Carmina Burana

Image: The Three Fates Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, Giorgio Ghisi (1520-1582)

The TSO art season commenced last week with two energizing pieces: the behemoth Carmina Burana, written by Carl Orff, and a piece new to Canadian stages: Concerto for Orchestra, by the American composer Wynton Marsalis.

               The evening of music began with Marsalis’ concerto, a TSO commission in partnership with other orchestras around the world. The decorated composer and educator brought a new and exciting take on the art form, with the musical forms, styles, timbres and emotions varied to such a degree throughout that it had a little something for everyone.

               As this is a new commission, we have a few perspectives on the piece itself. In the program notes it mentions that Marsalis is the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Director of Jazz Studies at Julliard, so we couldn’t help but feel that the narrative of the piece is what it is like to live in New York City. The running string passages painted the mental picture of flying through the wind tunnels downtown: winding around corners and happening upon different cultural pockets of the city. The intermingling of a few bars here and there of different music styles, from jazz to Latin trumpet, was as if you were looking at the streets above it all, hearing and experiencing the different happenings that the city provides and then rushing off to the next moment.

               We think that the most intriguing aspect of this concerto was the interplaying use of timbre and musical colour. A whistle blows, making you feel like you just blew through a traffic intersection. In the movements “Group Speak”, and “Testimonials”, the thematic ideas are featured in different areas of the orchestra as well as from solo instruments from almost every section, which created such a mix of musical texture and sounds that it did feel like all the voices of a community coming together.

               The concerto was one of the most interesting contemporary pieces we have heard in a while and lived up to the calibre one might expect from someone as accomplished as Marsalis.

               When most think of Carmina Burana, they likely think of the powerful opening, foreboding and reaching to the sublime. With the current state of the world, the tone and libretto might feel a little too on the nose: everything feels on the edge of disaster, left to the whims of Fortune and those above our stations.

               However, we think that this work was a nice choice to present another view on the times we live. After the onset pieces, Carmina Burana has moments of levity, vigor, and humour. The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was well adept at the many staccato passages to welcome in the new springtime, keeping articulations clear and crisp. Their agility is to be commended; Orff wrote some rather tongue-tying passages and the choir sang them wonderfully.

               The soloists were all phenomenal. Baritone Sean Michael Plumb was rich, lyrical, and their tone was full. He did well in the notoriously challenging falsetto Orff writes for the part, singing very well supported.

               When mentioning supported singing, the tenor soloist Andrew Haji sang with precepted ease the part of the roasting swan, which sits incredibly high in the tenor range. Not only was their singing amazing, but they added some character to it, brought in a bit of a laugh for those who didn’t read about the subject of the libretto in their programs.

               Last but certainly not lease was soprano Julie Roset. She stole the show for us. Her tone was so beautiful, agile, and clear. The word that comes to mind is dolce. Sweet in English does not feel like it carries the same meaning, as this was something beyond sweet. With tone and timbre as smooth as silk, she had full command of the soprano range and was an absolute joy to hear. We hope she returns to the TSO stage in the future.

               The evening was a successful season opening, that’s for certain. But the part that was the greatest to see was the amount of people who were clearly struck by the power of the music. Necks craned to get a look at the action; the music hung in the air for the audience, captivated, waiting to hear what Fortune had in store for the next beat. Carmina Burana is by no means old in the repertoire, however as we approach its centennial in 2036, the fact that it captivates audiences now as it did then is a wonderful example of the enduring value and power of great art and artistry.