Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra Presents Conductor Guest Column By Wesley Schultz

The Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra and I are so pleased to team up with Bainbridge Chorale for performances of Sacred and Profane on April 22 & 23, 2017 at Bainbridge High School in the gymnasium. The last time we performed together was April 2014 when we sang Verdi's Requiem. Ever since that electrifying concert we've been laying the groundwork for another collaboration. The wait is over, and we have another wonderful concert in store.

On the first half of the program Michael Austin Miller Jr. will lead The Combined choral-orchestral forces in excerpts from some of the most beloved sacred works ever written, including Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem, Hallelujah from Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives, Brahm's How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, and Awake the Harp from Haydn's Creation. For the second half of the program I will conduct Carl Orff's Carmina Burana - bringing a more jovial mood to the stage as we sing songs of life, fate, and earthly pleasures.

Although a prolific composer and creative mastermind, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana is his only work that makes frequent appearances on concert programs. The title means "songs from Beuern (Bavaria)" and was composed in 1935-1936. The content of the work, however, dates from much further back. In 1847 JohAnn Andreas Schmeller published an anthology of nearly three hundred anonymous poems, most dating from the thirteenth century. When Orff learned of this collection he enlisted the help of Michel Hofmann, a poet, to create a libretto using twenty-four of the songs (O Fortuna is used twice, as a bookend to open and close the work). Students, wandering scholars, monks, and others most likely wrote the songs. The songs come from all over Europe, as Schmeller's anthology is in Latin and Middle High German, as well as French and Greek. Choruses certainly have their work cut out for them in mastering the diction!

Unlike the seriousness of the first half the program, Orff's presentation is jovial and carefree. The poems extoll love, women, drinking, and the erotic. The music Orff wrote to accompany them is direct and catchy. Many of the tunes you will hear sound as if they've always existed. In addition to the chorus you'll hear from the Olympic Girl's Choir as well as the stunning voices of soprano Jessica Robins Milanese and baritone Paul Karaitis. Join us for Sacred and Profane; O Fortuna!

April 22 & 23: Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra & Bainbridge Chorale present Sacred and Profane: Carmina Burana
Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra and the Bainbridge Chorale join forces for another extraordinary partnership. Together they will perform iconic sacred works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms before turning their attention to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. First performed in 1937, this anthology of poems and songs for large orchestra, chorus, children's choir, and soloists has become a favorite of audiences all over the world.
Off-Site Performances at the Bainbridge High School Gym: Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. & Sunday, April 23 @ 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $26 for adults, $22 for seniors (age 62+), $18 for students, military, and teachers, and free for all children under age 13; www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2804376