Bouquet of Flowers | České Budějovice

Carmina Burana / Bouquet of Flowers
Two thrilling cantatas from 1937
Premiere 2. 3. 2023
Second premiere 4. 3. 2023

In 1937, the cantata Carmina Burana was performed for the first time as a world premiere, and its mesmerising effect earned it undying popularity and hundreds of recordings by the world’s finest orchestras and choirs. It is based on 25 poems from the 13th century, mostly in Latin and Middle High German, which were reinterpreted by Carl Orff in the spirit of the thrilling dramatism of modern vocal symphonic music.

The same year saw the creation of an equally remarkable cantata, Bouquet of Flowers (Kytice), which, however, is in no way related to Karel Jaromír Erben’s collection of ballads, but presents five Czech and Moravian folk texts arranged in a cycle unparalleled in Czech musical literature. Bohuslav Martinů’s music, extremely attractive and understandable to listeners, mirrors elements of Czech folk music, thus becoming a kind of counterbalance to Orff’s cantata, which uses a similar method to process elements of medieval music.

Conductor: David Švec
Choirmaster: Martin Veselý
Choirmaster of DS Canzonetta: Petra Nová

Bouquet of Flowers / soprano: Markéta Klaudová
Bouquet of Flowers / alto: Michaela Zajmi
Bouquet of Flowers / tenor: Jaroslav Březina
Bouquet of Flowers / baritone: Jakub Hliněnský
Carmina Burana / soprano: Lucie Silkenová
Carmina Burana / tenor: Jaroslav Březina
Carmina Burana / baritone: Alexandr Beň

Chorus of the South Bohemian Theater Opera
Canzonetta Children's Choir
South Bohemian Theater Opera Orchestra
concert master (violin): Martin Červinka
concert master (cello): Václav Žák

More information: https://www.jihoceskedivadlo.cz/en/show/2658-carmina-burana-bouquet-of-flowers