Carl Orff & Paul Hindemith Carmina Burana & Symphonic Metamorphosis (2 LP)

180g Vinyl Double LP!
Pressed at Optimal Media!
Craft Recordings is honoring the legacy of Telarc Records by re-releasing four of the most famous titles in the label's long and storied catalog on vinyl LP for the first time in over 35 years.
Robert Shaw conducts the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus with Judith Blegen for this recording of Orff's Carmina Burana alongside Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis spread across 2LPs.
Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, one of the 20th century's most popular works for chorus and orchestra, is a secular cantata that combines archaic poetry, simple, folk-like melodies and primal rhythms to create images of the eternal springtime of the human soul. Rhythm is the driving force throughout this intensely dramatic and highly regarded performance, conducted by the award-winning choral master Robert Shaw. Also includes Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis.
Given Robert Shaw's deep understanding not only of orchestral conducting but also of the use of a chorus, it's not surprising that Telarc would have him lead what has become one of the most widely performed works for chorus and orchestra in the 20th century, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. All songs are sung in either medieval Latin or German, and these 25 poems can be bombastic, sorrowful, gut wrenching or dramatic-all qualities Shaw easily draws from the orchestra and chorus. A replica of the original libretto is included in the LP.
This LP was cut, as are all the others, by Eric Boulanger on Stan Ricker's own equipment (with some slight modifications), which Boulanger bought from Ricker's estate.
"The sound of these early Telarcs holds up very, very well with sonic quality that's far superior to most analog orchestral recordings from the "majors" in the mid- to late-1970s. It's not just Stockham's Soundstream recorder, encoding at a bit-depth of 16 and a sampling rate of 50,000Hz. Woods and Renner had the advantage of making these recordings in... very favorable acoustic environments...and Renner's long experience recording large ensembles with a minimalist technique contributed as well to the superb result. The electronics in the recording chain were beyond reproach, and top-notch mastering engineers...cut the lacquers for the original disc..."
"We should not forget that Telarc Records International gave us more than a taste of what was possible 40 years ago and Craft's new vinyl pressings are an excellent way to remember this significant moment in audio history." - Andrew Quint, The Absolute Sound, February 2019

Features:

• Double LP
• 180g Vinyl
• Pressed at Optimal Media
• Gatefold jacket
• Libretto enclosed
• Made in Germany

Musicians:

• Judith Blegen, soprano
• Hakan Hagegard, baritone
• William Brown, tenor
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
• Robert Shaw, conductor
• The Atlanta Boy Choir

Selections:

Carl Orff (1895-1982)
Carmina Burana
Side A
1. Introduction: Fortune, Empress Of The World (Nos.1, 2)
2. Part One: In Springtime (Nos.3-5)
3. On The Lawn (Nos.6, 7)(continued on Side 2)
Side B
1. (continued from Side 1)
2. Part One: On The Lawn (Nos.8-10)
3. Part TWo: In The Tavern (Nos.11-14)
Side C
1. Part Three: The Court Of Love (Nos.15-23)
2. Blanziflor And Helena (No. 24)
3. Fortune, Empress Of The World (No.25)
Side D
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
1. Symphonic Metamorphosis Of Themes by Carl Maria Von Weber