CARMINA BURANA

Choreographer: Uwe Scholz
Costumes and scenography: Uwe Scholz
Lighting: Marc Parent
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9 in E♭ major, K. 271, known as the Jeunehomme concerto
Conductor: Jean-Claude Picard
Solo Piano: Rosalie Asselin

Duration: 36 minutes

Uwe Scholz (1958–2004) was inspired by the joy found in the great Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s works to create this 21-dancer piece, premiered at the Ballets de Monte-Carlo in 1986. Jeunehomme follows a classical three-movement structure (allegro, andantino and presto) and centres around six couples from the corps de ballet and two couples who each perform a pas de deux. The work ends with a solo dancer playing Mozart himself. The discipline of the six dance couples in perfect harmony and the three soloists’ beautiful technique complete the graceful and emotional pas de deux.

Mozart composed the Jeunehomme Concerto when he was just 21. A critical success, the work was said to have been composed for Victoire Jenamy (incorrectly understood by Mozart as “Jeunehomme”), daughter of dancer and ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre.

Choreography: Edward Clug
Sets: Marko Japelj
Costumes: Léo Kulas
Lighting: Marc Parent
Music: Carl Orff
Conductor: Jean-Claude Picard
Soloists
Soprano: Aline Kutan
Tenor: Mishael Eusebio
Baritone: Dominique Côté

Duration: 65 minutes

With Carmina Burana, choreographer Edward Clug revisits a major 20th century work by German composer Carl Orff. This “scenic cantata” - one of the most celebrated in choral singing - is adapted from 24 medieval poems. Its world famous first movement O Fortuna evokes the World's destiny while humanity is powerless in facing its uncertain future. The irresistible energy emanating from this work continues to fascinate.

The ballet follows the structure of the composition, based on the concept of the circle : the Wheel of Fortune, embodying the cycle of existence, made up of joy, bitterness, worry and hope. Based on this central theme, choreographer Edward Clug has imagined an immense circle overhanging the stage, an orbit drawing dancers into it, like solitary satellites – attracted as though by an invisible magnet – and holding some of them at its center. The powerful breath of Carmina Burana is a bearer of love, of awakening and of constant renewal. Borne by the formidable energy of the group, the passion of the chorus and soloists, the power of the orchestra and the timeless beauty of the score, this piece centres on human beings in their most visceral dimension: legacy and longevity.

Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko | Dancer: Tetyana Martyanova

To this day, Carmina Burana remains one of the pieces best-known by the general public in the classical repertoire.

When Carl Orff composed Carmina Burana, in 1935, he could never have imagined that this “scenic cantata” inspired by medieval poems would earn the universal popularity that it did, eclipsing all the rest of his output.

To this day, Carmina Burana has remained one of the pieces in the classical repertoire best-known to the general public, largely thanks to the exposure of its initial chant, O Fortuna, in motion pictures – in Excalibur, among other films.

It was in 1803 that a mysterious manuscript was discovered in the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuern, in Bavaria. It consisted of a collection of sacred and secular poems and texts in Latin, German and old French that spoke of love, spring and such pleasures of life as fine food, wine and partying.

For his cycle, Carl Orff chose 24 of these poems and grouped them in major sections with their particular settings. The introduction, O Fortuna, invokes the goddess of fortune in Roman mythology, who returns in the conclusion. Cruel empress of the world, Fortuna is depicted as a pitiless wheel that turns and draws her subjects into a destiny over which they have no control.

The central parts unfold in springtime, in the meadow, at the tavern and in the court of love. They involve multiple scenes expressing the joys and sorrows of existence, and present love from the masculine and feminine points of view. The result is a generally festive atmosphere, often tinged with humor. We need only think of the bawdy drinking songs and the swan roasting on a spit who bemoans its fate.

At the musical level, Carl Orff did not attempt to imitate or reimagine medieval music. Rather, he took advantage of it to reinvent himself. To that point, his compositions had been influenced by the postromantic music of Richard Strauss and his contemporaries. With Carmina Burana, he saw the opportunity to develop a unique style, based on simple rhythms and harmonies, one that contrasted sharply with the music of his time.

