Thank you for all your support, and suggestions for new episodes. We want to make them all! Also check out the link to our store in the description, we have a limited edition Goliard University t-shirt available, as well as some other channel merch. classicsexplained.com/ And remember to listen to Carmina Burana this weekend as Carl Orff intended: very loudly!
Can you do Pastoral Symphony, Bolero, Bartered Bride, Barber of Seville, Pines of Rome, Kinderszenen, Four Seasons, Carnival of the Animals, but with different designs for each episodes other than Elgar, Gershwin, and Orf this time?
Thanks for this suggestion - four of these are actually currently in production! A fifth in production is by a composer of another one of them. Would appreciate some feedback on the animation of the last three and what your thoughts are on changing it? Always valuable for us to know what people like/dislike Thanks for your support :)
@@ClassicsExplained the animation for Gershwin should be like 1920s cartoons. Orf’s animation could be based on Dr. Seuss’ artwork. Saint Saens can be like the animation style of Disney Renaissance. The style of Vivaldi might look like Mary Blair’s art. Rachmaninoff’s style should’ve looked like Tim Burton styles (not stop motion). And the upcoming Bizet needs to look like Mucha Lucha.
I still remember the wash of horror I had when I read the (translated) lyrics of "The Roasting Swan." It was terrifying when you consider the last line is "I see teeth"
Cutest comment - thanks so much. Absolutely delighted to hear this. That means so much to us :) Please keep watching and supporting we are very grateful
@@puffadder92 Stokowski's is my favorite Carmina Burana recording. That Carnegie Hall concert is actually here on youtube as well! But the sound quality is a bit… strange. Stokowski was quite a pioneer in recording engineering stuff, so his Houston studio recording is has a much better balance. What I admire in his recording is the cohesiveness of the sequence of tempi. As for his reputation for being unpleasant to work with, I'm not quite sure how that came about. There are quite a few Stokowski in rehearsal videos here on YT, so I had a look at some of those. What I see is that he is EXTREMELY efficient. That implies of course that he picks small portions of works that are particularly tricky, That of course, is daunting if you are sitting there playing. Also I see him demanding total focus, not joking to chatting allowed. That also feels a bit… dictatorial. But then, to see it from the positive side, there is a lot of trust in the players in that attitude. I also came to understand that his unpleasantness was something of his later years. Did you aunt speak about him? Anyway, ol' Stokowski is quite a favorite of mine, not just for his Carmina Burana. His grip on meter and rhythm in particular I find quite fascinating. Thank you for bringing him up.
I love the little Bewitched nose-wiggle you gave Venus around 6:20! This was such a great episode, I can't believe I've gone this long without actually looking up the story and text of Carmina Burana. I'm glad I learned it through your unique style of storytelling and not some boring written summary!
Thanks! Really appreciate that! Yeah - who wants to read some boring programme notes! Hope this is a funner way to learn! Keep listening and loving classical music :)
Pieces you can choose to make a video about: Erlkonig (Schubert) Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert) Beethoven symphonies Don Giovanni (Mozart) Tannhauser/Die Meistersinger de Nuremberg (Wagner) Lohengrin/Tristan & Isolde (Wagner) Salome (R. Strauss) There’s more but I will tell you later once you chose one P.S. love ur vids, Ben ❤ Classical flautist (SL)❤
This is massively appreciated, Sophie - can't thank you enough for your support and recommendations. So much I wish I could do (and I'd do all your suggestion if I had the time and money!) but I can tell you that one of them is currently in production ;)
I discovered this piece when I was 15. I even used it to conquer my girlfriend's heart at that time (how adequate!), and still today I can recite the complete lyrics by heart (I was studying some Latin and German at that time, so most of the words made sense to me, and that made them much easier to remember). My point being, I know this work very deeply, and yet I discovered new things, meanings, and facts about it. Congratulations for an astonishing job!
What a brilliant tale! Love that you had a feeling for the lyrics too. I sang it at school when I was about 17 or 18 and fell absolutely in love with it too. It's really primal and powerful - thanks for all the support :)
Quite a step up in the animation style and detail. The art style becoming more refined and more unique to the composer. The cut out puppet style when employed was a nice touch. As always the music research and clear explanations made it accessible to someone who only listens a bit to classical music. Really enjoy your channel.
One of the first concerts my father took me to see. I was in awe at the music and lyrics, as the text and translation was being projected over the choir. My favorite piece ever to date!
8:09 - 8:11 "This is Goliard approved Lust!" The following is a quote from an interview with Asmodeus, the literal embodiment of Lust: "As both a noble King in the Ars Goetia, and the Sin Demon of Lust, even doing something simple like mentioning the Goliards or even alluding to them makes me uncomfortable! I don't see Lust as something that should be forced upon! It's gross, it's illegal, and it makes me sick *past* my stomach!!" -Asmodeus, the Sin Demon of Lust.
I got the chance to perform this about 5 years ago. It just so happened that I was both the 2nd bassoonist in the orchestra and part of the bass section of the choir. I ended up playing when there were 2nd bsn parts and singing the rest. Very fun concert for me lol, and great music too!
My local youth symphony woodwinds used to do this piece annually as part of our summer camp, when I was a teen. Definitely an exciting piece! Would love to know more of what it was about.
I enjoy this series so much. I realize having done Rite of Spring the Firebird is unlikely to get a nod. I want to yell play Firebird when I visit symphony (instead of play Freebird at Rock concert😅).
I love the Firebird. Would love to do a video on it - one of those interesting pieces were Ravel is borrowing a lot from Rimsky in terms of orchestration but also doing some rhythmically fascinating stuff that is a precursor for what is to come. Keep tuned and thanks for your support :)))
Thanks SO much for this - exactly the sort of comment we love because it encapsulates everything we want this channel to be! Keep enjoying our new releases :)
Bravo! What a wonderful exegesis of _Carmina Burana!_ This has long been one of my favorite works and I was fortunate enough to have had the great privilege of performing it twice. _Carmina Burana_ is the first part of Orff's _Trionfi_ trilogy, the second and third parts being _Catulli Carmina_ and _Trionfo di Afrodite,_ respectively. The other compositions are quite good but, alas, not well known.
