Orff, Carl - Carmina Burana - Various Artists

---

---

Volume 5 of Profil's Günter Wand Edition is devoted to Carl Orff's massive and enormously popular cantata, Carmina Burana, in a stirring radio performance presented with the NDR Sinfonieorchester in 1984. In musical terms, this is a fine rendition, with controlled solos from soprano Maria Venuti, tenor Ulf Kenklies, and baritone Peter Binder; well-blended choral singing from the Hamburger Knabenchor and the combined forces of two mixed choirs; and vivid playing from the orchestra, particularly in the percussion section, which goes all-out in the most boisterous numbers. Unfortunately, this on-air performance is slightly under-recorded and a little out of balance, so the softest passages occasionally waft out of focus, and the louder sections seem abrupt and intrusive.