Audiences immediately took to Carmina Burana, starting with its premiere at Frankfurt-on-Main; the work reaches out to human beings in their most fundamental and primitive dimensions. This should not come as a surprise, since Carl Orff, who revolutionized musical teaching by reconnecting with the physical and dance aspects of music, conceived a visceral and spectacular work that has inspired artists in all disciplines since its creation.

In the world of dance, Carmina Burana has seen many adaptations throughout the years. Les Grands Ballets staged choreographer Fernand Nault’s version in 1966 and presented it as part of the World Fair of Montreal a year later; the show became an overnight sensation. Many tours and performances followed, making Carmina Burana one of the most celebrated pieces from Les Grands Ballets’ repertoire.

Pas de deux Anna Ishii, Graeme Fuhrman (April 13 and 14 at 2 p.m., April 18 at 8 p.m.) Rachele Buriassi, Esnel Ramos (April 13, 19, 20 at 8 p.m.) Mai Kono, Esnel Ramos (April 20 at 2 p.m.)

Solo Bernard Dubois II (April 13 and 20 at 2 p.m., April 14 at 2 p.m.) Célestin Boutin (April 13, 18, 20 at 8 p.m.) Angel Vizcaíno (April 19 at 8 p.m.)

Petit pas de deux Tetyana Martyanova, Felixovich Morante (April 13 at 2 p.m., April 20 at 2 p.m.) Maude Sabourin, Raphaël Bouchard (April 13 and 18 at 8 p.m.) Anya Nesvitaylo, Marcel Gutiérrez (April 14 at 2 p.m., April 20 at 8 p.m.) Aurora De Mori, Raphaël Bouchard (April 19 at 8 p.m.)

Four soloists Alexandra Eccles, Kiara DeNae Felder, Anya Nesvitaylo, Yui Sugawara (April 13 at 2 p.m.) Anna Ishii, Mai Kono, Anya Nesvitaylo, Yui Sugawara (April 13 at 8 p.m., April 19 at 8 p.m.) Alexandra Eccles, Kiara DeNae Felder, Calista Shepheard, Sarah Branch (April 14 and 20 at 2 p.m., April 18 and 20 at 8 p.m.)

Corps de ballet Sofía González, Maude Fleury, Rose Trahan, Tatiana Lerebours/ Anaïs Roy, Carrigan MacDonald, Kiara Flavin, Théodore Poubeau, Thomas Poubeau, Étienne Delorme, Oscar Lambert, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Bernardo Betancor (all performances)

Two soloists and six men Anya Nesvitaylo, Yui Sugawara Théodore Poubeau, Bernardo Betancor, Thomas Leprohon, Oscar Lambert, Antoine Benjamin Betran, Étienne Delorme (April 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., April 19 at 8 p.m.)

Calista Shepheard, Sarah Branch, Théodore Poubeau, Bernardo Betancor, Thomas Leprohon, Oscar Lambert, Antoine Benjamin Betran, Étienne Delorme (April 14 and 20 at 2 p.m., April 18 and 20 at 8 p.m.)

Fortuna Plango Vulnera
Étienne Delorme, Emma Garau Cima, Oscar Lambert, Sofía González, Marcel Gutiérrez, Aurora De Mori, Felixovich Morante, Yui Sugawara, Thomas Leprohon, Tatiana Lerebours, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Tetyana Martyanova, James Lyttle, Calista Shepheard, Graeme Fuhrman, Mai Kono, Bernardo Betancor, Sahra Maira, Théodore Poubeau, Anya Nesvitaylo, François Gagné, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Raphaël Bouchard, Catherine Toupin/Carrigan Macdonald, Célestin Boutin, Kiara Flavin/Alexandra Eccles, André Santos, Kiara DeNae Felder, Bernard Dubois II, Maude Sabourin (April 13th and 14th at 2 p.m., April 19th and 20th at 8 p.m.)