Thanks so much for this wonderful comment. I entirely agree with you about the other parts of the Trionfi. Catulli Carmina is a wonderfully innovative piece which is even more evocative of Stravinsky's Les Noces, with the inventive interplay of percussion and voice. Trionfo di Afrodite also has some spine-tingling moments too. In fact, I wish people knew that Orff was much more than Carmina Burana - Der Mond is one of my favourite operas. Thanks for your support :)
I had only ever heard O Fortuna; the rest of the piece is great and I'm going to listen to the full work after this. Great video as always, always glad when a video can make me laugh and learn something. Thank you for your hard work!
Thanks so much! I love that you want to listen to the full piece. Like you, prior to singing this piece at school, I only knew O Fortuna. Then I discovered that it really is SO much more than that! Keep loving and learning about classical music and thanks for the support :)
I would really REALLY love to see you analyze Don Giovanni, it's my favourite Mozart Opera! Alternatively, I'd love to see you cover anything from Gilbert and Sullivan, especially Pirates of Penzance (a breakdown of all the references and jokes in "I am the Very Model of A Modern Major General" would be awesome). And since Halloween is coming, I'd also love Saint Saens' Danse Macabre, in the spirit of Spooktober.
What fascinating suggestions! We've done Magic Flute already (as much as I adore Don Giovanni) so perhaps G&S might be a cool left-field one. Regarding SS, keep tuned...! ;)
@@ClassicsExplained So, you're planning something for monsieur Camille? I wonder what could that be? If not Danse Macabre then maybe perhaps Le Carnival Des Animeaux? Or Organ Symphony? Either one would be awesome, and I can't wait to see your next video. Cheers!
Wonderful explanation of a fantastic piece. I remember singing this in my local symphony choir. My only knowledge was as "the one with the cool and scary piece that is used in lots of movies and commercials." Our conductor encouraged us to look into the stories and meanings in each piece and I was hooked! I truly enjoyed singing it so much more, understanding what each voice, character, and musical motif was!
I feel its best modern inclusion was in the score of the 1981 Boorman film "Excalibur". Since I was already a musician, it's what really sparked my interest to learn Latin as well.
I absolutely LOVE this video. The animation is very well made and the way it's narrated and explained makes it so fun! I wish this had subtitles so i can show it to my non-english speaking friends.
Fun fact: Orff didn't actually have his publishers destroy his previous publications. He admitted in his memoirs that he was being a bit overly dramatic when he told that story. ;-)
Thanks SO much - really appreciate your support. There's many films I could make on Orff because the Schulwerk method is just fascinating. Perhaps we could address it in a side-video of me talking about it at the piano. Thanks for your support - and hope the kids are loving the Schulwerk method!
A very interesting piece, Carmina Burana. It certainly depicts a different take on... philosophy, yeah, that what's we're going to call it... from what's typically seen in music. For something completely different, I'd love to see a video that discusses Shostakovich's String Quartet #8. It's very bleak and pessimistic, but has a fascinating and similarly depressing story. Or, Shostakovich's Symphony #7; Its premier in the city of Leningrad occurred during the height of the siege during WWII. It is the only piece I know of where a premier was heralded by military action to ensure it would go uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, Dievs, tava zeme deg, a cantata by Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta, premiered in Rīga Cathedral during the 1944 Battle of Rīga. The recording even captures the sound of the battle.
Thanks so much for this! Some brilliant suggestions - and the Shostakovich symphony is an absolute classic for the reasons you explain. Got to find a way to somehow get it in! Keep up the support :)
It's great! I sang it too at school - never forgot how unusual it was to sing in a piece like it after countless Mozarts and Bachs and the like. Was absolutely revelatory
Stravinsky revised Petrushka in 1947 (10 years after Carmina Burana's Premiere). Earlier he had debued his Les Noces in 1923 with Choreography by Bronislava Nijinska.
I was first exposed to this work in my tweens when my father, a public school instrumental educator, bought an album, the particulars of which I can't remember. I had a musically inclined ear from infancy (so I've been told) and was struck immediately with the primal quality of the music; the feeling that it was both ancient and modern at the same time. The music lured me in to reading the liner notes and following the translated poetry and even though I was too young to *really* get it, I got it to the extent I could. I'll have to do some digging and see if somehow I ended up with that LP. I haven't listened to the whole thing in ages. Thanks for a great summation.
Brilliant explanation. I have always loved this music. Now I know why. I knew where the inspiration Orff had for the music but never delved any further. I only really listened for love of the music. Now I have insight. Thank you.
My most direct introduction to the O Fortuna section was the 'salsa cookies' meme from like 10 years ago, and I've since added the entire Carmina Burana piece to my work playlist. I absolutely love it, and I really enjoy your presentation of the meaning behind the work. After watching this video, I am again reminded that people do not change. On a side note, I am dying that the falsetto section is supposed to be from the perspective of the swan lol what a great piece
I just want to announce that I just missed the job of a lifetime over a technicality, and all I could think of was of this video’s Fortuna patting my shoulder saying “best luck next time”
Thanks so much for this lovely compliment! Keep up the support - and the Mahler suggestion is brilliant. I've toyed with the idea a lot and am seriously weighing up between two particular Mahler ones
14:27 I read this hymn part basically as a serenade, someone's adoration song to a beloved woman. For culmination purposes there's no soloist, no tie to the particular baritone and soprano characters, things have escalated to tutti, it's all in all just a fitting conclusion to the same Cour d'amours arc... Not sure if its topic is indeed best described as "praising Blancheflor and Helen". The adjectives throughout the text are all singular, not plural. The use of proper nouns is likely just an exalted comparison, am I wrong? I mean, a comparison like in the phrase "you're my alpha and omega". Here they seem to imply "fairest, [you're my] Blancheflor and my Helen".
Thanks for watching! I entirely agree with your interpretation of the poem. For the purposes of this animation, we showed the two characters but I do agree that the literal words suggest it is a paean to a fair woman. Having said that, some artists interpreting the poem have produced works of art depicting the two characters. I wish we could have delved into more detail on the lyrics of this piece - as you’ve picked up, we interpreted them in the way that best fitted some “story” that could be animated
I am so glad to have discovered your channel! I have only known "O Fortuna" when it comes to "Carmina Burana", but thanks to your interesting and funny explanation of the piece I have listened to the entire thing with great interest! It is surely Carl Orff's masterpiece!
