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March 6, 2005 The conclusion of Carmina burana in Chicago, magnesium and other incendiary visuals. © Oak Park Journal photo CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA AT THE UNITED CENTER review by Ed Vincent It was a wonderful event, plenty of action, drama, lights, music, song, theatre, and fireworks. If you want more fireworks you'll have to wait until the Fourth of July on the lakefront. They did announce that the Chicago Fire Department had set some limits on the pyrotechnics, but from the films we saw of the European show, this show did not lack much. I would like to have seen more days added to the event, but that might have to wait until we can see this shown at Millenium Park - to wet the taste of the strangers to Orff. The audience was treated to some of Verdi's choral works at the start of the show. Maestro Walter Haupt had known and worked with the author Carl Orff for some 15 years. When Dr. Haupt took the show on the road in 1995 it was widely seen around the world, and hailed for its inventive splendor. The producer's young daughter saw it and loved every moment of it, and she is only four years old. The staging reminds me of the Glockenspiel in München and the show will help to bring new audiences to the spectacle of symphonic music, opera and theatre. I was surrounded by devotees of "Carmina burana", some from the Lyric Opera and some from the realm of Jazz. Some had seen Carmina burana, not this show, in Rome and other parts of the world - and each loved it. The greater Chicago metro area has over 10,000,000 people and about 5000 came out for this show. In Sao Palo with a metro area of 13,000,000 people they did 13 shows in row with seating for 35,000 and sold out. I think a show on Lakefront or in the New Millenium Park would help generate more of an interest in a production like this. This is still twice the number for many similar events in Chicago, and the last time I was on the floor of the United Center for a show, is was Bruce Springsteen and he wasn't here long either. Chicago has a lot more events going on than Sao Palo, more competition, I have been told. The twelve hour set up of the stage was done with large curtains behind both the stage and the audience, helping to contain and focus the sound of the event as well as give an intimacy to the the large venue. The Oriana Chorus of Chicago sang in Latin and wore gowns from the Medieval world, along with the Metropolitan Orchestra of Greater Montreal. My only criticism would be that there were no programs for the people to have showing selections by Verdi or some historical notes on the Orff.  © Oak Park Journal photo  © Oak Park Journal photo  © Oak Park Journal photo  CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA AT THE UNITED CENTER SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2005 – 7:30PM Tickets On Sale Sunday, January 9 at 10 a.m. CHICAGO – January 19, 2005 . . . CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA, the epic stage production, direct from Europe, featuring a live symphony orchestra, dancers, lavish costumes and special effects, plays Chicago for one performance only, Saturday, March 5 at the United Center. Tickets are $35.00 to $125.00 and go on sale THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 9 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available at the United Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by calling (312) 902-1500.  Conceived and directed by Walter Haupt, Carl Orff’s enthralling score narrates twenty-four scenic images to tell the story of love and death, fortune and misfortune, all beneath the endlessly turning wheel of life. Visual images blossom into a medieval garden of desires in a magnificent mystery play, inviting the audience to experience a strange and sensuous fantasy world. Director Walter Haupt was a student and close friend of Orff’s for many years, making him the perfect choice to interpret this monumental opera. This world-wide tour features Mihail Tchernaev’s monumental stage architecture, exhilarating fire effects, 30 dancers in 300 lavish costumes, opulent decór, a grand symphony orchestra, a choir, and ballet to create a fascinating performance.  CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA is a pioneering achievement that redefines the genre of the musical event. No other stage production presents CARMINA BURANA on such a grandiose scale, with all the splendour of an opera. Further information and a full tour schedule can be found at www.carmina-burana.com.  CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA is sponsored locally by CBS 2 Chicago (WBBMTV) and presented in Chicago by Jam Theatricals, a Chicago-based entertainment company that produces and presents national touring productions of Broadway shows in more than 30 cities. Jam has presented notable national touring productions including STOMP, Les Misérables, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon and Riverdance and has produced national tours for the stage, including Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python, Barrage and The Ten Tenors. For two consecutive years, Jam Theatricals has received a Tony Award nomination: Best Revival of a Play for 2003’s Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune and Best Play for 2004’s The Retreat from Moscow. This season Jam is co-producing the new musical Monty Python’s Spamalot and drama Glengarry Glenn Ross.  Maestro Dr. Walter Haupt THE STORY OF CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA Direct from Europe, CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA just celebrated it 100th show in Budapest and was first presented in 1995 as an open-air opera. It unleashed a storm of enthusiasm among audiences and critics alike. Subsequently, it has succeeded like no musical event before it, in marrying high culture and sheer entertainment to create an emotionally overwhelming audio-visual work of art. Conceived and directed by Walter Haupt, Carl Orff’s enthralling score narrates twenty-four scenic images to tell the story of love and death, fortune and misfortune, all beneath the endlessly turning wheel of life. Visual Images blossom into a medieval garden of desires in a magnificent mystery play, inviting the audience to experience a strange and sensuous fantasy world. Director Walter Haupt was a student and close friend of Orff’s for many years, making him the perfect choice to interpret this monumental opera. This unified work of art was produced by Franz Abraham/ART CONCERTS GmbH. For CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA the story of success began on the Königsplatz (King’s Square) in Munich at the Classical Open-Air, presented every summer by ART CONCERTS. There the most successful classical production in our time was celebrated enthusiastically in the years 1995 to 2000. Since then it has spellbound and entertained nearly one million people worldwide. The shows, which were presented in the greatest arenas of Rio, Sao Paulo and Lisbon, turned into highly acclaimed media events. The CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA also gave a guest performance in Oslo, Norway as the cultural highlight of the city’s 1000-year anniversary. At the renowned Baalbeck International Festival in Lebanon in the summer of 2001, there were two sold out shows performed amidst beautiful antique ruins to multiple standing ovations and encores. The arena edition of the show premiered in Lodz, Poland in October 2002. 8 million TV-viewers followed the live transmission. In the spring of 2003 a total of 15,000 spectators were able to witness two sold out shows at the Palais Omnisports Bercy in Paris. In November 2004, CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA began the German leg of its current concert hall tour. Audiences will be able to experience the opulent mystery play in Dortmund, Kiel, Leipzig, Dresden and Stuttgart. With CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA, ART CONCERTS has become the first German production company ever to gain ground on the North American market. This venture is a co-production between ART CONCERTS and Jack Utsick presents. In addition, CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA is the first German large-scale production in the classical field of music to also play in Mexico. The international tour began in Nimes, France on July 11th 2004. Further guest performances have been planned for Canada, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Spain and Portugal. Jack Utsick Presents this North American tour. Headquartered in Miami, FL and offices across the US, Europe and Asia, Jack Utsick Presents is the third largest independent event producer in the world. Carl Orff The original Carmina burana was created by Carl Orff from Germany, it was first shown in 1937. Most of his life was spent in Munich (München), where he studied and later taught music. He started a school in Munich to teach music and dance and even gymnastics. He died on March 29, 1982, in Munich (München). (born Munich, 10 July 1895; died there, 29 March 1982).
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