Étienne Delorme, Sarah Branch, Oscar Lambert, Anaïs Roy, Marcel Gutiérrez, Maude Fleury, Felixovich Morante, Yui Sugawara, Thomas Leprohon, Tatiana Lerebours, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Tetyana Martyanova, James Lyttle, Calista Shepheard, Graeme Fuhrman, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Bernardo Betancor, Rose Trahan, Théodore Poubeau, Anya Nesvitaylo, François Gagné, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Raphaël Bouchard, Catherine Toupin/Carrigan MacDonald, Célestin Boutin, Kiara Flavin, André Santos, Alexandra Eccles/Kiara Felder, Bernard Dubois II, Maude Sabourin (April 13th and 18th at 8 p.m., April 20th at 2 p.m.)

Veris Leta Facies
Same distribution as Fortuna Plango Vulnera

Omnia Sol Temperat (duo)
Maude Sabourin, James Lyttle (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Yui Sugawara, Célestin Boutin (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Ecce Gratum (diagonal)
Same cast as Fortuna Plango Vulnera, (without Alexandra Eccles on April 14 at 2 p.m. and April 20 at 8 p.m. / without Kiara DeNae Felder on April 18, 19 and 20 at 8 p.m.)

Tanz (women's dance/men's dance)
Same cast as Fortuna Plango Vulnera

Floret Silva Nobilis
Same distribution as Fortuna Plango Vulnera (excluding André)

First duo
Yui Sugawara, Graeme Fuhrman (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Calista Shepheard, Thomas Leprohon (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Second duo
Anna Ishii, Célestin Boutin (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Emma Garau Cima, Raphaël Bouchard (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Quartet
Calista Shepheard, Esnel Ramos, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Thomas Leprohon (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Kiara DeNae Felder, Esnel Ramos, Sahra Maira, Bernard Dubois II (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Chramer
Tetyana Martyanova, Mai Kono, Aurora De Mori, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Yui Sugawara, Maude Sabourin, Tatiana Lerebours, Calista Shepheard, Anya Nesvitaylo, Sofía González, Catherine Toupin, Rose Trahan, Kiara DeNae Felder, Kiara Flavin, Carrigan MacDonald, Anna Ishii, Sahra Maira, Alexandra Eccles (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)

Tetyana Martyanova, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Aurora De Mori, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Anaïs Roy, Maude Sabourin, Tatiana Lerebours, Calista Shepheard, Anya Nesvitaylo, Maude Fleury, Catherine Toupin, Rose Trahan, Kiara DeNae Felder, Kiara Flavin, Carrigan MacDonald, Sarah Branch, Sahra Maira, Alexandra Eccles (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Trio of women
Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Calista Shepheard, Maude Sabourin (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Anya Nesvitaylo, Aurora De Mori, Sahra Maira (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Reie
Tetyana Martyanova, Calista Shepheard, Yui Sugawara, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Maude Sabourin, Anya Nesvitaylo, Aurora De Mori, Tatiana Lerebours, Mai Kono, Sofía González, Emma Garau Cima, Rose Trahan, Kiara DeNae Felder, Kiara Flavin, Catherine Toupin, Sahra Maira, Thomas Leprohon, Graeme Fuhrman, Étienne Delorme, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Esnel Ramos, Felixovich Morante, James Lyttle, Bernard Dubois II, Théodore Poubeau, Raphaël Bouchard, Marcel Gutiérrez, Oscar Lambert, Angel Vizcaíno, Célestin Boutin, François Gagné, André Santos (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)

Tetyana Martyanova, Calista Shepheard, Anaïs Roy, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Maude Sabourin, Anya Nesvitaylo, Aurora De Mori, Tatiana Lerebours, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Maude Fleury, Emma Garau Cima, Rose Trahan, Kiara DeNae Felder, Kiara Flavin, Catherine Toupin, Sahra Maira, Thomas Leprohon, Graeme Fuhrman, Étienne Delorme, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Esnel Ramos, Felixovich Morante, James Lyttle, Bernard Dubois II, Théodore Poubeau, Raphaël Bouchard, Marcel Gutiérrez, Oscar Lambert, Angel Vizcaíno, Célestin Boutin, François Gagné, Bernardo Betancor (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Were Diu Werlt
Same cast as Reie (Carrigan MacDonald for André Santos on April 14 and 20 at 2pm, April 18, 19 and 20 at 8pm)

