CARMINA BURANA
May 15, 2027, 7:00 PM
Trade Union House of Culture Oradea
💥 Prices valid until September 15!
CARMINA BURANA, with the Bihor tenor Ştefan von Korch in the solo line – May 15 – Trade Union House of Culture at 7:00 PM
CARMINA BURANA, the work that is performed somewhere in the world every 2 minutes, finds its way to the hearts of the Oradea audience, in a staging and interpretation worthy of its status as an emblem of the symphonic vocal repertoire, in the Musical Extravaganza season, artistically coordinated by the Bihor tenor Ştefan von Korch. The performance will mean for music lovers the chance to hear tenor Ştefan von Korch in his "signature" score, as he has opened the Palermo Classica Festival in Italy and many national philharmonic seasons with Carmina Burana throughout his career. The solo line is completed by the beloved soprano Oana Maria Şerban and the appreciated baritone Balla Sandor, and the concert is completed by the members of the orchestra and choir of the Târgu Mureş State Philharmonic.
From the devastating power of the famous "O Fortuna" to moments of lyricism, exuberance, and humor, the audience will be captivated by the unique turmoil of this work, the complexity of the orchestral fabric, the impetuosity of the choral interventions, and the fascinating solo lines that will narrate the stories that Carl Orff found in a collection of medieval texts and transformed into the world's most famous vocal-symphonic work.
Tenor Ştefan von Korch, artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season and a soloist particularly appreciated for the tenor line in Carmina Burana explains: "There are few compositions that have transcended the boundaries of classical music and become part of the universal musical heritage. "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff is one of them – a symbolic, instantly recognizable work, whose sonic imprint – "O Fortuna" – has an unmistakable resonance that goes beyond concert halls, animating manifestations in cinematic, theatrical, or choreographic art and many others. The chance to hear it live on stage, in its full embodiment and artistic complexity, is a transformative experience for any spectator and a test of mastery for the artists."
The audience will enjoy in this event the special performance of the Bihor tenor Ştefan von Korch, a soloist who began his musical training at the Art High School in Oradea, continued at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, and is currently appreciated on national and international lyrical stages for his tenor line in Carmina Burana and for opera roles. For his interpretation of the score specific to his voice in Carmina Burana, he was praised at the opening of the Palermo Classica festival and applauded over 40 times on the stages of Romanian philharmonics. Even this autumn, he will open the seasons of the Satu Mare and Târgu Mureș Philharmonics, in this work, a reference for his career.
The soloist says: „every time to sing this work is a joy for me, and to perform it in the city where I took my first steps in music will be truly special. I invite you to enjoy together this composition with extraordinary intensity"
With a fascinating circular structure – symbolizing the relentless force of destiny itself, Carmina Burana musically embodies in 24 tableaux the tumult of life, desire, joy, the rebirth of nature, and the call of carnal pleasures, being thematically as relevant today as on the premiere day of the performance, which took place in 1937, and proof of its extraordinary power to fascinate entire generations of listeners is the very fact that every two minutes, somewhere a new interpretation of this masterpiece begins, which you are invited to discover or rediscover.
The performances of Carmina Burana in the Musical Extravaganza season are scheduled as follows:
The concert is part of the series through which tenor Ştefan von Korch invites the public from Oradea and the country to discover or rediscover the masterful "Carmina Burana."
The performances of Carmina Burana in the Musical Extravaganza season are scheduled as follows:
September 18 – Baia Mare – ATP Tech Center
December 9 – Cluj Napoca – Student Culture House
February 18 – Pitești – Trade Union Culture House – tickets soon
February 21 – Bucharest – Sala Palatului
February 28 – Constanţa – Trade Union Culture House.
March 20 Bacău – Radu Beligan Summer Theatre
May 15 – Oradea – Trade Union Culture House
About ** Ştefan von Korch – Tenor, Host Soloist Musical Extravaganza**
Ştefan von Korch, applauded for his tenor line in Carmina Burana as well as for his roles in "I Puritani," "The Barber of Seville," "Rigoletto," "The Elixir of Love," or "Falstaff," delights audiences monthly as host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions on the stages in Brașov, Pitești, Sibiu, Craiova, and Târgu Mureș.
With a dynamic presence in national and international cultural life, Ştefan von Korch will open this autumn the seasons of the Philharmonic Orchestras in Satu Mare and Târgu Mureș in his signature work, "Carmina Burana," and will return to the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre in the concert "Duel of the Tenors." Since the beginning of the year, he has already performed on the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre, at the Brașov Philharmonic, Sibiu, Târgu Mureș, Arad, and on the stage of the Iași National Opera in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Șerban.
In 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the highly traditional concerts "Los Tres Tenores" in Central America, alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras, he debuted at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," he opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana," his "signature" work, with which he also started the year on the stage of the Transilvania State Philharmonic.
