# Carmina Burana - which CD?



## Daimonion (Apr 22, 2012)

Dear All,

I hope you don't mind if I ask for one more suggestion. I would like to order, in particular, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (this time it is for a gift) but don't know which particular CD I should choose. Is there / are there any obvious choice(s)?

All the best,

Daimonion


----------



## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Well, there are probably many ideas of what's "obvious". Here's a few:

Penguin Guide 2008:
4 stars + rosette: Ormandy/Philadelphia (Sony)
4 stars: Plasson/Toulouse (EMI); Ozawa/Berlin (Philips); Previn/LSO (EMI); Alsop/Bournemouth (Naxos)
3 stars: Hickox/LSO (Regis); De La Fuente/Mineria (Guild); Jochum/Deutsche Oper Berlin (DG); Mata/LSO (RCA); Ozawa/Boston (RCA)

Gramophone Good CD Guide 2003:
3 discs (="classic"): Jochum/Deutsche Oper Berlin (DG)
2 discs (="outstanding"): Thielemann/Deutsche Oper Berlin (DG)
also mentions Dutoit/Montreal (Decca); Previn/LSO (EMI)

1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die:
Previn/LSO (EMI)
also recommended: Jochum (DG); Delogu/Prague (Supraphon); Ozawa/Berlin (Philips)

Rough Guide to Classical Music (2001):
Ormandy/Philadelphia (Sony); Jochum (DG)


So, some names crop up several times there, but no doubt there's plenty more suggestions to come from the TC hordes!
I have the Jochum and like it, but I don't know any of the others.


----------



## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

The Jochum (with Dietrich Fischer Dieskau and Gundula Janowitz) is so damn good that I haven't needed or wanted to hear any other version for over a decade now.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

It would be hard to beat Jochum, though maybe a newer recording would have some virtues.... nothing is going to be more famous, probably ever.


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Isn't there a DVD? Maybe a set which includes the De Temporum Fine Comoedia? I know Karajan recorded the later work... .


----------



## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Ted Libby chose the Jochum for NPR's PT 50:

http://www.npr.org/programs/pt/pt50.html

You can listen to them discuss it from the website; requires realplayer.


----------



## TrevBus (Jun 6, 2013)

I have the Ormandy(Sony). It was a gift. I enjoy it, when I listen, which is seldom. Nothing against the piece, just not that into Vocal Works on a regular basis.


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

TrevBus said:


> I have the Ormandy(Sony). It was a gift. I enjoy it, when I listen, which is seldom. Nothing against the piece, just not that into Vocal Works on a regular basis.


He originally did a number of these pieces,what happened to the others ?


----------



## isridgewell (Jul 2, 2013)

I have Riccardo Muti with the Philharmonia on EMI. This recording tends to get over looked but is really very good, especially if you are looking for a really solid "power house" of a performance.


----------



## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

James Levine, Chicago SO, DG


----------



## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

This thread is from last year, but I can't let a Carmina Burana thread go by without a link to this:

http://carmina.ytmnd.com/


----------



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

The wheel of fortune turns inexorably, and sooner or later any particular recording will go out of fashion... :angel:


----------



## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

giulini/philharmonia !!


----------



## JohnD (Jan 27, 2014)

SimonNZ said:


> The Jochum (with Dietrich Fischer Dieskau and Gundula Janowitz) is so damn good that I haven't needed or wanted to hear any other version for over a decade now.
> 
> View attachment 20466


I've got the lp of this recording. I think it would be hard to beat.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I was just about to recommend the Jochum, but see it is already well-recommended.


----------



## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I like the Shaw recording, though I am not a fan of the structure of the CD (splitting into 4 large tracks, rather than splitting it by the individual songs--so be warned). I also like Ozawa (already recommended) and James Levine.


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

Tristan said:


> I like the Shaw recording, though I am not a fan of the structure of the CD (splitting into 4 large tracks, rather than splitting it by the individual songs--so be warned).


Eep!

That's almost as bad as the CD I have of Charles Dutoit's 1980 recording of _Daphnis et Chloé_. The entire ballet (all 56 minutes of it) is one track.

However, when Decca re-released the Dutoit _Daphnis_ as part of the _Decca Legends_ series, the production team finally created separate tracks for it (12 in all).



Tristan said:


> I also like Ozawa (already recommended) and James Levine.


I have the Ozawa. I've only heard it once, and don't remember it. (I heard it a few years ago.) I think it might be time for me to listen to it again. (_Update:_ I'm now listening to it again - and semi-enjoying it.)

I don't have the Levine, but I'm not entirely ready to grab it just yet. A few reviewers, in their surveys of available _Carmina Burana_s, have been less than enthusiastic:

"Just a satisfactory performance." (Bill Alford, _Classical Net_)

"Attentive but rather literal and dry." (Peter Gutmann, _Classical Notes_)

And for the _Top Ear_ survey of _Carmina Burana_s, reviewer Jeremy Lee put the Levine in his "Duds" pile:

"James Levine's recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is actually fundamentally very similar to Blomstedt's recording: fairly moderate pacing, excellent playing, singing and recorded sound. In some aspects, particularly the soloists, Levine's recording is more preferable. So what is it that makes Blomstedt's overall infinitely superior to Levine's? Firstly, while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays very well as mentioned, it is just way too polite: the lower brass doesn't belch and fart their way through the tavern scenes, and the percussion is a bit reticent when it needs to play out. Just compare and contrast the two's O Fortunas to see what I mean. Same goes for the soloists: they are technically excellent - it couldn't be otherwise, given the starry cast - but convey the music's wide range of vulgar emotions they do not. Most disappointingly, Levine is pretty insensitive to minutiae in the score, be it in terms of tempo, texture or colors, and his conducting is undramatic and dispirited throughout. Like the soloists he seems unwilling to get dirty when the music requires. Sure, there are brilliant moments - Were diu welte alle min is executed with the virtuosity that only the Chicago brass could deliver - but the overall impression is that of a routine performance. Disappointing, given how Levine can be so dramatic and exciting at times."

