järvi (born December 30, 1962), is of Estonian-American origins. Known for his dynamic interpretations and innovative programming, he is one of the most prominent conductors of his generation and has worked with leading orchestras around the world. Järvi is celebrated for his versatility, conducting everything from classical masterpieces to contemporary works. His position as Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich is highly respected. He is known for his tendency to create strong bonds with his musicians and never use authoritarian methods, a thing nowadays not so common. That can literally be heard in every one of his numerous CDs.
Alina Wunderlin as the soprano is an auspicious choice. She has a versatile, light voice, reaching the highest notes with apparently no effort, always crystal clear.
Max Emanuel Cenčić, countertenor, is well known today in the global music scene, and in this recording, he delivers a more than respectable result.
Some more concerns are present with baritone Russell Braun. He certainly has the theatrical capacity and expressivity, which are laudable, but also a vibrato that, for some, could sound excessive.
The Zürcher Sing Akademie chorus delivers solid craftsmanship and excellent cohesion and timbral quality in certain very exposed parts. It might be less so for the Zürcher Sängerknaben—they certainly do not have the qualities of, let’s say, Boys of King’s College, Cambridge, or Wiener Sängerknaben. But in their few pages of singing, this is only a minor glitch.
Despite the market already being saturated with other excellent Carmina Burana recordings, this new one certainly has the qualities to distinguish itself within the pack. ■
Comments