Carmina Burana is one of those pieces that almost always goes well. In fact, you have to work at giving a bad performance (as one recent recording has done). Dorati’s reading is one that makes a good case for Orff’s masterpiece, even if it doesn’t aspire to the heights of Eugen Jochum’s on Deutsche Grammophon. His tempos are, for the most part, well chosen, though not particularly imaginative. There’s not very much imagination on the part of the soloists, either–John Shirley-Quirk’s “Ego sum abbas” sounds bland next to the witty Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on Jochum’s recording, and Louis Devos’ roasting swan lacks the requisite terror. On the other hand, Norma Burrowes’ heavenly singing in “Setit puella” is a treat. The choirs sound well trained, and the Royal Philharmonic provides a thorough and professional account of the score. The recording is one of those Decca Phase Four experiments from the mid-1970’s and suffers from distorted perspectives in the loud passages. No texts are included, but for once we are given background information on the work and the composer.
