This heavenly and earthly musical feast will be conjured by the baton of the NCO’s Artistic Director Louis Sharpe with soloists Rachel Mink (Soprano), Dan Walker (Tenor) and Sitiveni Talei (Baritone) and substantial choral and instrumental forces.
Poulenc's brilliant and uplifting Gloria, with text from the Mass ordinary, transports the listener through moments of excitement, joy and delight to quiet introspection and emotional beauty. Composed in 1959-60, towards the end of Poulenc’s life, for soprano solo, chorus and orchestra, the Gloria premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1961 and remains a firm favourite of the choral repertoire.
A cornucopia of earthly delights then awaits the listener with one of the most popular choral works of the 20th century, Orff’s dramatic cantata, Carmina Burana. Composed in the mid-1930s for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, chorus, orchestra, percussion and piano, Carmina Burana premiered at the Frankfurt Opera in 1937. It is based on secular poems from a 13th century manuscript, the ‘Carmina Burana’, mainly in Latin but also in Middle High German and Old French, exploring themes like the fluctuations of fortune - the spectacular ‘O Fortuna’, Springtime pastoral idylls and frolics, exuberant drinking songs, the pleasures and beauty of love - and a memorable cameo from a roasted swan!