Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@mayfestivalcincy continued its 2026 season with a unique pairing of works by Igor Stravinsky and Carl Orff rarely encountered on concert programs today, under the direction of the festival’s Director of Choruses, Matthew Swanson and joined by members of @cincinnatiballet’s Company 2 dancing to choreography by Yoshihisa Arai
Stravinsky’s ballet Les Noces (The Wedding), composed in 1917 and premiered in its final form for soloists, chorus, percussion and four pianos in 1923, While not having much in the way of a cohesive plot, it does establish a proto-narrative involving wedding preparations and the final ceremony across four connected scenes. Members of @cincysymphony and the May Festival Chorus pulled off this challenging work with characteristic vigor and intensity, even if it was occasionally marred by difficulties in catching up to its frequent meter and tempo changes. Soprano Victoria Okafor, alto Sara Conden, tenor Nicholas Phan and bass David Soar brought an equally wondrous vigor and folk-like intimacy to their moments in the spotlight.
Okafor and Phan then returned to join the chorus and CSO in a spectacular reading of Orff’s Catulli Carmina, written roughly 20 years after Les Noces for roughly the same orchestral and choral forces and based on poems by the ancient Roman writer Catullus. While not nearly as well known as Carmina Burana due its fiendishly difficult writing for percussion orchestra and chorus, its subject matter is considerably more erotic than either work. The full May Festival Chorus was at its sonic best, as were Okafor and Phan, variously serving the roles of Greek chorus and characters in the ‘musical play’. Arai’s choreography across both works was also unique, even if there were times the Orff was difficult to stomach in its eroticism.
While this creative choice of programming may or may not inspire other arts organizations to consider these works in future seasons for a variety of reasons, it does show the May Festival is not afraid to take bold risks, and they more or less succeeded this evening.
Looking forward to the final concert this Saturday featuring George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.