Orff and Fučík

Donald Macleod explores more of the great “one-hit wonders” of classical music.

Exploring the lives and music of classical music’s “one-hit wonders” – today Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Julius Fučík’s Entry of the Gladiators come under the microscope.

Classical music is littered with composers who are famous for just a single piece of music. In a special week of Composer of the Week programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by Berlin Philharmonic horn player Sarah Willis to explore ten of these composers and examine episodes from their lives, alongside their compositions – both their popular hits and some of their less familiar music. They also try to isolate why certain works have captured the popular imagination of audiences around the world.

O Fortuna from Carmina Burana has become one of the most recognisable pieces of music in the world, used in TV and film, and still massively popular in the concert hall. In the final programme of the week, Donald and Sarah explore the life and music of its composer Carl Orff, alongside the life and music of Julius Fučík, who is famous today primarily for just one of his 400-odd marches.

Orff: Camina Burana, 'O Fortuna'
San Francisco Chorus
San Franciso Symphony
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor

Orff/Keetman: Schulwerk (excerpts)
Tölzer Knabenchor
Kölner Kinderchor
Instrumental ensemble
Carl Orff, director

Orff: De temporum fine comoedia
Peter Schreier, tenor
Rolf Boysen, speaker
Christa Ludwig, alto
Kölner Rundfunkchor
RIAS Kammerchor
Tölzer Knabenchor
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Orff: Carmina Burana (excerpt)
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Richard Hickox, conductor

Fučík: Entry of the Gladiators
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Vaclav Neumann, conductor

Fučík: Miramare
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor

Fučík: Triglav
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Václav Neumann, conductor

Produced by Sam Phillips, for BBC Wales