Les In­con­tour­nables Carmina Burana

The Quebec Conservatory Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 80th anniversary with Carl Orff's iconic Carmina Burana, a cornerstone of 20th-century symphonic and choral repertoire.

This concert represents a milestone in the institution's history, paying tribute to its legacy while offering the audience a rich and unforgettable musical experience.

Composed in 1937, Carmina Burana stands as one of Carl Orff's most influential works. The composer drew inspiration from a collection of medieval poems discovered in the 19th century, written in Latin, Middle High German, and Old French. These texts explore timeless aspects of the human condition: fortune, fate, love, the fleeting nature of pleasures, and the inevitability of death. The work's cyclical structure, anchored by the famous "O Fortuna" at both its opening and close, gives the composition a ritualistic and universal dimension.

True to his theatrical and organic vision of music, Orff created a work where rhythm, choir, orchestra, and soloists merge into perfect harmony. Carmina Burana is remarkable for its simplicity and efficiency, yet its impact is monumental. The orchestra and voices unfold with a raw, almost primal power, alternating between passages of explosive intensity and moments of disarming tenderness. This dynamic range brings to life a work that transcends time with its direct and immediate expressiveness.

The evening promises a rare opportunity to delve into this mythical yet profoundly human world, where music becomes a collective ritual—an almost mystical invocation of the human condition. Accompanied by two choirs and renowned soloists, the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra will present a rendition of Carmina Burana that honors the monumental ambition of the piece while celebrating the Conservatory’s significant legacy. For 80 years, the institution has contributed to training exceptional musicians and enriching Quebec's cultural landscape.

Through this masterpiece, the audience will be invited to experience an immersive musical journey, where orchestral sonorities, human voices, and poetic drama intertwine to offer a soundscape of extraordinary depth.