This video showed up in my recommendations and yes I like classical music, so I watched it. I enjoyed it so much I subscribed, now I'm going back to the beginning to watch the videos in series.
@@johanneswerner1140 There's also an entire subtext, when the fourth son of Egino van Urach, the founder of the ducal line of Wurttemburg, cut loose as a suffragan bishop in the Rhineland Monasteries and Nunneries in the late 12th Century. Celibacy was a new doctrine, and not accepted here, so he had to be baled out by the Vatican, who found a use for his visceral hatred in the Albigensian Crusade, where he finished his Cousin Simon IV de Montfort's unfinished business.
4:58 I can’t find any reference to an “Ocasio” god of opportunity anywhere. Caerus is mentioned and is sometimes depicted as having only a forelock of hair. I read in one novel where a character mentioned “grabbing fortune by the forelock”. Another character later asked what was meant by that and was told that the goddess of fortune is depicted as having no hair on her head behind her ears. The first character replied “Doesn’t sound very attractive, does it?” 😊 Thanks for producing this, I really enjoyed it. Carmina Burana is one of my favorites!
First of all, this channel’s work and dedication are surprising. Thank you for all these video masterpieces! My suggestion for a new video is Wagner’s „Der Ring des Nibelungen” and Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony. Greetings from Romania! 🇷🇴
I played a portion of this work in concert band my senior year of high school, we performed 6 movements from it in concert band. I was sad I wasn’t the timpanist in it because I wasn’t first chair percussion, but I played the piano and chimes during the concert, and it was one of my most favorite works to play, definitely brought good memories from high school band. I’m glad I finally understand what is going on in all of the pieces in the work, thank you!
Like a number of the commenters here I first heard O Fortuna as part of the Excalibur movie in the 1970's but great piece of music won't be denied and loved the work since. However! I never understood the story - I am NOT one for dry performance notes. Thank you so much for your concise and clear explanation of the story. I have just relistened to the oratorio but with a much clearer understanding.
In the segment "Chramer, gip die varwe mir", I hear sleigh bells. They also appear in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's German Dance no. 3 "Sleigh Ride", Emile Waldteufel's Skaters Waltz, Frederick Delius' WInter Night, Richard Eilenberg's Petersburg Sleigh Ride, at the begining of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride, Serge Prokofiev's Troika from Lieutenant Kije, Angela Morley's Snow RIde, and Philip Lane's Sleighbell Serenade.
my favorite piece! i sang with the university of michigan choir at carnegie hall in the prehistoric era; Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducted . can’t wait to hear (and see 😊) what you’ve done with this piece! ❤
I first heard Carmina Burana in middle school as our drama teacher used it as incidental music in our performance of the Hobbit. I loved it so much he made me a cassette after the show. I played it until the tape wore out and I tried to replace it. What I didn't realize is that it was the Ray Manzarak prog rock version and it was 20 years before I tracked that version down. 😂
Amazing! And I love the Manzarek connection! He did quite a few kooky versions of classical piece. If I weren’t doing classical music videos, I’d love to do Doors ones!
Wow! Your videos are getting better and better! It's obvious a whole lot of work goes into each one and so they can only come out every once in a while but it's always such a treat when I see a video by you come up in the suggestions! Learning is easy when it's fun!
I should suggest you some pieces to make some more masterpieces of yours about: Night On Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky) Tale Of Tsar Saltan (Rimsky-Korsakov) Leningrad Symphony (Shostakovich) The Miraculous Mandarin (Bela Bartok) Alice In Wonderland (Unsuk Chin) Suicide In An Airplane (Leo Ornstein) Firebird/Petrushka (Stravinsky) Tosca/Turandot (Puccini) L'Orfee Aux Enfer (Offenbach) The Bat (Strauss) Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens/Liszt) To be continued... P. S. Waiting for your new masterpieces, Ben 💓
If you recommend the Leningrad Symphony, I recommend Dievs Tava Zeme Deg by the Latvian Lūcija Garūta. Another Latvian composer with an epic story would be Jānis Mediņš who began his opera Fire and Night in 1913, served in the Tsar's army, and after the Revolution, crossed Siberia and European Russia to return to an independent Latvia, carrying the massive score the entire way.
Thanks so much for your huge support and for these suggestions. A piece very closely linked to one of this (which quotes heavily from it) is soon to be released by us!
Absolutely enjoy your videos! Suggestions coming for pieces you could do videos around: Bach and his Brandenburg Concertos Mozart and his Piano Concertos No 20 & 21 Mozart’s Piano Sonata No 11 in A (the Rondo Alla Turca) and his Symphonies No 25, 40 and his famous symphony No 41. Perhaps selections from Handel’s Messiah. Mozart (his Sunny Symphony No 29), Piano quartet’s No 1 & 2 Schubert (Unfinished Symphony & his Trout Quintet) Can’t wait to see more of what you do in the future!
Carmina burana is my most valued memory of my beginnings in classical music taste, as I always seek videos explaining its melancholic message. I’m so glad to know I’ve found such in this video, along with the funniest visuals ever ❤️❤
I associated O Fortuna with the movie Excalibur till I sang it in a choir. This video gives a more comprehensive summary than our conductor did. Incidentally, after-parties following a performance of Carmina Burana tend to go off with a bang...
Saw this piece done by the Cincinati Symphony Orchestra years ago. As it happenened i had broken my foot earlier that day. I recall not only temporarily forgeting my pain but but being nearly brought to tears. That was actually the very first (but not last) time thst had happened.
Mindblowing storytelling! Knew most of this from when I sung in university choir, but pictures give it life, 10/10 (and also matches Orff's intent as far as I understand) When singing though, I never imagined the baritone character in a sweaty wifebeater...
For extra fun the actual medieval tune to O Fortuna is not nearly as scary sounding. Less "o merciless fate" and more of " ah well better luck next time I guess"
2:02 Burana means Beuron, not bavaria. Beuron is the municipality where is this Benedictian Monastry, where the lyrics came from. It is in Baden-Württemberg, not in Bavaria.
