An ambitious effort
by PaulPomes on 5/8/13Spreckels Theatre - San DiegoWe were unaware until we arrived that the performance also included Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was played with competence and the dancers, especially Fall, were gracious, pleasing, and a enjoyable addition to the concertos. Carmina Burana makes demands of the orchestra, chorus, and dancers. The brass and flute hit more than a few off-notes which were distracting. Being next to the kettle drum more so, however that is just an artifact of seating. Another distraction was that due to the finite speed of sound, we always heard the women's voices coming in a hundredth of a second or three after the men's voices. Sitting in the center section would have alleviated that. The male soloist struggled with some of the high notes. My companions had never heard Carmina Burana before and were mesmerized. That alone made the performance worthwhile.