Carl Orff – Carmina Burana (Plasson) [1995]

01. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - 1. O Fortuna
02. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - 2. Fortune Plango Vulnera
03. I. Primo Vere - 3. Veris Leta Facies
04. I. Primo Vere - 4. Omnia Sol Temperat
05. I. Primo Vere - 5. Ecce Gratum
06. Uf Em Anger - 6. Tanz
07. Uf Em Anger - 7. Floret Silva
08. Uf Em Anger - 8. Chramer, Gip Die Varwe Mir
09. Uf Em Anger - 9. Reie
10. Uf Em Anger - Swaz Hie Gat Umbe
11. Uf Em Anger - Chume, Chum Geselle Min
12. Uf Em Anger -Swaz Hie Gat Umbe
13. Uf Em Anger -10. Were Diu Werit Alle Min
14. II. In Taberna - 11. Estuans Interius
15. II. In Taberna - 12. Olim Lacus Colueram
16. II. In Taberna - 12. Ego Sum Abbas
17. II. In Taberna - 14. In Taberna Quando Sumus
18. III. Cours D'amour - 15. Amor Volat Undique
19. III. Cours D'amour - 16. Dies, Nox Et Omnia
20. III. Cours D'amour - 17. Stetit Puella
21. III. Cours D'amour - 18. Circa Mea Pectora
22. III. Cours D'amour - 19. Si Puer Cum Puellula
23. III. Cours D'amour - 20. Veni, Veni, Venias
24. III. Cours D'amour - 21. In Trutina
25. III. Cours D'amour - 22. Tempus Est Iocundum
26. III. Cours D'amour - 23. Dulcissime
27. Blanziflor Et Helena - 24. Ave Formosissima
28. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - 25. O Fortuna

Natalie Dessay - soprano
Thomas Hampson - baritone
Gérard Lesne - alto
Malcolm Stewart - violin

Choeur d'enfants de Midi-Pyrénées
Orféon Donostiarra
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson - conductor

Recorded in 1994, Michel Plasson's performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana is a respectable effort, featuring exceptional soloists, a skilled choir, and a capable orchestra, yet it falls into the category of flawed renditions. Carmina Burana is a hard piece to get wrong, since its robust choruses and theatrical vocal numbers can still be riveting even when performed by second-tier orchestras or less than brilliant singers. But when the conductor is as esteemed as Plasson; the singers as reputable as soprano Natalie Dessay, baritone Thomas Hampson, and alto Gérard Lesne; and the ensembles as good as the Choeur d'Enfants de Midi-Pyrénées and the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the results should be extraordinary. Yet several opportunities for dynamic explosiveness, rousing excitement, and vivid sonorities slip by untaken, because Plasson seems too tightly focused on directing the choir, perhaps to the detriment of the other musicians and the music as a whole, and rushes unconscionably through too many numbers. Furthermore, it sounds as if the conductor is singing under his breath in spots, slightly out of tune, in an attempt to feed the words to the choir. Perhaps most frustrating of all is the ensemble's precious staccato delivery in the opening "O Fortuna," and listeners will feel disappointed that the most famous section of this work didn't blow them away. Many of the choir's other numbers have the same kind of refined delivery, so if a declamatory, rambunctious, and somewhat vulgar Carmina Burana is needed, then one must look elsewhere. Even so, there are some beautiful sections in this performance, notably in the solos by Hampson and Dessay, and EMI's recording offers a few exciting orchestral sonorities. However, this recording is a disappointment for its cautiousness in too many places and for its overall inconsistency of vision. ---Blair Sanderson, Rovi

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