Estuan Interius (quartet of men)
Raphaël Bouchard, André Santos, Bernard Dubois II, Célestin Boutin (April 13th at 2 p.m.)
Étienne Delorme, André Santos, Bernard Dubois II, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (April 13th at 8 p.m.)
Étienne Delorme, Théodore Poubeau, Bernard Dubois II, Antoine Benjamin Bertran (April 14th at 2 p.m., April 20th at 2 p.m.)
Raphaël Bouchard, Théodore Bouchard, Bernard Dubois II, Célestin Boutin (April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)

Olim Lacus Colueram
First entrance: all
Second entrance: Tetyana Martyanova, Yui Sugawara, Calista Shepheard, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Maude Sabourin, Anya Nesvitaylo, Aurora De Mori, Tatiana Lerebours, Mai Kono, Thomas Leprohon, Graeme Fuhrman, Étienne Delorme, Marcel Gutiérrez, Felixovich Morante, James Lyttle, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Esnel Ramos, Raphaël Bouchard (all performances)

Ego Sum Abbas (solo)
James Lyttle (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Célestin Boutin (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

In Taberna
Same distribution as Fortuna Plango Vulnera, with Esnel Ramos and Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya

Amor Vola Undique
Yui Sugawara, Raphaël Bouchard (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Anya Nesvitaylo, Marcel Gutiérrez (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Dies Nox Et Omnia
André Santos, James Lyttle (April 13th at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Esnel Ramos, Célestin Boutin (April 14th at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Esnel Ramos, James Lyttle (April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)

Stetit Puella
Yui Sugawara, Raphaël Bouchard, James Lyttle (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Maude Sabourin, Étienne Delorme, Thomas Leprohon (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Circa Mia Pectora
Thomas Leprohon, Felixovich Morante, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Étienne Delorme, Oscar Lambert, Bernardo Betancor, Marcel Gutiérrez, James Lyttle, Graeme Fuhrman, Esnel Ramos, Célestin Boutin, Raphaël Bouchard, Théodore Poubeau, François Gagné, Bernard Dubois II, Tetyana Martyanova, Maude Sabourin, Aurora De Mori, Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya, Anya Nesvitaylo, Tatiana Lerebours, Calista Shepheard, Mai Kono, Catherine Toupin, Emma Garau Cima, Kiara DeNae Felder, Kiara Flavin, Carrigan MacDonald, Sahra Maira, Alexandra Eccles (all performances)

Si Puer Cum Puellulla
Same cast as Circa Mia Pectora

Veni Veni Venias
Same cast as Circa Mia Pectora

In Trutina
Maude Sabourin, Thomas Leprohon, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Étienne Delorme, Graeme Fuhrman (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Yui Sugawara, Thomas Leprohon, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Étienne Delorme, Graeme Fuhrman (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

Tempus est Iocundum
Same cast as Circa Mia Pectora

Dulcissime (duo)
James Lyttle, Maude Sabourin (April 13th at 2 p.m., April 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8 p.m.)
Célestin Boutin, Yui Sugawara (April 13th at 8 p.m., April 14th, and 20th at 2 p.m.)

O Fortuna
Same cast as Circa Mia Pectora

Soloists
Soprano: Aline Kutan
Tenor: Mishael Eusebio
Baritone: Dominique Côté

Sopranos
Charlotte Corwin
Julie Ekker
Véronique Gauthier
Audrey Larose-Zicat
Kimberley Lynch
Stephanie Manias
Maddie Studt
Dorothéa Ventura

Altos
Alexandra Asher
Sarah Bissonnette
Kristen de Marchi
William Duffy
Isabelle Ricard
Lucie Roy
Sandra Simard
Béatrice Stoklas
Marie-Christine Zanga Duplessis

Tenors
Mathieu Abel
Jean-Séb Allaire
Bernard Cayouette
Jean-François Daignault
Ryan Doyle
Aldéo Jean
Thomas MacLeay
David Menzies
Patricia Yates

Basses
Pierre-Étienne Bergeron
Alain Duguay
Michel Duval
Thomas Jodoin-Fontaine
William Kraushaar
Andrew Maruzella
Mihnea Nitu
Guillaume St-Cyr
Noah Wright

