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Alpha Classics
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Alina Wunderlin, soprano; Max Emanuel Cencic, countertenor; Russell Braun, baritone; Tonhalle Orchester Zürich; Zürcher Sing-Akademie; Paavo Järvi, conductor
Alpha Classics, 2024
What does one want from a new recording of a familiar, if idiosyncratic, piece like Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with its curious mix of Latin, Old High German, Old French and lush Romanticism? I think the answer is a pulsating, exciting ride spiced with some humour and if it’s a bit vulgar, then that’s just part of the fun.
That’s pretty much the overall impact of this new recording from Zürich on the Alpha Classics label. Conductor Paavo Järvi never lets things drag. There’s a pulsating momentum to the whole thing; breakneck at times, but it never fazes either the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich or the excellent Zürcher Sing-Akademie. The qualities are clearly brought out at the beginning of “In taberna” where, despite the hectic pace, the choristers are crystal clear.
One needs excellent soloists, too, and the burden falls especially heavily on the baritone—especially in his substantial role as the bibulous and lascivious abbot all through “In taberna.” Russell Braun is extremely good here, as well as in the “Cours d’amour” section. His articulation of the Latin text is very clear (I could understand it without the printed text) and very expressive. A lot of the piece’s humour depends on his ability to articulate the text with both precision and feeling, which he does.
The soprano is German coloratura Alina Wunderlin. She has really clean high notes and sings with very little vibrato, which somehow enhances the pseudo-medieval qualities of the work. There’s a very nice “Amor volat undique” where she gets excellent support from the Zürcher Sängerknaben.
The countertenor is Max Emanuel Cencic. He, of course, has one big and very famous number—“Olim lacus colueram”—where he portrays a roasting swan. He does this with quite a lot of vibrato—certainly much more than Wunderlin, but I guess that is not inappropriate to the querulous nature of the role and he is perfectly articulate so there are no comprehension problems. This number also gets some really excellent, playful work from the woodwinds.
This new release comes as either a physical CD or digitally, in standard resolution and 96kHz/24 bit. It’s generally a very clear recording with the voices captured particularly well. I did feel that sometimes detail was lacking in the orchestra and especially the percussion on the standard resolution copy I listened to. It’s probably best to go for the hi-res. There’s a booklet with a useful essay, bios of all concerned and full texts with German and English translation.
There are a vast number of recordings, new and not so new, of Carmina Burana. I can’t say this is better than the best of the competition, but it’s good and not likely to disappoint.
