Carmina burana

"Richard Hickox already has recorded Carmina Burana with the LSO forces (last available on Regis). That was a version of no special distinction, and neither is this one. The chorus is okay, the orchestra is okay, and the live sonics are a bit cavernous".

"One of the most popular and at the same time one of the most reviled choral works of all time comes up startlingly fresh in Jos van Immerseel's totally rethought approach ... The results are razor-sharp, emphasising the Stravinsky-like crystalline edginess of the textures, and the brilliant if brutal imagination behind them".

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"You want to like this performance: it's bold, and it's gutsy at the start of O Fortuna; but in that same opening song the problems begin. The most serious of these concern the balances, which favor the chorus to the point where it sounds distinctly in front of the orchestra ... In short, even at the Naxos price this is no bargain, particularly with such strong competition (also at mid or budget price) from the likes of Jochum (DG), Ozawa (RCA), and Muti (EMI)".

"Love it or hate it, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana does benefit when its bombast is balanced by careful orchestral and vocal shading and pacing. Those are qualities that distinguish Daniel Harding's interpretation with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Tölzer Boys' Choir, and a fine line-up of soloists ... Harding detects far more subtlety and variety in the score than might sometimes be in evidence".

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"Resultatet er nu glimrende, hvis man holder af bombastiske tonebyggerier, og det skyldes også solisterne ... Den vigtigste vokale kraft i "Carmina Burana" er dog nu engang koret, og de synger ... med en større balance, distinkt udtrykskraft og variation, end man er vant til at høre. Tempoet er også mere velovervejet end vanlige udgaver, da Harding i sin "Carmina" dvæler mere ved de enkelte passager. Dramatiske kontraster skorter denne fortolkning således ikke på".

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"Another Carmina? Yes, and totally justified as it happens. In large choral works like this one few conductors better Richard Hickox ... overall this is a richly enjoyable performance of a much-recorded masterpiece".

"Kristjan Järvi ... setzt eher auf dynamische Differenzierung und rhythmische Schärfung, welche die Musik reicher wirken lassen, als man gewohnt war. Darüber gehen freilich die klangliche Konturierung und die Sonorität des machtvollen Tönens keinesfalls verloren. Die Gesangssolisten fügen gewissermassen die Stimmen des Individuums dem kollektiven Chorgesang hinzu ... Sich diese Einspielung vor allem als kollektive Leistung aller Beteiligten nachdrücklich empfiehlt".

"Vurdering: BBC music choral song choice" - "Immerseel plus Anima Eterna spells revisionism, and that is what you get here: a Carmina Burana retooled with instruments of its period, and stripped of back-projected late-Romantic cushiness ... The scaled-down vocal forces also bring the work's monastic origins into sharper focus ... The choral singing throughout combines precision with exuberance. For its palate-tingling revelations and suffusing musicality, this would now be my Carmina of first reference".

"Rough edges notwithstanding, this is a lusty and in many ways extremely appealing version of Orff's popular classic ... occupies a prominent and convicing niche at the budget end of the market".

"The choir is excellent througout ... Harding secures fine orchestral playing too ... Overall this is a Carmina for those convinced the work is irredeemably vulgar: Harding finds a wider range of colour and refinement than almost any other conductor".