Carmina Burana is one of the most impressive and recognisable musical works of the twentieth century. Composer Carl Orff's masterpiece premiered at the Frankfurt Opera in 1937 and has since become a global phenomenon. The composition is based on a collection of medieval songs and deals with universal themes such as fate, life and death, desire and love.
With Carmina Burana, Orff created a powerful total experience in which music, rhythm and emotion come together. His distinctive style, monumental, compelling and intense, evokes a world in which words, sound, movement and image form a whole. The opening and closing chorus “O Fortuna” in particular is one of the most iconic pieces of music ever composed.