Conductor
Jean-Claude Picard

First Violins
Veronica Thomas, solo
Céline Arcand, associate
Pascale Frenette
Daniel Godin
Frédéric Lefebvre
Émilie Rabaraona
Line Deneault
Heather Schnarr
Daphnée Sincennes Richard
Olga Semionova

Second Violins
Marie-Josée Arpin, solo
Élise Lortie, assistant
Ragnhild Hettema
Jean Ai Seow
Anne Saint-Cyr
Josiane Breault
Marie-Claude Massé
Maria Demacheva

Violas
Véronique Potvin, solo
Catherine Arsenault, assistant
Élisa Boudreau
Mihaela Tistu
Stéphanie Galipeau
Justin Almazan

Cellos
Jeanne de Chantal Marcil, solo
Carla Antoun, assistant
Monika Risi
Laurence Leclerc
Jacob Auclair-Fortier
Thérèse Ryan

Double basses
Marc Denis, solo
Richard Capolla, assistant
Pierre Pépin
Geneviève Bigonnesse

Flutes
Jocelyne Roy, solo
Benjamin Morency + picc
Jeffrey Stonehouse + picc

Oboes
Kirsten Zander, solo
Lindsay Roberts
David Jomphe + English Horn

Clarinets
Martin Carpentier, solo
François Martel + bass
Gwénaëlle Ratouit + mib

Bassoons
Lise Millet, solo
Alain Thibault
Joëlle Amar, contrabassoon

Horns
Lyne Santamaria, solo
Maude Lussier
Guillaume Roy
Sarah Amahrit

Trumpets
Lise Bouchard, solo
Aura West
David Carbonneau

Trombones
Simon Jolicoeur Côté, solo
Bruno Laurence Joyal
Hugo Bégin, bass

Tuba
Scott Cheyne, solo

Timpani
François St-Jean, solo

Percussion
Robert Slapcoff, solo
Catherine Meunier
Léo Guiollot
Anne-Julie Caron
Catherine Cherrier

Solo Pianist
Rosalie Asselin

Piano/celesta
Esther Gonthier, solo

Orchestra Manager
Richard Capolla

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9, the “Jeunehomme” Concerto, was a landmark event in the composer’s career. It was his first undisputed masterpiece in any genre. It is not only the earliest of Mozart’s piano concertos to remain in the popular repertory, but one of the finest by any standard. It is also the longest – only Concerto No. 22, K. 482 (also in E-flat) comes close – which means that it was also the longest piano concerto written before Beethoven, and even the latter’s concertos surpass it by only a few minutes.

Right from the opening moments we know we are in for something special. Orchestra and soloist share the first subject, a novel gesture. Not until Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto (1806) did the piano soloist play anything until the orchestral exposition was finished. This opening gesture becomes a hallmark of the entire movement: orchestra plays the fanfare, piano responds. Only once is the order reversed – at the announcement of the recapitulation, and it is a startling moment indeed to experience this exchange of roles.

The second movement is the first of those truly tragic slow movements that become a feature of the later Mozart piano concertos. Many listeners find that this music, so deeply imbued with profound pathos and searing beauty, resembles a grand operatic scena, in which a vocalist is replaced by the piano. Violins are muted throughout (still another “first” in a Mozart piano concerto), resulting in a veiled sonority.

The finale too abounds in surprises. The rondo is set in motion by the soloist with a highly spirited main theme. Three contrasting episodes are presented in alternation with returns of the main theme. The third of these episodes constitutes perhaps the greatest surprise of the entire concerto – a seventy-measure minuet that amounts nearly to a movement in itself. In almost every respect it contrasts with what came before: tempo (moderate), meter (triple rather than duple), key (A-flat major) and mood (gracious and composed).

And what of the concerto’s subtitle, “Jeunehomme”? Until quite recently, it was widely presumed that this was the name of the lady for whom Mozart wrote the concerto. However, research by the Viennese musicologist Michael Lorenz in the early twenty-first century uncovered her true identity: she was a Frenchwoman named Victoire Jenamy (1749-1812), and the name “Jeunehomme” had been a fabrication invented by biographers Wyzewa and Saint-Foix more than a century ago but never used by Mozart himself.

Notes by Robert Markow
Photos: Sasha Onyshchenko | Dancers: Rachele Buriassi and Esnel Ramos