Carl Orff

Most Popular Works
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Biography

Born: July 10, 1895; Munich, Germany   Died: March 29, 1982; Munich, Germany  
Although his fame rests on the success of a single work, the famous and frequently commercially mutilated Carmina Burana, Carl Orff was in fact a multi-faceted musician and prolific composer who wrote in many styles before developing the primal, driving language which informs his most famous work. In addition to his fame as the creator of Carmina burana, Orff enjoyed international renown as the world's pre-eminent authority on children's music Read more education, his life's work in that area represented by Musik für Kinder, five eclectic collections of music to be performed by children, eventually developing into a more extensive series known as Orff Schulwerk.

Born in 1895 to an old Bavarian family, Orff studied piano and cello while still a young boy. He later studied at the Munich Academy of Music, graduating in 1914. The music that he composed during this period shows the influence of several composers, including Debussy and Richard Strauss. In 1914, Orff was appointed Kapellmeister at the Munich Kammerspiele, where he remained until joining the military in 1917. Discharged from service the following year, Orff continued to work as a conductor, accepting further positions in Mannheim and Darmstadt during the 1918-1919 seasons. Returning to Munich in 1919, Orff studied composition privately with Heinrich Kaminski while supporting himself as a teacher. In 1924, he founded the Güntherschule for music and dance with Dorothee Günther, dedicating himself to making musical performance accessible to children. Under his guidance, an entire orchestra of special "Orff instruments" was designed, enabling children to play music without formal training. The following year, Orff made three stage adaptations of works by Monteverdi. Continuing his work in the area of Baroque music, Orff became conductor of the Munich Bach society in 1930, a position he held until 1933. The experience of performing Baroque music, particularly sacred works for the stage, convinced Orff that an effective musical performance must fuse music, words and movement, a goal no doubt partly inspired by his work with the Güntherschule. Orff embodied his conception of music in the fabulously successful Carmina Burana (1937), which in many ways defined him as a composer. Based on an important collection of Latin and German Goliard poems found in the monastery of Benediktbeuren, this work exemplifies Orff's search for an idiom that would reveal the elemental power of music, allowing the listener to experience music as a overwhelming, primitive force. Goliard poetry, which not only celebrates love and wine, but also pokes fun at the clergy, perfectly suited Orff's desire to create a musical work appealing to a fundamental musicality that, as he believed, every human being possesses. Eschewing melodic development and harmonic complexity, and articulating his musical ideas through basic sonorities and easily discernible rhythmic patterns, Orff created an idiom which many found irresistible. The perceived "primitivism" of Carmina burana notwithstanding, Orff believed that the profound appeal of music is not merely physical. This belief is reflected by many other works, including musical dramas based on Greek tragedies, namely, Antigonae (1949), Oedipus der Tyrann (1959), and Prometheus (1966). These works, as well as some compositions on Christian themes, followed the composer's established dramatic and compositional techniques, but failed to repeat the tremendous success of Carmina burana. His last work, De temporum fine comoedia (A Comedy About the End of Time) premiered at the 1973 Salzburg Festival. Nine years later, Carl Orff died in Munich, where he had spent his entire life. Read less

Featured Carl Orff CDs & DVDs:

