Hanoi (VNA) - Aconcert by Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will feature CarminaBurana, a popular choral work of the 21st century, on June 7 and June 8 at HanoiOpera House.

Carmina Burana (Songs of Beuren) refers to a collection of early13th-century songs and poems that was discovered in Beuren, Germany, in 1803.Composer Carl Orff chose 24 songs from over 1,000 pieces and set them to music,which he named scenic cantata.

"It is rare to perform Carmina Burana in Vietnam, because itrequires a large number of choirs and extremely high notes at solo tenorarias," conductor Dong Quang Vinh said.

"The cantata is like One Thousand and One Nights tales,including stories about the daily life during the medieval period. This pieceis distinct from other pieces composed in the previous eras. Its scale ishuge."

"The work uses the words of medieval and Latin poems written in the 13thcentury to reflect the multifaceted life of the people of that time. Ourmusicians work hard on research to understand the ancient word meaning andlearn them by heart. The music of this poem has become extremely popular and isplayed by many choruses."

The seven-chapter cantata will be performed by 80 musicians and soloists Dao ToLoan, Trinh Thanh Binh and Vu Manh Dung of VNOB, and about 120 singers fromVNOB choir, Hanoi Voices Choir, Hanoi Freude Choir, Xuan Voce Choir and EratoMusic School.

The concert, entitled Hoa Am Mua He (Summer Harmony), also features acontemporary dance based on Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. TheGerman choreographer Hans Henning Paar set the dance for the VNOB in 2011,which was performed at the Europe Meets Asia in Contemporary Dance festival.

"Choreographer’s narrative Death and the Maiden has a twistunlike traditional representation," said Meritorious Artist dancer Phan VanLuong. "It shows the contrast between the dark figure of death and decay,and the female body as the symbol of youth, beauty and hope."

"The choreographer introduced a third figure, the lover. At the centre ofthe piece lies the interaction among the trio, a non-violent struggle betweenantagonists, Death and the lover, trying to possess the girl."

Luong, and dancers Thu Hang and Van Nam, will play the three characters Death,girl and her lover.-VNA