Thursday, March 10, 2011

Carl Orff - Carmina Burana





The piece, composed in the 1930s, is incredibly powerful and has been used as a theme in several iconic movies, including Star War and Lord of the Rings.


O Fortunavelut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurate
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.
Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!

O Fortune,
 like the moon
 you are changeable,
 ever waxing
 and waning;
 hateful life
 first oppresses
 and then soothes
 as fancy takes it;
 poverty
 and power
 it melts them like ice.
 Fate – monstrous
 and empty,
 you whirling wheel,
 you are malevolent,
 well-being is vain
 and always fades to nothing,
 shadowed
 and veiled
 you plague me too;
 now through the game
 I bring my bare back
 to your villainy.
 Fate is against me
 in health
 and virtue,
 driven on
 and weighted down,
 always enslaved.
 So at this hour
 without delay
 pluck the vibrating strings;
 since Fate
 strikes down the strong man,
 everyone weep with me!

The composition has several, several fans and there is even a website dedicated to it. :)

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