Carmina Burana

This concert has been postponed.
We hope to confirm a new date shortly.The familiar opening chords of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana make a magnificent introduction to a work which encompasses all of the glory and tragedy of human life. O Fortuna is addressed to the fickle goddess of Fortune and though the sources of these texts go back to the Middle Ages, the sentiments they express, the feelings of love, of rejection and of corruption and beauty, still have resonance today. It is no surprise, given the power of Orff's music, that Carmina Burana remains one of the most popular and exciting pieces in the world's choral repertoire. The version being performed is scored for two pianos and percussion and was authorised by Orff himself.The programme also includes Pange Lingua by Zoltn Kodly based on a medieval hymn written by Thomas Aquinas. This performance is dedicated to the memory of Lszl Heltay, the founding Music Director of BFC and pupil of Kodly who died in December 2019.Two pieces by the contemporary Finnish composer Mia Makaroff, Butterfly and Spes, complete the programme. A Finnish composer and conductor, Makaroff's music has been made famous by Finnish a cappella group, Rajaton. Butterfly is an achingly beautiful song about love and the transience of life, while Spes combines two texts about hope, one in Sami and the other in Latin, to create an uplifting work.Brighton Festival Chorus
Brighton Festival Youth Choir
James Morgan - ConductorSue Graham Smith - Piano
Lon Charles - Organ and PianoPaula Sides - Soprano
Joseph Doody - Tenor
Jake Muffett - BaritoneThis concert is supported by Howarth of London, the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and BFC Friends and Patrons.