Rīgas festivāla noslēgums. Carmina Burana

Francis Poulenc represents the so-called “The Six” in French musical history, and he was a master of neo-classicism.  His only composition for the organ is a true masterpiece – Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings.  At the close of the Rīga Festival, the concerto will be performed by one of Latvia’s most outstanding organ virtuosos, Iveta Apkalna.  In musical terms, the concerto represents French organ music traditions, masterpieces of German Baroque, jazz and Medieval music.  The roots of Carmina Burana, or “Songs of Bavaria,” also date back to the Middle Ages.  The text is based on poems from the 11^th and 12^th century that were written in Upper German and Latin and found in a Benedictine cloister in the early 19^thcentury.  The lyrics conjure up everyday images from the era of the Hanseatic League, speaking to the morals, dining habits and seasons of the year from that age.  Carl Orff provided the texts with a new sound.  The cantata Carmina Burana is one of the most famous vocal and instrumental opuses in the world, full of ancient poems and love songs that interweave with lines that are saturated with fairly rough Medieval humour, uplifted praise, a depiction of gambling and parties, patriotic emotions and erotic delight.  These vivid scenes will be conjured up at the Dzintari Concert Hall by a brilliant ensemble of Latvian musicians under the baton of conductor Andris Poga.