In June 2024, Euphonia performed Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” in a version for choir, percussion and accordion orchestra together with the AccordiOona Orchestra Berlin and the choir of the Halle Medical Faculty. The more than 1,200 visitors in the sold-out concert hall at the University of the Arts were thrilled and gave us a standing ovation.
The combination of the powerful sound of 40 accordions, the voices of the 70 singers and six percussionists was an impressive experience for the audience. We were able to recruit three extremely talented soloists – Antonia Schuchardt (soprano), Toni Schmidt (tenor) and Wencong Xue (baritone) – for this unique project.
“With its variety of sounds and expressive power, the accordion is just made for the performance of this contrasting piece of music,” said Philipp Höning. “It was a big dream of mine to perform Carmina Burana with my two accordion orchestras. I was overwhelmed by the incredibly positive media response in the run-up to the concert and the enthusiasm of the audience in the concert hall. This shows me that there is a great openness for the accordion and new interpretations.”
Photos: Carsten Wolf