Thanks for the comment. In more depth than I could explain in the video, Carmina Burana means "Songs from Benediktbeuern". As you will know, Benediktbeuern (which is indeed in Bavaria) is the name of the monastery where the collection of manuscripts were found in 1803. Those manuscripts are now in the Bavarian State Library in Munich. For simplicity's sake, I translated this as "Songs from Bavaria" in the narrative, but explained that they were found in the monastery there. However, it is incorrect to say that Carmina Burana means "Songs of Beuron". You are absolutely right that Beuron is part of Baden-Wurttemberg and is home to the famous Beuron Archabbey but that is not the same as the location where the Carmina Burana manuscripts were discovered in the Benediktbeuern in Bavaria. Hope that helps and thanks for watching the video :)
How wonderfully delightful, insightful and fun. Thank you so much for this creative and entertaining contribution. One of my favorite pieces will be forever linked to you. I look forward eagerly to explore your channel . Best wishes from Belgium.
Another made-of-awesome video! Excellent review and great details & presentation. Moar pLz! My first exposure to Carmina Burana was John Boorman's Excalibur, which was a perfect match of screen and classical. I would argue that movie kicked off the popular use of O Fortuna on the big and small screens.
Also Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven, Bolero, by Ravel, Bartered Bride by Smetana, Barber of Seville by Rossini, Roman Trilogy by Respighi, Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens, Lark Ascending by Williams, Kinderszenen by Schumann, Pearl Fishers by Bizet, La Boheme by Puccini, Rigoletto by Verdi, Song of the Night by Mahler, and Tales from the Vienna forest by Strauss!
Thank you for all your support, and suggestions for new episodes. We want to make them all! Also check out the link to our store in the description, we have a limited edition Goliard University t-shirt available, as well as some other channel merch. classicsexplained.com/ And remember to listen to Carmina Burana this weekend as Carl Orff intended: very loudly!
Can you do Pastoral Symphony, Bolero, Bartered Bride, Barber of Seville, Pines of Rome, Kinderszenen, Four Seasons, Carnival of the Animals, but with different designs for each episodes other than Elgar, Gershwin, and Orf this time?
Thanks for this suggestion - four of these are actually currently in production! A fifth in production is by a composer of another one of them.
Would appreciate some feedback on the animation of the last three and what your thoughts are on changing it? Always valuable for us to know what people like/dislike
Thanks for your support :)
Something *I* would really like to see is Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky.
@@ClassicsExplained the animation for Gershwin should be like 1920s cartoons. Orf’s animation could be based on Dr. Seuss’ artwork. Saint Saens can be like the animation style of Disney Renaissance. The style of Vivaldi might look like Mary Blair’s art. Rachmaninoff’s style should’ve looked like Tim Burton styles (not stop motion). And the upcoming Bizet needs to look like Mucha Lucha.
Learning about the swan being the falsetto voice when thinking it was some sort of metaphor for lustful temptation genuinely made me laugh
ha! It's a fascinating one
So, in a way, it was an actual swan song. I'll see myself out. 😅
I still remember the wash of horror I had when I read the (translated) lyrics of "The Roasting Swan." It was terrifying when you consider the last line is "I see teeth"
@@hagerty1952 Heh heh heh... "Dentes frendentes video!"
@@fleeb - Yep.
I'm stoked. I've been binge watching this series with my 4 year old daughter.
That is really cute :D
Rather racy for a 4 Yr old, no?
Cutest comment - thanks so much. Absolutely delighted to hear this. That means so much to us :) Please keep watching and supporting we are very grateful
You might want to censor out some parts for your daughter....
@@ClassicsExplained are you gonna use different designs this time?
The sense of humor in this video is almost as good as the piece itself. Well done!
A most excellent choice! My late aunt sang this at Carnegie Hall under Stokowski, an absolute legend.
WOW!!!!
That is so exciting - to say she's sung under Stokowski!
Would love to have been a fly on the wall at rehearsals
Lol just a fly on the wall right? Wouldn't really want to work for him...
@@puffadder92 Stokowski's is my favorite Carmina Burana recording. That Carnegie Hall concert is actually here on youtube as well! But the sound quality is a bit… strange. Stokowski was quite a pioneer in recording engineering stuff, so his Houston studio recording is has a much better balance. What I admire in his recording is the cohesiveness of the sequence of tempi.
As for his reputation for being unpleasant to work with, I'm not quite sure how that came about. There are quite a few Stokowski in rehearsal videos here on YT, so I had a look at some of those. What I see is that he is EXTREMELY efficient. That implies of course that he picks small portions of works that are particularly tricky, That of course, is daunting if you are sitting there playing. Also I see him demanding total focus, not joking to chatting allowed. That also feels a bit… dictatorial. But then, to see it from the positive side, there is a lot of trust in the players in that attitude. I also came to understand that his unpleasantness was something of his later years. Did you aunt speak about him?
Anyway, ol' Stokowski is quite a favorite of mine, not just for his Carmina Burana. His grip on meter and rhythm in particular I find quite fascinating. Thank you for bringing him up.
At 10 mins, as I’m feeling for the swan being killed & roasted, the swan singing gets me giggling 😁& laughing 😂. Wow!
Terrific choice! We played this with our whole school orchestra & choir back in the 1970's. Then recognized it in Excalibur later. 😀
Another absolute masterpiece! Orff did pretty well too.
ha! Thanks so much! Loving the support :)
I love the little Bewitched nose-wiggle you gave Venus around 6:20! This was such a great episode, I can't believe I've gone this long without actually looking up the story and text of Carmina Burana. I'm glad I learned it through your unique style of storytelling and not some boring written summary!
Thanks! Really appreciate that! Yeah - who wants to read some boring programme notes! Hope this is a funner way to learn! Keep listening and loving classical music :)
I possess a German bilingual copy of the Latin poems from the original anthology.
The nose wiggle was from Bewitched, not I Dream of Jeannie.
@@Xerxes2005 Oh shoot, you're right! I'm gonna correct my comment, thanks for calling that out. 😅
Pieces you can choose to make a video about:
Erlkonig (Schubert)
Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert)
Beethoven symphonies
Don Giovanni (Mozart)
Tannhauser/Die Meistersinger de Nuremberg (Wagner)
Lohengrin/Tristan & Isolde (Wagner)
Salome (R. Strauss)
There’s more but I will tell you later once you chose one
P.S. love ur vids, Ben ❤
Classical flautist (SL)❤
Add rachmaninoff piano concerto 2 too,
Add the Antar Symphony! And Balakirev's "Tamara!"
