The Gibraltar Classical Music Society is hosting two performances of Carmina Burana on the 26th and 27th June in the Spitfire Hall inside the World War II tunnels.

The performances will involve the Harmonics choir, the Chorus Insubrie University of Varese, Italy, the Zyriab Choir, Hannah Drury, Anthony Roper de Almeida and Philip Borge McCarthy. The chorus and orchestra will be conducted by Michele Paccagnella.

Carmina Burana is a secular cantata by the German composer Carl Orff. First performed in 1937, its text is based on medieval poems about fate, fortune, the joy of spring and the pleasures of the flesh. Its most famous movement is the powerful, dramatic opening ‘O Fortuna!’ which has appeared in countless films. However, the rest of the work is packed with intriguing orchestration and solos for different vocalists. Orff’s style, blending modern, Renaissance and Baroque influences, is fresh, memorable and rhythmically adventurous.

We asked Philip Borge McCarthy, one of the founders of the Gibraltar Classical Music Society, about the concerts.

Philip said: “Carmina Burana has always been one of the most iconic choral cantatas out there with its ever famous ‘O Fortuna!’. we decided that the choir was ready to take on the challenges this work presents vocally and after having bounced off some ideas with our invited conductor we decided to go for it and bring the first full representation of the work to Gibraltar.”

Philip explained that the hardest part for the choirs during rehearsals has probably been the text. “There is a lot of text in this cantata depicting how life was back in the 11th to 13th century in Latin, Middle High German, and Old French. Musically the choral and soloist numbers are very impressive and require a lot of stamina to ensure that the drama lives through from start to finish.”

Looking ahead to performing in the unique venue of the Spitfire Hall, Philip said: “This is a magnificent venue, and the acoustics are great. The accessibility to the hall is great too as our audience will not have to worry about navigating any stairs or steep slopes to get into the venue.”

Performance dates and times: 26th and 27th June at 8pm in the Spitfire Hall, WW2 Tunnels, tickets are £25 from www.buytickets.gi or via email on [email protected] - tickets include a shuttle service form Midtown Coach Park