Perth Voice Interactive

THE longest running choir in WA – the UWA Choral Society – will return to Perth Concert Hall for a stunning performance of one of classical music’s most iconic and powerful works – Carmina Burana.

Featuring thunderous voices and banging timpani, the opening movement O Fortuna is super dramatic and has been used in everything from Hollywood films like Excalibur to TV show Glee and even adverts for Old Spice aftershave.

But it’s just one of the 25 movements in composer Carl Orff’s 1936 masterpiece Carmina Burana, a cantata based on a collection of bawdy, irreverent and satirical poems written between the 11th and 13th century. 

Most of the poems were written in medieval Latin by Goliards – student clergy who satirised the Catholic Church at the time. The collection was discovered in a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria in 1803. 

Tenor soloist Perry Joyce says O Fortuna is a nice gateway to a much deeper and nuanced body of work.

“As the tenor soloist I sing only one albeit very important song in Carmina Burana about a roasting swan, but I have performed the work many times as a chorister and can say that with its 25 movements there is something for everyone…” Joyce says.

“There’s many songs of differing moods and topics (many profane!) and some of the lesser-known movements are incredibly charming and toe-tappingly catchy. 

“I’m obsessed with the soprano arias in the work, but many of the choruses are just too fun to pass on.

“Each time I hear the work performed live I get a different experience from it. Something visceral happens when you’re exposed to a live performance of Carmina Burana and take that wheel of fortune for another spin.”

Joyce says the work is technically challenging and has become somewhat of a rite of passage for classical singers.

“For the chorus it’s a huge sing that has extremes in range and also in rhythm and requires stamina and endurance,” he says.

“Since the work is typically performed by large choruses and orchestras it takes a lot of effort to synchronise everyone and create clarity in texture but also artistic expression.

“Another challenge are the words because there are different ways to pronounce these very old texts.”

For the performance, the prestigious UWA Choral Society, which has been around for 92 years, will be joined by 100 of Perth’s finest soprano, alto, tenor and bass choir singers, and accompanied by soloists and musicians and the Aquinas student choir.

It will be a poignant return to The Perth Concert Hall for the UWA Choral Society, who performed there in 1973 during the grand opening.

The concert will also include a performance of Perth composer Lydia Gardiner’s new work What would I give… a meditation on time and the transience of life featuring the Aquinas Schola Cantorum. 

But for most concertgoers, the big drawcard will be the iconic O Fortuna, which is so overused in popular culture it has almost become a cliche or parody to announce something overdramatic.

Joyce says he is torn about using classical music as a marketing tool, but if it gets more people listening, it could be a necessary evil.

“Although I’m disappointed every time great music is exploited and used as a commodity, I’m happy that so many people know the work, as it’s a step towards greater awareness and appreciation of classical music,” the tenor says.

“Obviously through the years Carmina Burana has been taken out of the concert hall and used for other things like tv ads and movies and marketing purposes because people recognise the innate power within the music. It’s undeniable. 

“It contains some of the most unforgettable musical moments and I think that’s a big reason it’s so popular.”

Carmina Burana is at The Perth Concert Hall on Sunday August 13 from 2pm to 3.30pm. Tix at perthconcerthall.com.au. 

by STEPHEN POLLOCK