“Unusual and uncomfortable” is how vocalist Thomas Alaan of Chicago describes the early verses of one of his assigned pieces performed with The Northwest Indiana Symphony and conductor Kirk Muspratt for their spring concert “Carmen & Carmina,” presented at 7:30 p.m. March 22 at the auditorium at Living Hope Church in Merrillville.
“The Tenor, as the character being reflected in the piece, is supposed to sound as if he were a swan being cooked,” said Alaan, who has the rare vocal talent of a high-falsetto counter-tenor.
“Though written for a tenor, it’s often a counter-tenor selected to perform this work because it has to be sung so high as a way to portray what is happening. In the first verse, it’s all a description of how beautiful and happy this swan was, and the lovely feathers, and then by the second verse, the sound starts firing up a little bit, because now the swan is supposed to be roasting by turning on a spit. And for the third verse, it’s the swan experiencing the gnashing of teeth and about ready to be chewed.”
In addition to Alaan, the March 22 concert also features the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus, with David Taylor on violin and soprano Alisa Jordheim alongside baritone Ian Rucker.
“The work ‘Carmina Burana’ is one of the most recognized and beloved pieces in the choral repertoire,” said Muspratt, who joined Alaan March 11 in the Bachman Gallery at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts to provide a free preview of the concert.
“(Carl) Orff’s masterwork is based on a collection of medieval poems that examine the universal themes of the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasures and perils of love and celebration.”
“Think of what we refer to as ‘the wheel of fortune,’ and all the sections which comprise it,” Muspratt said.
“In this case, there’s a musical section of this work devoted to spring, and then the scene of a tavern and lastly the court of love. So if you think of the wheel used on the TV game show ‘The Wheel of Fortune,’ in this case, you spin a medieval wheel and rather than win a trip to Palm Springs, you might land on falling in love or the rite of spring.”
The paired portion of the concert stars Chicago Symphony Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster David Taylor performing Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate’s ‘Carmen Fantasy,’ the virtuoso violin work based on Georges Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen.’ ”
Muspratt said he will narrate the concert audiences through the origins of all of the components of the concert, including historical roots from 13th century Bavarian monks who wrote “Carmina Burana” from their Benedictine monastery.
Counter-tenor Alaan said he uses contemporary terms when explaining his piece in “Carmina Burana” just prior to his cooked swan moment.
“So what’s going on in the tavern (segment) is all of these bros are in there and they are super drunk and complaining about love and talking about sex and different things,” Alaan said.
“I’m seated for the first 30 minutes of the concert and then when I stand for my part, I have to start by singing in a high A.”
Muspratt said the Byzantine Catholic Church of ancient times had a cruel method of assuring church choirs were filled with the angelic voices of counter-tenors.
“The church would castrate young boys, ages 8 and 9, and then give them opium for the pain, all because the sound of that very, very high male voice was very attractive at that time,” Muspratt said.
“Even when the Muslims came in and invaded Spain, then they started doing it there. This lasted in the Catholic Church for years and years until finally one of the popes (Pope Leo XIII in 1878) finally said for it to stop.”
There will be a pre-concert discussion at 6:15 p.m. exploring the history and nuance of the pieces to be performed with the guest artists invited to join the discussion.
“The manuscripts for ‘Carmina Burana,’ though dating back to the 13th century, were only discovered at the start of the 20th century,” Muspratt said.
“Listen to the music and message and it proves how so much stays the same. Once you get up in the morning, life is all fate.”
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for The Post-Tribune.
‘Carmen and Carmina’ Concert
When: 7:30 p.m. March 22
Where: Auditorium at Living Hope Church, 9000 Taft St., Merrillville
Cost: $40-$75 for adults; $10 for students
Information: 219-836-0525; NISOrchestra.org