ON STAGE
What: Carmina Burana
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Tuesday March 5 and Wednesday March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$82 from , by phone at 250-386-6121 or in person at the Royal McPherson box office
Ballet Victoria staged a version of Carmina Burana in 2014 with a small music ensemble and choir numbering more than 80 singers.
That was a big production at the time 鈥� among the biggest in Ballet Victoria history. But the company鈥檚 incoming version of the production, set for two performances at the Royal Theatre next week, has grown in every way.
鈥淭his one is pretty epic,鈥� said Ballet Victoria artistic producer Paul Destrooper.
鈥淚n terms of people on stage, this is the biggest production we鈥檝e ever done. We鈥檙e taking it to the next step.鈥�
More than 140 members of the Victoria Choral Society are taking part in Carmina Burana, under the direction of Brian Wismath. Several top-tier soloists, including tenor Benjamin Butterfield, soprano Abby Schuliger and baritone Sam Marcaccini, will join the duelling pianos of Wendy Stofer and Jane Edler-Davis for the pair of performances, along with a percussion ensemble of musicians from the Victoria Symphony. The shows also feature 10 dancers from the Ballet Victoria stable.
鈥淭en dancers on a stage that size is going to be very full,鈥� Destrooper said with a laugh. 鈥淭he backdrop of the performance is going to be wall-to-wall singers 鈥� literally 鈥� on risers in the back.鈥�
The decision to put every associate on stage during the performance came at the expense of available space for the dancers, Destrooper said. The choreography was adapted to accommodate the lack of space. 鈥淚t will be more about using the space in a side-to-side manner 鈥� all our circles are ovals, for example. It just changes the geometry a little bit, but we will never sacrifice the integrity of the work. You will really see the unbridled energy and power of the dancers.鈥�
Carmina Burana occupies a unique place in the performing arts world. One of the most well-known choral works of the 21st century, the scenic cantata by German composer Carl Orff was based on the work of mostly anonymous authors, from monks and vagabonds to poets, who penned the collection of more than 200 lyrical works before the 13th century.
Destrooper, who studied the texts during medieval literature courses in university, choreographed Carmina Burana to explore the themes of the 24 poems Orff chose for it in 1936, including the often-heard O Fortuna.
鈥淚t鈥檚 demanding physically, but it also requires a lot of dramatic interpretation,鈥� Destrooper said. 鈥淚鈥檓 using the poems as the base for the choreography, with the music in mind. And it鈥檚 still so relevant to today鈥檚 issues that we have, whether they are political or religious. It has that human dimension. We are all a work in progress, and still have a ways to go.鈥�
