FOR THOSE of a certain age Carmina Burana is ‘the music from the Old Spice’ ad, others associate it with X-Factor, but what is often forgotten is that that section, called ‘O Fortuna’, is part of a much larger work.
The Carmina was originally a collection of bawdy, saucy mediaeval poems, which in 1936 was set to music by German composer Carl Orff. Galway will have a chance to hear Carmina Burana in its entirety - ‘O Fortuna’ and all - when it is performed by the Galway Choral Association and Limerick Choral Union, with assistance from St Nicholas’ Schola Cantorum.
The concert is in aid of Cancer Care West and takes place in Seapoint on Saturday January 31 at 8pm. It will be the largest concert the Galway Choral Association has presented in the city for some years.
As well as Carmina Burana there will also be a performance of ‘Gloria’ by French composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963 ). A work in six movements, it features an accented and declamatory opening, through dramatic and joyful moments, to a dark and mysterious ending.
There will be 170 singers on stage, under the leadership of Norman Duffy. The soloists for Carmina Burana will be Franzita Whelan, Gyula Nagy, and Derek Moloney. Organist Peter Barley will join the choirs for ‘Gloria’.
Tickets are €20/17 from Cancer Care West (Inis Aoibhinn or the Cancer Support Centre or online at www.cancercarewest.ie ); Opus II, High Street, or from choir members. See also www.galwaychoral.ie
