Osler's Razor

Tonight, after getting another chapter done (number 16, if you are counting), I went to hear St. Cecilia's Chorus and Orchestra (directed by 93-year-old David Randolph) perform Carmina Burana at Carnegie Hall. For a semi-pro outfit, they were outstanding. It was my first time to hear Orff's masterpiece live, and now I understand why people say it is so difficult to sing.

If you don't know the story, Carmina Burana is based on lewd poems found in a monastery and written in the 13th Century. Many of them have to do with mating, drinking, and gambling (in fact, I'm pretty sure Swanburg is mentioned by name, but it is in Latin, so it is hard to tell). The whole thing has a driving beat (and uses 21 different percussion instruments) and its "O Fortuna" movement has been mixed in to dance and house music in a variety of ways, which seems oddly fitting.