Carmina Burana by Edward Clug, Music by Carl Orff

Edward Clug's choreographic interpretation of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana transforms the composer's iconic cantata into a visceral dance experience. Set to Orff's propulsive, rhythmically driving score—built on medieval Latin and Middle High German texts—the ballet explores themes of fate, desire, and the cyclical nature of human experience. Clug's movement vocabulary channels the raw energy and primal force of Orff's music, creating a contemporary vision that honors the work's spiritual and sensual dimensions. The piece moves through tableaux of revelry, passion, and contemplation, with the chorus and soloists integral to the theatrical landscape. Dancers embody the archetypal figures invoked in the texts: fortune's wheel, earthly pleasures, and the eternal struggle between restraint and abandon.