Aspen – The Aspen Music Festival always likes to go out with a bang, and this year’s edition was no exception.
Following what has become a tradition, the nine-week series concluded with a crowd-pleasing blockbuster – the Aspen Festival Orchestra’s explosive performance Sunday afternoon of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.”
The 2,000-seat Benedict Music Tent was sold out, and hundreds more people gathered outside on the lawn, giving the concert the real feeling of an event.
Few if any major choral works are more popular than “Carmina,” because of the delightful variety of profane 13th-century songs on which it is based and the visceral power of the opening and closing chorus, which is often heard on television commercials and elsewhere.
Making its annual appearance at the festival, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus unequivocally was the afternoon’s star. Superbly prepared by director Duain Wolfe, the group outdid itself, conveying the full emotional range of this work with rhythmic precision, nuanced dynamic control and an impeccable sense of ensemble.
The orchestra, composed of student musicians with a sprinkling of professionals as mentors, rose to the occasion with a first-rate performance. Deserving special note were its two pianists, Louise Chan and Jue Hu, an integral part of Orff’s orchestration, as well as the augmented percussion and fine brass section.
An ensemble from the Colorado Children’s Chorale handled its sections effectively, and the three soloists were all strong, especially baritone Stephen Powell, who brought a welcome theatrical flair to his singing, especially his whimsical version of the drinking song “I Am the Abbot.”
Bringing all the components into a unified, thrilling whole was music director David Zinman, who has a flair for such dramatic, large-scale works.
Serving as an ideal opener was Igor Stravinsky’s less frequently heard “Symphony of Psalms,” completed six years before “Carmina.”
Though the writing in “Psalms” is spare and more rigorously modern, there are nonetheless fascinating resonances between the two pieces.
The 58th season of the internationally renowned Aspen festival was an especially successful one. It’s sad to see it end, but classical-music fans can start looking forward to next summer.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
