Orff Beet
Friday, April 1, & Saturday, April 2, 8:00 pm
NCDE's 2011 season featured an evening of stirring works set to music of Carl Orff and Ludwig van Beethoven. "Orff Beet" took audiences from the ridiculous to the sublime. From the lighthearted and surprising "Xylophonia" to "Tempus Fugit," a classically beautiful meditation on time—from Orff's playful "Schulwerk" musical exercises for children to the driving power of Beethoven's ninth symphony—"Orff Beet" dodged from delight to heartache and back again. Reveling in the unexpected, this program encompassed a decorous Renaissance court dance—with a twist; an anguished rendering of the love poetry of Catullus; a look back at missed opportunities; and a celebration of living in the moment, as the dancers ultimately triumph in the pleasure of their own physicality. Through it all coursed the music of two composers who combined form with emotion to inspiring effect.