A couple of additional suggestions:
Les Preludes (Liszt)
Concerto for Orchestra (Bartok)
@@Lucius1958 And for a research challenge, Sergei Lyapunov's "Hashish!"
This is massively appreciated, Sophie - can't thank you enough for your support and recommendations.
So much I wish I could do (and I'd do all your suggestion if I had the time and money!) but I can tell you that one of them is currently in production ;)
I love this piece! I sang it with my university choir this June, it was so much fun.
Isn't is fab to sing in - I did the same many years back at school and never forgot the experience
This kind of high quality content on classical music is what we need!! Very well done video essay
Thanks so much! Exactly what we're aiming for - just hope it doesn't get a bit too niche for the algorithm!
I discovered this piece when I was 15. I even used it to conquer my girlfriend's heart at that time (how adequate!), and still today I can recite the complete lyrics by heart (I was studying some Latin and German at that time, so most of the words made sense to me, and that made them much easier to remember). My point being, I know this work very deeply, and yet I discovered new things, meanings, and facts about it. Congratulations for an astonishing job!
What a brilliant tale! Love that you had a feeling for the lyrics too. I sang it at school when I was about 17 or 18 and fell absolutely in love with it too. It's really primal and powerful - thanks for all the support :)
Quite a step up in the animation style and detail. The art style becoming more refined and more unique to the composer. The cut out puppet style when employed was a nice touch. As always the music research and clear explanations made it accessible to someone who only listens a bit to classical music. Really enjoy your channel.
Thank you very much for this feedback - greatly appreciated and well-observed. We are really trying to step things up now
Thank you so much
I just noticed the guy catching fire as he rides into the sunset at 7:05! 😂
Did you notice that Paris looks like Hercules?
One of the first concerts my father took me to see. I was in awe at the music and lyrics, as the text and translation was being projected over the choir.
My favorite piece ever to date!
Brilliant - thanks so much for sharing this ! :))
8:09 - 8:11
"This is Goliard approved Lust!"
The following is a quote from an interview with Asmodeus, the literal embodiment of Lust:
"As both a noble King in the Ars Goetia, and the Sin Demon of Lust, even doing something simple like mentioning the Goliards or even alluding to them makes me uncomfortable! I don't see Lust as something that should be forced upon! It's gross, it's illegal, and it makes me sick *past* my stomach!!"
-Asmodeus, the Sin Demon of Lust.
I got the chance to perform this about 5 years ago. It just so happened that I was both the 2nd bassoonist in the orchestra and part of the bass section of the choir. I ended up playing when there were 2nd bsn parts and singing the rest. Very fun concert for me lol, and great music too!
Love that - must have been so much fun
I love your videos!! And I would also love to see a "Night On Bald Mountain" video!! 😆😆
Great suggestion! And that recommendation has been made by a few people so definitely a contender! Thanks for the support :)
My local youth symphony woodwinds used to do this piece annually as part of our summer camp, when I was a teen. Definitely an exciting piece! Would love to know more of what it was about.
I enjoy this series so much. I realize having done Rite of Spring the Firebird is unlikely to get a nod. I want to yell play Firebird when I visit symphony (instead of play Freebird at Rock concert😅).
I LOVE THE FIREBIRD. I hope he might do a video on it.
I love the Firebird. Would love to do a video on it - one of those interesting pieces were Ravel is borrowing a lot from Rimsky in terms of orchestration but also doing some rhythmically fascinating stuff that is a precursor for what is to come. Keep tuned and thanks for your support :)))
@@ClassicsExplained Another vote here for Firebird!!
These videos are absolutely sublime.
Accessible to classical music newcomers, but also very entertaining and informative for more advanced listeners!
Thanks SO much for this - exactly the sort of comment we love because it encapsulates everything we want this channel to be! Keep enjoying our new releases :)
@@ClassicsExplained I’m so happy you’re back to uploading!
Recently attended a performance staged as an opera. Astoundingly powerful music and visuals
Isn't it just! Singing in it is even better!
Bravo! What a wonderful exegesis of _Carmina Burana!_ This has long been one of my favorite works and I was fortunate enough to have had the great privilege of performing it twice.
_Carmina Burana_ is the first part of Orff's _Trionfi_ trilogy, the second and third parts being _Catulli Carmina_ and _Trionfo di Afrodite,_ respectively. The other compositions are quite good but, alas, not well known.
Thanks so much for this wonderful comment.
I entirely agree with you about the other parts of the Trionfi. Catulli Carmina is a wonderfully innovative piece which is even more evocative of Stravinsky's Les Noces, with the inventive interplay of percussion and voice. Trionfo di Afrodite also has some spine-tingling moments too. In fact, I wish people knew that Orff was much more than Carmina Burana - Der Mond is one of my favourite operas.
Thanks for your support :)
THANK YOU!!! I watch these over and over, and a new one is a delight!
What a LOVELY comment - thanks so much. Many more to come :)
I had only ever heard O Fortuna; the rest of the piece is great and I'm going to listen to the full work after this.
Great video as always, always glad when a video can make me laugh and learn something. Thank you for your hard work!
Thanks so much! I love that you want to listen to the full piece. Like you, prior to singing this piece at school, I only knew O Fortuna. Then I discovered that it really is SO much more than that! Keep loving and learning about classical music and thanks for the support :)
The men's chorus in the "In Taberna" section can be a real show-stopper!
Discovered this piece in the Excalibur movie
Finally I found an explanation step by step of my favorite cantata ❤ thanks a lot for this amazing work
Another piece of art, 👏
Thank you :)
I would really REALLY love to see you analyze Don Giovanni, it's my favourite Mozart Opera! Alternatively, I'd love to see you cover anything from Gilbert and Sullivan, especially Pirates of Penzance (a breakdown of all the references and jokes in "I am the Very Model of A Modern Major General" would be awesome). And since Halloween is coming, I'd also love Saint Saens' Danse Macabre, in the spirit of Spooktober.
