The only extraordinary date for the monumental symphonic and choral concert of the Carmina Burana.
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff between 1935 and 1936, and is based on 24 poems among those found in the medieval poetic texts of the same name.
The full title is "Carmina burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris, comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis". This composition was performed for the first time on June 8th, 1937 in Frankfurt am Main, while the Italian premiere was held on October 10th, 1942 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
After the first performance in Frankfurt, Orff achieved great success, and the cantata was performed in other German cities and, despite being very hampered by the Nazi regime due to the erotic tone of some songs, it became the best known musical work among those composed during the Nazi period. The work does not follow a precise plot but part of the structure of the composition is based on the concept of the spin of the Wheel of Fortune: in fact on the first page of the collection of poems the wheel with four sentences positioned around it is represented.
The piece "O Fortuna" opens and closes the cycle and is perhaps the most famous piece of the composition: it is often proposed in apocalyptic or powerfully dramatic situations.
