CARMINA BURANA

Carmina Burana, or the songs of Beuron, are based on the 13th Century manuscripts found in the Bavarian Monastery of Benediktbeuron in 1847. Its authors must have been troubadours, monks and errant students. From this collection, numbering around two hundred songs, Carl Orff has chosen twenty-five. The beginning and the end of the work invoke the Wheel of Fortune which controls man’s destiny; the central parts, Springtime, On The Lawn, In The Tavern, and Court of Love, have love as their main theme. Described as a scenic cantata by its composer, this work was first presented at the Francfort Opera in 1937.

Fernand Nault created this ballet for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1966. It received overwhelming acclaim during the Expo ’67 World Festival and has since been seen in Europe, South America, throughout the United States, Asia and Canada with great success.