Orff: Carmina Burana / Mehta, Jo, Skovhus, Kowalski, Et Al
Orff: Carmina Burana / Mehta, Jo, Skovhus, Kowalski, Et Al
Release Date: 07/16/2002   Label: Apex  
Catalog: 41377   Number of Discs: 1
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Orff: Carmina Burana / Runnicles, Hong, Atlanta So, Et Al
Orff: Carmina Burana / Runnicles, Hong, Atlanta So, Et Al
Release Date: 01/22/2002   Label: Telarc  
Catalog: 80575   Number of Discs: 1
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Orff: Carmina Burana / Delogu, Kloubova, Dolezal
Orff: Carmina Burana / Delogu, Kloubova, Dolezal
Release Date: 08/05/2004   Label: Supraphon  
Catalog: 3576   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 26-50 of 236 Available Recordings
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  • 26.
    50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music / London Philharmonic Orchestra
    50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music / London Philharmonic Orchestra
    Label: X5 Music Group   Catalog: 105 Release Date: 10/25/2011   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Edvard Grieg,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Samuel Barber  ... 
    Performer:  Pieter Schoeman,  Finghin Collins,  Craig Ogden
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 27.
    Orff: Carmina Burana - Version For Soloists, Choir, 2 Pianos And 6 Percussionists
    Orff: Carmina Burana - Version For Soloists, Choir, 2 Pianos And 6 Percussionists
    Label: Hänssler Classic   Catalog: 93280 Release Date: 10/25/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Conductor:  Rupert Huber
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  SWR Vocal Ensemble
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  • 28.
    The 50 Darkest Pieces Of Classical Music
    The 50 Darkest Pieces Of Classical Music
    Label: X5 Music Group   Catalog: 108 Release Date: 10/25/2011   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Edvard Grieg,  Camille Saint-Saëns  ... 
    Performer:  Michael Ponti,  Finghin Collins,  Roland Pöntinen,  Emmy Berhey  ... 
    Conductor:  Volke Schmidt-Gertenbach,  Heribert Beissel,  David Parry,  James DePreist  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Moyzes String Quartet,  Camerata Antonio Lucio,  Capella Istropolitana  ... 
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  • 29.
    Orff: Orpheus / Schirmer, Baechle, Selinger, Stiefermann, Munich Radio Orchestra
    Orff: Orpheus / Schirmer, Baechle, Selinger, Stiefermann, Munich Radio Orchestra
    Label: Cpo   Catalog: 777656 Release Date: 08/30/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Janina Baechle,  Michaela Selinger,  Kay Stiefermann,  Marcus Everding
    Conductor:  Ulf Schirmer
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Orpheus Choir Munich
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  • 30.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Handford, Armstrong, Rayner Cook
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Handford, Armstrong, Rayner Cook
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 62005 Release Date: 08/19/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Brian Rayner Cook,  Peter Hall,  Sheila Armstrong
    Conductor:  Maurice Handford
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Hallé Orchestra Chorus,  Hallé Orchestra,  Manchester Grammar School Boys' Choir
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  • 31.
    Classics At The Movies
    Classics At The Movies
    Label: Abc Classics   Catalog: 4764553 Release Date: 08/16/2011   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Giacomo Puccini,  Tomaso Albinoni,  Pietro Mascagni  ... 
    Performer:  Isador Goodman,  Yvonne Kenny,  Vera Kameneva,  Jane Sheldon  ... 
    Conductor:  Patrick Thomas,  Wlodzimierz Kamirski,  William Motzing,  David Measham  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cantillation,  Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players
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  • 32.
    Orff: Ein Sommernachtstraum / Von Gehren, Andechser Orff-Akademie Des Munchner RO
    Orff: Ein Sommernachtstraum / Von Gehren, Andechser Orff-Akademie Des Munchner RO
    Label: Cpo   Catalog: 777657-2 Release Date: 07/26/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Andreas Haun,  Barbara Böhler,  Christian Arndt Sanchez
    Conductor:  Christian Von Gehren
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Andechser Orff Akademie Des Münchner Rundfunkorchesters
    CD: $34.99
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  • 33.
    Hohepunkte Der Chormusik
    Hohepunkte Der Chormusik
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300227 Release Date: 07/12/2011   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Heinrich Isaac,  Pierre de La Rue,  Josquin Des Préz,  Antoine de Févin  ... 
    Performer:  Karl-Heinz Schmieder,  Werner Eberhardt,  Siegfried Hausmann,  Joachim Vogt  ... 
    Conductor:  Dietrich Knothe,  Hans Gruss,  Roderich Kreile,  Rudolf Mauersberger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Schütz-Akademie,  Virtuosi Saxoniae,  Trompetensemble Ludwig Güttler  ... 
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  • 34.
    Pure... Classical
    Pure... Classical
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 7915022 Release Date: 07/05/2011   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  George Frideric Handel,  Arcangelo Corelli  ... 
    Performer:  Glenn Gould,  Alicia De Larrocha,  André Watts,  Anthony Newman  ... 
    Conductor:  Vladimir Spivakov,  Sir Thomas Beecham,  Robert Salter,  Eugene Ormandy  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra,  Tafelmusik,  Brandenburg Collegium
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  • 35.
    The Classical Album 2011
    The Classical Album 2011
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001566202 Release Date: 06/14/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Vincenzo Bellini,  Franz Liszt,  Jules Massenet  ... 
    Performer:  Cecilia Bartoli,  Lang Lang,  Anne-Sophie Mutter,  Anna Netrebko  ... 
    Conductor:  Gustavo Dudamel,  Adam Fischer,  James Levine,  Claudio Abbado  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  International Chamber Soloists
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  • 36.
    Carmina Burana
    Carmina Burana
    Label: Sacramento Choral Society & Orchest   Catalog: 169533 Release Date: 06/07/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Ji Young [Soprano Vocal] Yang,  Chester [Tenor Vocal] Pidduck,  Michael Sokol
    Conductor:  Donald Kendrick
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  • 37.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Slatkin, McNair, Aler, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Slatkin, McNair, Aler, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 7840052 Release Date: 05/10/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Sylvia McNair,  John Aler,  Håkan Hagegård
    Conductor:  Leonard Slatkin
