The Palau de Les Arts premieres Carl Orff's scenic cantata Carmina Burana this Thursday in the Sala Principal. The performance will unite the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat with the Ballett Dortmund in the execution of Edward Clug's choreography.
Les Arts thus concludes its twentieth season with a work that was previously unprogrammed at the Calatrava Palace. The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana will debut under the baton of young conductor Olivia Lee-Gundermann.
The institution highlights that Carmina Burana has lost "not an iota of its fascination" nearly a century after its premiere, emphasizing its "overflowing energy," "hypnotic rhythmic force," and the "universality of the themes" it addresses.
A total of 175 artists, including musicians, singers, and dancers, will participate at Les Arts from June 25th to 28th. The production features the striking choreography by Edward Clug for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, which premiered in 2019.
In his interpretation, Clug follows the structure of Orff's composition, based on the concept of the circle and the Wheel of Fortune, embodying the eternal cycle of life and death. An immense ring on stage acts as the "nucleus of attraction and repulsion" for the dancers.
