In a redwood grove, under the stars with beautiful natural acoustics—that’s what Carmina Burana is all about. So says Maestro Daniel Henriks, who will guide I Cantori di Carmel through Carl Orff’s powerful ode to “the awakening of nature, and how it affects us as humans,” Henriks enthuses. The UCSC Quarry and the celebrated music are what Henriks believes is “a perfect match, where a venue and a piece are so fabulous together. Really, it’s a piece for the free-spirited people of Santa Cruz.”
The German-born Juilliard graduate Henriks has an agenda: to expand the audience for his historically Carmel-based elite musical ensemble into Santa Cruz. The June 5 event marks an exciting new alliance for José Olivas and his team at the Quarry. It also marks the debut of I Cantorini, I Cantori di Carmel’s new youth chorus for singers aged 9-14. These will be the skilled musicians of the future, and have already gone through much training in classical vocal technique. So we better get ready for a huge sound filling the redwood forests this coming Friday.
Carl Orff’s mighty masterpiece, Carmina Burana, composed in 1936, explores a collection of medieval poems about love, romance, nature, as well as the pleasures and sorrows of life. The various sections of the musical setting celebrate springtime, courtship, tavern revelry, and, of course, that infamous hymn to Venus, concluding with “O Fortuna.” Primal energy, fueled by emphatic rhythm and a major percussion section, make this piece wildly popular with the entire planet.
Given the fact that sections of the Carmina have been sampled, copied, parodied, and distributed through everything from movie soundtracks to YouTube commercials, I asked Henriks how a music director can deal with music that has been so abused by popular culture.
“That’s a good question,” he admitted,” but fortunately it’s mostly the “O Fortuna” chorus that is so well known, you know, from deodorant advertising to wrestling matches. But people will be pleasantly surprised to find that much of Orff’s music is not bombastic. There are so many moments of tenderness, and extremely intricate and interesting orchestration. The chorus has to sing from very floating pianissimo to a thundering forte. There’s so much range there, and besides, if the popularity of “O Fortuna’’ gets people curious and brings them to the concert, then they will be surprised how much more there is in this wonderful piece. And that’s a good thing.”
Most fun for this conductor?
“The incredibly thrilling rhythms in Carmina Burana, and when the whole apparatus, the whole ensemble, 140 people with youth chorus, the big chorus, soloists, and the big orchestra, when all these forces lock together really tight, and perform these amazing rhythms together, you know. That’s an incredible energy.”
Henriks isn’t afraid of diving deep into thrilling performance. “Music is the perfect conveyor of emotions and connects us with our own internal landscape, it can connect us with our community, with other people.”
And he agrees that, inspired by the book Orff discovered in a monastery in Bavaria, this piece of music gives us insight into what was on normal people’s minds in medieval times. “Most of what we know about the Middle Ages is based upon sacred texts or political writings. But in this unusual work, people are contemplating their fate, their good or bad fortune. Wondering how to handle courtship, romance and other rowdy events. And these issues are familiar to us in our own day.”
“So the biggest takeaway, the touching and timeless part of it is how all this relates to us humans. Human nature hasn’t changed,” he chuckles.
See Carmina Burana, along with selections from Edvard Grieg’s mischievous Peer Gynt, at the Quarry Amphitheater, UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., SC Friday, June 5 at 7:30. Tickets at www.icantori.org. General Admission,$57; under 30, students, military, and teachers with valid I.D., $21; Children under 12, $10; UCSC Students with valid I.D., $10
