The lyrics are in German and Latin, so it's impossible to sing along.
But if you had given the 1,650 folks packed into Tucson Music Hall Thursday night the English translations, no doubt some might have joined the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus in a rousing verse or two from the opening song "O Fortuna" of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana."
The rhythmic music is catchy and the singing so expressive and dramatic it begs your attention. You can't sit still; you move your head from side to side, up and down, and you find yourself unconsciously making hand motions in your lap, as if conducting your own concert.
Surely if he had seen you, Tucson Symphony Orchestra Conductor George Hanson would have forgiven you.
Thankfully, no one in the audience submitted to their urges. We let the singers β 90 from the chorus, a full contingent from the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and the guest soloists, Tucson baritone Charles Roe and emerging opera stars tenor Jason Ferrante and soprano Mary Wilson β do their jobs.
And what wondrous jobs they did.
"Carmina Burana" is a lusty, rhythmic romp that opens and closes with a once ominous, then pulsing nod to fortune. In between, there are 23 songs that explore passion, pain, longing and drinking, all penned by 13th-century monks and set to glorious, exuberant 20th-century music by Orff.
Orff intended the work to be more than a choral piece; he pictured it being acted out. In the 70 years since it premiered, "Carmina Burana" has found a home in theater and ballet.
But it is most prominently played out like the TSO did Thursday night, with enough vocalists and musicians to fill a stage as big as the Music Hall's to capacity.
Orff's score calls for bombastic highs and moaning lows, and the orchestra nailed it with a delicious mix of precision and passion. The musicians captured Orff's dark moods and pulsing rhythms and balanced them delicately with the voices.
The TSO Chorus was exquisite, following Hanson's direction nearly flawlessly. There were a few instances in which it seemed Hanson was working overtime to keep some of the chorus on the same page, but, to the casual listener, not a word seemed out of place.
Two of the male choristers standing in the front row bobbed their heads in time to the music throughout the performance, which is no doubt how Orff imagined the chorus singing it. The pair stole your attention with their enthusiasm; they seemed to have found nirvana in those Latin lyrics. If nothing else, they were having a ball.
The same can be said for Ferrante, who strolled on stage with the swagger of a comic actor and glanced mischievously at the audience before singing his short but wondrous part. We saw Ferrante on this stage last year in Arizona Opera's production of "The Marriage of Figaro," and he's slated for three of the company's four operas next season.
Wilson also was in that "Figaro" production, in the lead role of Susanna. On Thursday, she proved why many in the opera world are heralding her as an emerging star. She is simply amazing, with a voice that induces goose bumps and a stage presence that is mesmerizing. She literally stole the spotlight from Roe, a beloved Tucson institution.
Roe, who carried the heaviest weight of the three soloists, possessed a warm, resonating baritone for most of the evening. It was only when he tried to reach the higher register that his voice showed weaknesses.
At the end of the concert, the audience gave the orchestra and company a thundering, prolonged standing ovation filled with shouts of "Bravo!" and the kind of applause that stings your hands. Sometimes we as audiences are gratuitous in doling out standing O's, but this one was well-deserved.
Review
Tucson Symphony Orchestra, with the TSO Chorus, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and guest soloists performing Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" Thursday. The concert repeats at 2 p.m. Sunday at Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 882-8585, or 321-1000.