He is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of male vocal capabilities, which he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to his interpretation of this work, he has been invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in Philharmonic and cultural institutions across the country, as well as abroad. In 2024, he had the honor of opening the Palermo Classica Festival with this work, with an acclaimed appearance in both the peninsula's and Romania's press.
His name is also linked to over 15 shows at the Bucharest National Opera, where over time he was invited in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," and "Falstaff," but also to the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani" by Vicenzo Bellini, one of the highest scores written for the male voice.
He ended the year 2024 with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, at Sala Palatului, and at the Philharmonic Orchestras of Târgu-Mureș and Timișoara.
In 2023, he was the only Romanian soloist in the China Tour 2023, alongside the Reino de Aragon Orchestra from Spain.
He delighted the audience with his voice in 3 national premieres: "I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula," both by Vicenzo Bellini, the vocal-symphonic work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, but also in the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."
În decursul vremii a interpret al rolurile specifice vocii lui din foarte cunoscutele opere: "Rigoletto", "Bărbierul din Sevilla", "Elixirul Dragostei", "Don Pasquale", pe scenele Operelor din Bucureşti, Cluj şi Iaşi şi este o prezenţă constantă pe scenele filarmonicilor naţionale, "Requiemul" de Mozart, „Oratoriul de Crăciun" de Bach şi „Longesangt" de Mendelssohn.
Pe plan internaţional a concertat la Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre şi Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germania, Auditoriumul din Zaragoza, Palatul Steri din Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italia, Sala de concerte a Academiei de Muzica Zurich, Teatrul National Bratislava.
Oana Maria Şerban – ** Soprană **
Cu un zâmbet cald și o voce care îmbină sensibilitatea cu forța, Oana Șerban cucerește scenele din țară și din străinătate. Timbrul ei aparte are puterea de a transforma fiecare piesă într-o poveste și fiecare notă într-o emoție. De la energia rolurilor de operă, la delicatețea pop-operei și bucuria musicalului, Oana trăiește fiecare apariție pe scenă ca pe o întâlnire cu publicul de suflet.
Over time, he has interpreted roles specific to his voice in very well-known operas: "Rigoletto", "The Barber of Seville", "The Elixir of Love", "Don Pasquale", on the stages of the Operas in Bucharest, Cluj and Iași, and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonics, Mozart's "Requiem", Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" and Mendelssohn's "Longesangt".
Internationally, she has performed at the Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre and Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germany, Auditorium of Zaragoza, Steri Palace in Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich Academy of Music, National Theatre Bratislava.
Oana Maria Şerban – ** Soprano **
With a warm smile and a voice that combines sensitivity with strength, Oana Șerban conquers stages at home and abroad. Her unique timbre has the power to transform each piece into a story and each note into an emotion. From the energy of opera roles, to the delicacy of pop-opera and the joy of musicals, Oana lives each stage appearance as an encounter with her soul audience.
In the current year, soprano Oana Maria Şerban was "Elle" – the sole character in "The Indifferent Beauty" and "The Human Voice," on the stage of the "Ion Dacian" National Operetta and Musical Theatre, she performed the role of Miss Honey in "Matilda," the Children's Comic Opera musical awarded at the UNITER Gala, and debuted in the role of Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," a production of the Bucharest National Opera.
Last year, the talented coloratura soprano sang in the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles, on the occasion of the opening of the Paris Olympic Games, performed at the Vienna Musikverein in the role of Dochița from the Operetta "Crai nou," alongside the Bucharest National Opera, and debuted at the Bucharest National Opera in 2023 in the roles of Olympia from Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Gilda from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto, and most recently Susanna, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. She is the favorite heroine of the little ones in memorable roles on the stage of the Children's Comic Opera, where she has been, among others, Rosina from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, Clorinda from the opera Cinderella, both by Gioachino Rossini, Norina from Don Pasquale and Adina, from Gaetano Donizetti's opera The Elixir of Love.
Balla Sandor – baritone
Currently a soloist at the Hungarian Opera of Cluj Napoca, he frequently collaborates with other lyrical institutions and will perform the title role in G. Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" in the current season of the Bucharest National Opera.
About the Musical Extravaganza season
The chamber concerts are intended to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical stage, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that on the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to audiences of all ages. Spectators are invited to admire their favorite soloists in a select atmosphere, complemented by chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.
The first two seasons of Musical Extravaganza, conducted under the artistic direction of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, which delighted the audience, along with the host soloists: sopranos Oana Maria Şerban, Cristina Maria Oltean, Daniela Bucşan, tenors George Vîrban, Mihai Urzicana, Andrei Mihalcea, Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, pianist Marius Groza and the Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical Ion Dacian – in its chamber formation and the Orchestra of the Piteşti Philharmonic – the most avant-garde in the country.
Starting with the 2026 / 2027 season, Musical Extravaganza brings to the audience complete works – the first of which is the cantata "Carmina Burana", followed by Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem.