What fascinating suggestions! We've done Magic Flute already (as much as I adore Don Giovanni) so perhaps G&S might be a cool left-field one. Regarding SS, keep tuned...! ;)
@@ClassicsExplained So, you're planning something for monsieur Camille? I wonder what could that be? If not Danse Macabre then maybe perhaps Le Carnival Des Animeaux? Or Organ Symphony? Either one would be awesome, and I can't wait to see your next video. Cheers!
@@jarekwrzosek2048 Not just planning...it's more or less ready! Looking forward to sharing soon :)
@@ClassicsExplained YES! Also in the meantime I've got another video Idea for you: Vivaldi's Four Seasons!
Thank you! Can't wait to re listen Carmina Burana twice afterwards
YES!!!
Exactly what I love to hear! Listen to the Eugen Jochum one that we credit - personally endorsed by Orff
Wonderful explanation of a fantastic piece. I remember singing this in my local symphony choir. My only knowledge was as "the one with the cool and scary piece that is used in lots of movies and commercials." Our conductor encouraged us to look into the stories and meanings in each piece and I was hooked! I truly enjoyed singing it so much more, understanding what each voice, character, and musical motif was!
I feel its best modern inclusion was in the score of the 1981 Boorman film "Excalibur". Since I was already a musician, it's what really sparked my interest to learn Latin as well.
after singing this with my boy coir with was on our top 5 concerts we did!!! Our favorit part was the famous;OH OH OHHHH TOTUS FLOREO
I absolutely LOVE this video. The animation is very well made and the way it's narrated and explained makes it so fun! I wish this had subtitles so i can show it to my non-english speaking friends.
Fun fact: Orff didn't actually have his publishers destroy his previous publications. He admitted in his memoirs that he was being a bit overly dramatic when he told that story. ;-)
Incredibly clever and as usual, a stellar job. I use the Orff Schulwerk methodology in May Music teaching. Orff Rocks!
Thanks SO much - really appreciate your support. There's many films I could make on Orff because the Schulwerk method is just fascinating. Perhaps we could address it in a side-video of me talking about it at the piano. Thanks for your support - and hope the kids are loving the Schulwerk method!
A very interesting piece, Carmina Burana. It certainly depicts a different take on... philosophy, yeah, that what's we're going to call it... from what's typically seen in music.
For something completely different, I'd love to see a video that discusses Shostakovich's String Quartet #8. It's very bleak and pessimistic, but has a fascinating and similarly depressing story.
Or, Shostakovich's Symphony #7; Its premier in the city of Leningrad occurred during the height of the siege during WWII. It is the only piece I know of where a premier was heralded by military action to ensure it would go uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, Dievs, tava zeme deg, a cantata by Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta, premiered in Rīga Cathedral during the 1944 Battle of Rīga. The recording even captures the sound of the battle.
Thanks so much for this!
Some brilliant suggestions - and the Shostakovich symphony is an absolute classic for the reasons you explain. Got to find a way to somehow get it in!
Keep up the support :)
I sang this my freshman year of college. It never got performed because it was 2020. Ended up learning the Orff method of music education instead
My family went to see this piece live yesterday, and I showed them this video as a crash course!
Oh, I love this piece! The last time I sang this was when I was in a children's choir, and we sang with a college choir and full orchestra.
It's great! I sang it too at school - never forgot how unusual it was to sing in a piece like it after countless Mozarts and Bachs and the like. Was absolutely revelatory
Stravinsky revised Petrushka in 1947 (10 years after Carmina Burana's Premiere). Earlier he had debued his Les Noces in 1923 with Choreography by Bronislava Nijinska.
I would also like a discusion on Menotti- Amahl and the Night Visitors.
yes
I was first exposed to this work in my tweens when my father, a public school instrumental educator, bought an album, the particulars of which I can't remember. I had a musically inclined ear from infancy (so I've been told) and was struck immediately with the primal quality of the music; the feeling that it was both ancient and modern at the same time. The music lured me in to reading the liner notes and following the translated poetry and even though I was too young to *really* get it, I got it to the extent I could. I'll have to do some digging and see if somehow I ended up with that LP. I haven't listened to the whole thing in ages. Thanks for a great summation.
You are awesome, once again you make a video about a piece that it’s going to be played this season on our local venue(Teatro colon, Buenos Aires)
Brilliant explanation. I have always loved this music. Now I know why. I knew where the inspiration Orff had for the music but never delved any further. I only really listened for love of the music. Now I have insight. Thank you.
OMG! You made Carmina Burana seems EXTREMELY irresistible!
So much appreciated :)
Wait a minute, was that George Gershwin entering the tavern (11:16)?
And Paul Whiteman
and is that... *gasp* SIR EDWARD ELGAR?!
Well spotted - we were hoping some keen eyes would play along with the in-joke
did I see cameo appearance of Elgar in this episode🤣 This is brilliantly animated btw!
Well-spotted and thank you :)
My most direct introduction to the O Fortuna section was the 'salsa cookies' meme from like 10 years ago, and I've since added the entire Carmina Burana piece to my work playlist. I absolutely love it, and I really enjoy your presentation of the meaning behind the work. After watching this video, I am again reminded that people do not change. On a side note, I am dying that the falsetto section is supposed to be from the perspective of the swan lol what a great piece
I just want to announce that I just missed the job of a lifetime over a technicality, and all I could think of was of this video’s Fortuna patting my shoulder saying “best luck next time”
Brilliant video of my favourite piece of classical music. Well done and thank you!
Fantastic video and a well thoughtful series ❤ When chance is brought up I’d loooove to see a video about a Mahler symphony :))))
Thanks so much for this lovely compliment! Keep up the support - and the Mahler suggestion is brilliant. I've toyed with the idea a lot and am seriously weighing up between two particular Mahler ones
14:27 I read this hymn part basically as a serenade, someone's adoration song to a beloved woman. For culmination purposes there's no soloist, no tie to the particular baritone and soprano characters, things have escalated to tutti, it's all in all just a fitting conclusion to the same Cour d'amours arc... Not sure if its topic is indeed best described as "praising Blancheflor and Helen". The adjectives throughout the text are all singular, not plural. The use of proper nouns is likely just an exalted comparison, am I wrong? I mean, a comparison like in the phrase "you're my alpha and omega". Here they seem to imply "fairest, [you're my] Blancheflor and my Helen".