So I'm in no hurry for that one.


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> And for the Top Ear survey of Carmina Buranas, reviewer Jeremy Lee put the Levine in his "Duds" pile:


I've never seen this before - what an interesting read. I was particularly interested in the review of the Ozawa/Boston/RCA recording of which the reviewer says in conclusion "In all I can only recommend this half-heartedly, and wonder what is it in this recording that others hear that I have missed." Well, I'll tell you what you missed dear - you're listening to the rubbishy CD transfer. Listen to the same recording on vinyl and it really shines.


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

techniquest said:


> I've never seen this before - what an interesting read. I was particularly interested in the review of the Ozawa/Boston/RCA recording of which the reviewer says in conclusion "In all I can only recommend this half-heartedly, and wonder what is it in this recording that others hear that I have missed." Well, I'll tell you what you missed dear - you're listening to the rubbishy CD transfer. Listen to the same recording on vinyl and it really shines.


I see (hear) what Jeremy means when he says this about the Ozawa performance:

"For one, the orchestra and choir hasn't the best discipline (many examples for this - the syncopations in Ego sum abbas, the brass fanfare that starts Were diu welte alle min, some bits of In taberna quando sumus etc)..."

The playing is sloppy in places:

*"Ego sum abbas" / "In taberna quando sumus"*





By the way...

In his review, one thing Jeremy didn't mention when talking about Ozawa's version was the slower movements.

I just listened to the Ozawa performance in its entirety again, and one thing that struck me was just how slow the slow movements were. I found it odd, because the other tempos of the other movements, from _moderato_ upwards, were performed at the usual speeds.

In all other versions of _Carmina Burana_ I've heard, I haven't come across as wide a discrepancy in the contrast between slow and fast movements as I have with Ozawa. Weird.

Overall, I have to agree with Jeremy about the Ozawa. With the overwhelming amount of great performances of _Carmina Burana_ out there, why Ozawa's frequently sits near the top of recommended versions is a bit of a mystery to me.


----------



## Guest (Nov 18, 2014)

I just listened to this one from Jos van Immerseel and Anima Eterna:









I thought it was quite refreshing, and a big improvement over my earlier version with Rattle and Berlin PO.


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

BPS said:


> I just listened to this one from Jos van Immerseel and Anima Eterna:
> 
> View attachment 56280
> 
> ...


You can hear all of the Immerseel _Carmina Burana_ on Spotify:


https://play.spotify.com/user/1213156565/playlist/7jPPytvNhMiZ9uWMYSrmxF


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

I just got this one (LPO, LPC, Franz Welser-Most) on EMI for very little outlay, and I would say that if you're still looking for a Carmins Burana, go get this one! It's really superb.


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

techniquest said:


> I just got this one (LPO, LPC, Franz Welser-Most) on EMI for very little outlay, and I would say that if you're still looking for a Carmins Burana, ...


I certainly am. I'm still in an enormous _Carmina Burana_ buying frenzy - and it shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.



techniquest said:


> ... go get this one! ...


Can do. But first I have to check to see if I haven't bought it already. (It's happened before.) Hang on...

Nope. I don't have that one.

eBay is selling a copy for AU$7.90. That's eminently manageable. (When more money is available, that is. My CD money ran out buying the last lot of _Carmina Burana_s.)

Incidentally, although Amazon.com is selling a new copy of Welser-Möst's Carmina Burana for $0.90 (bargain!), unfortunately the shipping to me in Australia is $15 (not a bargain). Ah, the tyranny of distance...



techniquest said:


> ... It's really superb.


Excellent. I'm looking forward to hearing it.



*Update:* Grooveshark has track two in its playlist:


_Carmina Burana_, Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - "Fortune plango vulnera"
Why that track only, and not the rest of the album, is a bit puzzling.

Anyway, I had a listen to track two. I like it.


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

techniquest said:


> I just got this one (LPO, LPC, Franz Welser-Most) on EMI for very little outlay, and I would say that if you're still looking for a Carmins Burana, go get this one! It's really superb.
> 
> View attachment 56756


Oops. I forgot to thank you for the recommendation. Thanks, techniquest!


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

BPS said:


> I just listened to this one from Jos van Immerseel and Anima Eterna:
> 
> View attachment 56280
> 
> ...


OMG! I'm so used to them in Mozart. Carmina Burana? Blows my mind!!


----------



## PeterPowerPop (Mar 27, 2014)

hpowders said:


> OMG! I'm so used to them in Mozart. Carmina Burana? Blows my mind!!


I'm rather keen on hearing how Jos and his guys 'n' gals tackle _Carmina Burana_ as well.

I've only ever heard Anima Eterna in their Beethoven symphony cycle. (I think it's mighty fine.) Now, thanks to you, I want to hear what they do with (or "to") Mozart.






Sounds fine to me.

However, I'm still knee-deep in my _Carmina Burana_-buying frenzy, so it's going to be a while before I get around to any Immerseel recordings (or anything else for that matter).

By the way, in that video are Anima Eterna rehearsing in a hotel lobby?

*Update:* I just remembered this from a few posts ago...

You can hear all of the Immerseel _Carmina Burana_ on Spotify:


https://play.spotify.com/user/1213156565/playlist/7jPPytvNhMiZ9uWMYSrmxF


----------