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  St. Louis Symphony Orchestra,  St. Louis Symphony Chorus,  St. Louis Children's Choir
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  • 38.
    50 Best Berliner Philharmoniker
    50 Best Berliner Philharmoniker
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 48465 Release Date: 04/19/2011   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Carl Orff,  Leonard Bernstein,  Gustav Holst,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Nigel Kennedy,  David Oistrakh,  Yehudi Menuhin,  Leif Ove Andsnes  ... 
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle,  Herbert von Karajan,  Nigel Kennedy,  David Oistrakh  ... 
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  • 39.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Ozawa, New England Conservatory Chorus, BSO
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Ozawa, New England Conservatory Chorus, BSO
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 68960 Release Date: 04/05/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Stanley Kolk,  Evelyn Mandac,  Sherrill Milnes
    Conductor:  Seiji Ozawa
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New England Conservatory Chorus,  New England Conservatory Children's Chorus,  Boston Symphony Orchestra
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  • 40.
    A Kaleidoscope / Peter Mattei
    A Kaleidoscope / Peter Mattei
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 1954 Release Date: 03/29/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Adolphe Adam,  Carl Orff,  Peter Cornelius,  Gunnar Wennerberg  ... 
    Performer:  Peter Mattei,  Bengt Forsberg,  Roland Pöntinen,  Love Derwinger  ... 
    Conductor:  Robert Sund,  Cecilia Rydinger Alin,  Paavo Järvi,  Gary Graden
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orphei Drängar,  Kroumata Percussion Ensemble,  Allmänna Sången  ... 
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  • 41.
    Seid Nuchtern Und Wachet
    Seid Nuchtern Und Wachet
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300151 Release Date: 01/11/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Max Reger,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Pablo Casals,  Rudolf Mauersberger  ... 
    Performer:  Tobias Berndt
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel,  Andrey Boreyko
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  • 42.
    111 More Classic Tracks [6-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    111 More Classic Tracks [6-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001483202 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Georges Bizet,  Dmitri Shostakovich,  Franz Liszt,  Franz Joseph Haydn  ... 
    Performer:  Géza Anda,  Maurice André,  Stefan Askenase,  Martha Argerich  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  Karel Ancerl,  Hans Stadlmair,  John Nelson  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,  Munich Chamber Orchestra  ... 
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  • 43.
    Choirboys From Heaven
    Choirboys From Heaven
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 40443 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  César Franck,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Giuseppe Verdi,  Maurice Greene  ... 
    Performer:  Geoffrey Webber,  Ashley Grote,  Gerald Finley,  Matthew Schwinghammer  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Cleobury,  Sir David Willcocks,  John Litton,  Matthew Schwinghammer  ... 
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  • 44.
    Orff: Trionfi - Carmina Burana, Catulli Carmina, Trionfo Di Afrodite / Kegel, Leipzig Radio Chorus & Orchestra
    Orff: Trionfi - Carmina Burana, Catulli Carmina, Trionfo Di Afrodite / Kegel, Leipzig Radio Chorus & Orchestra
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300066 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Horst Hiestermann,  Karl-Heinz Stryczek,  Celestina Casapietra,  Günther Philipp  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig Radio Orchestra,  Leipzig Radio Chorus,  Dresden Children's Choir  ... 
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  • 45.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Kegel, Casapietra, Hiestermann, Stryczek
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Kegel, Casapietra, Hiestermann, Stryczek
    Label: Philips   Catalog: 420713 Release Date: 11/02/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Karl-Heinz Stryczek,  Horst Hiestermann,  Celestina Casapietra
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dresden Boys' Choir,  Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Leipzig Radio Chorus
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  • 46.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 2053678 Release Date: 10/26/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Sally Matthews,  Lawrence Brownlee,  Christian Gerhaher
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Radio Chorus
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  • 47.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Andre Previn
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Andre Previn
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 31802 Release Date: 10/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Gerald English,  Sheila Armstrong,  Thomas Allen
    Conductor:  André Previn
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  St Clement Danes School Choir,  London Symphony Chorus
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  • 48.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Cooke, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Cooke, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
    Label: Royal Philharmonic Masterworks   Catalog: 28880 Release Date: 10/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Peter Sidhom,  John Graham-Hall,  Ann Archibald
    Conductor:  Richard Cooke
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,  Royal Choral Society,  Temple Church Boys Choir
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  • 49.
    Voices In The Dark: Nocturnal Chants From Schubert To Orff
    Voices In The Dark: Nocturnal Chants From Schubert To Orff
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300105 Release Date: 10/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Gustav Mahler,  Franz Schubert,  Sergei Prokofiev  ... 
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  • 50.
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Petibon, Gerhaher, Bunz, Harding
    Orff: Carmina Burana / Petibon, Gerhaher, Bunz, Harding
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001456102 Release Date: 09/21/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Orff
    Performer:  Patricia Petibon,  Christian Gerhaher,  Hans Werner Bunz
    Conductor:  Daniel Harding
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Tölz Boys Choir,  Bavarian Radio Chorus,  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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