University Concert - CARL ORFF, CARMINA BURANA

With Carl Orff's CARMINA BURANA, the Collegium Musicum Heidelberg and the Academic Choir of the Jagiellonian University Kraków celebrate the partnership between their two universities at the newly reopened Heidelberger Stadthalle.

Johanna Beier, soprano
Matthias Lucht, countertenor
Matthias Horn, baritone

Collegium Musicum
In cooperation with the Academic Choir of the Jagiellonian University Kraków
Janusz Wierzgacz, conductor
UMD Michael Sekulla, artistic director

First performed in 1937, this setting of selected medieval texts from the Benediktbeuren manuscript combines archaic rhythmic patterns with a vivid, at times elemental musical language. The large choral forces, striking percussion and formal concentration give the work an unusually direct impact. The texts revolve around themes of Fortune, transience, love and the joy of life, unfolding a layered portrait of human existence.

The programme opens with the overture to Halka, one of the best-known operas by Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko. The music blends lyrical melody with dramatic and folk elements and stands as a landmark of Polish national opera. Placing the two works side by side creates a compelling dialogue between late-Romantic operatic aesthetics and the expressive sound world of the early 20th century.