Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana. Carmina Burana was conceived as part of Orff’s musical trilogy, the Trionfi, a musical triptych that also includes the cantata Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite.

Carmina Burana was first performed by the Frankfurt Opera on June 8, 1937. Shortly after the highly successful premiere, Orff wrote his publisher, Schott Music: "Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin." The version performed here, for soloists, mixed choir, children’s choir, 2 pianos and 6 percussionists was prepared by Orff’s disciple Wilhelm Killmayer in 1956 and authorized by Orff himself.

From disaster films to disco songs, Orff’s "Carmina Burana" (or at least "O Fortuna"...) is arguably one of the most popular and recognizable pieces of classical music in the world. This fresh, new approach, performed by the unquestioned master of the contemporary choral arts, Rupert Huber offers an exciting, fresh take on this familiar warhorse!