Thanks for watching! I entirely agree with your interpretation of the poem. For the purposes of this animation, we showed the two characters but I do agree that the literal words suggest it is a paean to a fair woman. Having said that, some artists interpreting the poem have produced works of art depicting the two characters. I wish we could have delved into more detail on the lyrics of this piece - as you’ve picked up, we interpreted them in the way that best fitted some “story” that could be animated
I am so glad to have discovered your channel! I have only known "O Fortuna" when it comes to "Carmina Burana", but thanks to your interesting and funny explanation of the piece I have listened to the entire thing with great interest! It is surely Carl Orff's masterpiece!
This video showed up in my recommendations and yes I like classical music, so I watched it. I enjoyed it so much I subscribed, now I'm going back to the beginning to watch the videos in series.
The poems had been separated from their original music, which has since been found. It's amazing how close Orff got.
Yup, the C.B. is a brilliant collecting. Love it!
Bacche bene venies... (especially the line about why you should not drink water...)
@@johanneswerner1140 There's also an entire subtext, when the fourth son of Egino van Urach, the founder of the ducal line of Wurttemburg, cut loose as a suffragan bishop in the Rhineland Monasteries and Nunneries in the late 12th Century. Celibacy was a new doctrine, and not accepted here, so he had to be baled out by the Vatican, who found a use for his visceral hatred in the Albigensian Crusade, where he finished his Cousin Simon IV de Montfort's unfinished business.
Very deep and exciting music, the instruments literally speak along with singers. Love it
Thanks so much - and for the support :)
4:58 I can’t find any reference to an “Ocasio” god of opportunity anywhere. Caerus is mentioned and is sometimes depicted as having only a forelock of hair. I read in one novel where a character mentioned “grabbing fortune by the forelock”. Another character later asked what was meant by that and was told that the goddess of fortune is depicted as having no hair on her head behind her ears. The first character replied “Doesn’t sound very attractive, does it?” 😊
Thanks for producing this, I really enjoyed it. Carmina Burana is one of my favorites!
I think the poem is not referring to a character named Occasio, but rather a personification of opportunity.
on wikipedia: Occasio or Tempus is roman equivalent of Caerus
First of all, this channel’s work and dedication are surprising. Thank you for all these video masterpieces! My suggestion for a new video is Wagner’s „Der Ring des Nibelungen” and Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony. Greetings from Romania! 🇷🇴
Classics explained already made der ring de nibelingen
@@lisys511 Sorry, i just saw the video after i posted this comment. ☺️
Great to see you again! I can't wait for future episodes!
Thanks so much for the support - looking to bringing out the next few soon! :)
Orff was briefly mentioning the Homer and Virgil's acounts of Trojan War which was depicted at the begining of Berlioz' Les Troyens.
This is one of the few channels where I'll periodically check back to see if I missed any uploads just in case you snuck past my notifications lol
LOVE this supportive comment - keep up the morale boost!
I played a portion of this work in concert band my senior year of high school, we performed 6 movements from it in concert band. I was sad I wasn’t the timpanist in it because I wasn’t first chair percussion, but I played the piano and chimes during the concert, and it was one of my most favorite works to play, definitely brought good memories from high school band. I’m glad I finally understand what is going on in all of the pieces in the work, thank you!
So pleased it brought back those wonderful memories - one day you will be the timpanist I hope! :)
An excellent video!
Thank you!
I love carmina burana
Like a number of the commenters here I first heard O Fortuna as part of the Excalibur movie in the 1970's but great piece of music won't be denied and loved the work since.
However! I never understood the story - I am NOT one for dry performance notes.
Thank you so much for your concise and clear explanation of the story. I have just relistened to the oratorio but with a much clearer understanding.
In the segment "Chramer, gip die varwe mir", I hear sleigh bells. They also appear in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's German Dance no. 3 "Sleigh Ride", Emile Waldteufel's Skaters Waltz, Frederick Delius' WInter Night, Richard Eilenberg's Petersburg Sleigh Ride, at the begining of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride, Serge Prokofiev's Troika from Lieutenant Kije, Angela Morley's Snow RIde, and Philip Lane's Sleighbell Serenade.
my favorite piece! i sang with the university of michigan choir at carnegie hall in the prehistoric era; Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducted . can’t wait to hear (and see 😊) what you’ve done with this piece! ❤
I had an aunt sing this at Carnegie under Stokowski
WOW! Must have been amazing to sing this under him! :)
YOU'RE BACK!!!!!
We are indeed! And not too long for release of next film either! Thanks for the support :)
I first heard Carmina Burana in middle school as our drama teacher used it as incidental music in our performance of the Hobbit. I loved it so much he made me a cassette after the show. I played it until the tape wore out and I tried to replace it. What I didn't realize is that it was the Ray Manzarak prog rock version and it was 20 years before I tracked that version down. 😂
Amazing! And I love the Manzarek connection! He did quite a few kooky versions of classical piece. If I weren’t doing classical music videos, I’d love to do Doors ones!
Wow! Your videos are getting better and better! It's obvious a whole lot of work goes into each one and so they can only come out every once in a while but it's always such a treat when I see a video by you come up in the suggestions! Learning is easy when it's fun!
I should suggest you some pieces to make some more masterpieces of yours about:
Night On Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky)
Tale Of Tsar Saltan (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Leningrad Symphony (Shostakovich)
The Miraculous Mandarin (Bela Bartok)
Alice In Wonderland (Unsuk Chin)
Suicide In An Airplane (Leo Ornstein)
Firebird/Petrushka (Stravinsky)
Tosca/Turandot (Puccini)
L'Orfee Aux Enfer (Offenbach)
The Bat (Strauss)
Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens/Liszt)
To be continued...
P. S. Waiting for your new masterpieces, Ben 💓
If you recommend the Leningrad Symphony, I recommend Dievs Tava Zeme Deg by the Latvian Lūcija Garūta. Another Latvian composer with an epic story would be Jānis Mediņš who began his opera Fire and Night in 1913, served in the Tsar's army, and after the Revolution, crossed Siberia and European Russia to return to an independent Latvia, carrying the massive score the entire way.
