Carmina Burana
(Blink of An Eye)

Scenic cantata in three parts
World Premiere: 8 June 1937, Städtische Bühnen, Frankfurt
Premiere of this production: 21 November 2019, Polish National Opera, Teatr Wielki, Warsaw
In the original Latin
Performed by the consent of Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG
A licence to stage the work was issued by the ZAiKS Society of Authors

‘The extraordinary power encapsulated in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, one of the more recognisable pieces of classical music worldwide, touches the imagination of the audience is a straightforward and open manner from the first listen. Combined with an almost contemporary score, the medieval phrases and texts communicate a universal message about the laws of this world that apply to the mighty and small, those at the beginning of their life and those who are near their end. Orff thought in music, in words, and in theatre. The sense of his works is inscribed in overlapping dimensions,’ wrote Waldemar Dąbrowski, general manager of the Polish National Opera.

The unique musical show Carmina Burana (Blink of An Eye) was created for the opera house’s technologically advanced stage as part of BMW Art Club. BMW Art Club inspires cooperation between the finest art institutions and artists and arranges cultural events where art meets advanced technologies and reflection on the future. In 2019 Boris Kudlička, prominent stage designer and collaborator on Mariusz Treliński’s successful opera stagings, became the artistic director of the second edition of BMW Art Club. The show was given its debut in November 2019 under the baton of Lorenzo Passerini, Italian conductor of the young generation.

Anonymous authors of medieval songs comprising the Carmina Burana cantata were not Nazis, and neither was Richard Wagner. They were born too early for that. However, zeitgeist works in mysterious ways: Orff (just like Wagner) was a favoured artists among the Nazis, and his name found itself on the Gottbegnadeten-Liste ('God-gifted list' or 'Important Artist Exempt List'). The piece had its world premiere in 1937 and was not particularly appreciated by the critics, but by the Third Reich leaders – very much so. Currently it seems to enjoy popularity among heavy metal bands. Politics aside, music remains the most important thing, after all. Thanks to Boris Kudlička’s visualizations we are transported from a theatre building into space, ready to reach universal values at superluminal velocity. Worth taking the trip!

As the Boy: Kosma Łoś, Barnaba Łoś
Choir Soloists: Magdalena Freino, Joanna Jękot-Bajtlik, Lidia Kitlińska, Piotr Zagórski
Chorus and Orchestra of the Polish National Opera
Władysław Skoraczewski Artos Children’s Choir