Thanks so much for your huge support and for these suggestions. A piece very closely linked to one of this (which quotes heavily from it) is soon to be released by us!
Absolutely fascinating!
Woww I didn't know Latvian classical music at all :(( my guilt :( I should listen this, thanks :)
I love your videos schveetie! ❤
Thank you glad you like!!
Very much schveetie! Where you been!
Absolutely enjoy your videos!
Suggestions coming for pieces you could do videos around: Bach and his Brandenburg Concertos
Mozart and his Piano Concertos No 20 & 21
Mozart’s Piano Sonata No 11 in A (the Rondo Alla Turca) and his Symphonies No 25, 40 and his famous symphony No 41.
Perhaps selections from Handel’s Messiah.
Mozart (his Sunny Symphony No 29), Piano quartet’s No 1 & 2
Schubert (Unfinished Symphony & his Trout Quintet)
Can’t wait to see more of what you do in the future!
Thanks SO much for this and your suggestions and your support - we will deffo keep them coming :)
Carmina burana is my most valued memory of my beginnings in classical music taste, as I always seek videos explaining its melancholic message. I’m so glad to know I’ve found such in this video, along with the funniest visuals ever ❤️❤
Wonderful comment - many thanks for sharing and watching :)
I ❤ this medieval-Nazi group of songs
They taught me a lot about carpe diem and the Vanity of Life.
Oh Fortuna, like the Moon-a, ever mutability!!!
These videos are mind blowing!
Thanks so much! Many more on their way :)
Back in 1982 I was in the UMass Lowell marching band and our off the line piece was Music from Carmina Burana opening with O Fortuna.
Awesome! I love it! What a great video! I’ve sung it but this video taught me a ton!!! Thanks!
I want this to get more recommended by the algorithm, so here is this comment
The algorithm wants you to listen to Beyonds or Lizzo.
Sadly!
But thank you so much for this and your support!
I associated O Fortuna with the movie Excalibur till I sang it in a choir. This video gives a more comprehensive summary than our conductor did. Incidentally, after-parties following a performance of Carmina Burana tend to go off with a bang...
Saw this piece done by the Cincinati Symphony Orchestra years ago. As it happenened i had broken my foot earlier that day. I recall not only temporarily forgeting my pain but but being nearly brought to tears. That was actually the very first (but not last) time thst had happened.
Wonderful comment - thank you for watching :)
Just stumbled on your channel. This video was fantastic! I love this piece and I listen to it all the time. I never realized the plot was so bonkers!
Welcome!
Mindblowing storytelling! Knew most of this from when I sung in university choir, but pictures give it life, 10/10 (and also matches Orff's intent as far as I understand)
When singing though, I never imagined the baritone character in a sweaty wifebeater...
ha! Thanks
As someone who only knew the o fortuna part prior to watching, I can say that this is the exact opposite of what I expected it to be about
For extra fun the actual medieval tune to O Fortuna is not nearly as scary sounding. Less "o merciless fate" and more of " ah well better luck next time I guess"
Venus also appears in Respighi's Triptych to Botticelli from 1927.
2:02 Burana means Beuron, not bavaria. Beuron is the municipality where is this Benedictian Monastry, where the lyrics came from. It is in Baden-Württemberg, not in Bavaria.
Thanks for the comment. In more depth than I could explain in the video, Carmina Burana means "Songs from Benediktbeuern". As you will know, Benediktbeuern (which is indeed in Bavaria) is the name of the monastery where the collection of manuscripts were found in 1803. Those manuscripts are now in the Bavarian State Library in Munich. For simplicity's sake, I translated this as "Songs from Bavaria" in the narrative, but explained that they were found in the monastery there.
However, it is incorrect to say that Carmina Burana means "Songs of Beuron". You are absolutely right that Beuron is part of Baden-Wurttemberg and is home to the famous Beuron Archabbey but that is not the same as the location where the Carmina Burana manuscripts were discovered in the Benediktbeuern in Bavaria.
Hope that helps and thanks for watching the video :)
@@ClassicsExplained Oh so I got it wrong, because it sounds similar, thanks for correction
No worries - you aren't the only one. Easy mistake to make!
How wonderfully delightful, insightful and fun. Thank you so much for this creative and entertaining contribution. One of my favorite pieces will be forever linked to you. I look forward eagerly to explore your channel . Best wishes from Belgium.
What an absolutely delightful comment thank you so very much - really appreciate it :)
You are most welcome. @@ClassicsExplained 🍀
Another made-of-awesome video! Excellent review and great details & presentation. Moar pLz!
My first exposure to Carmina Burana was John Boorman's Excalibur, which was a perfect match of screen and classical. I would argue that movie kicked off the popular use of O Fortuna on the big and small screens.
Great point! And thanks for the compliments :)
This is one of my all time favorites, first heard it in the old movie Excalibur. It always gets my blood pumping.
It's great!
11:17 Gershwin is one of the boys 😎
Well-spotted ;)
OMG, what an amazing video!
Superb! Excellent overview.......👍
I proformed this in a big thing and now i love this song
What about the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi?
Also Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven, Bolero, by Ravel, Bartered Bride by Smetana, Barber of Seville by Rossini, Roman Trilogy by Respighi, Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens, Lark Ascending by Williams, Kinderszenen by Schumann, Pearl Fishers by Bizet, La Boheme by Puccini, Rigoletto by Verdi, Song of the Night by Mahler, and Tales from the Vienna forest by Strauss!
Coming VERY soon ;)
3 of these in production (with one of them being the next one) and the composer of one of them coming up soon :)
After a few years away you've been on a tear. Thank you so much!!! I hope many more are on the way!!Shostakovich 7?? Nixon in China??
Amazing content, as always! Keep up the ggod work, your videos are gold. Could be very interesting to see some Schostakowitsch or Chopin featured 😅
Thanks so much - really appreciated comment. And those suggestions are spectacular - had a lot of Shostakovich requests in particular! :)
Another hit!
Thanks so much for your support!
Don't forget it's in Excalibur too. I have heard this music my entire life and this is the best explained I have ever heard it.
Carmina burana really is a masterpiece and one of my favourite pieces ever (even tho it's packed with sin)
I am waiting for some videos of your 1 1/2 english composers, Peter