You won’t have to wait around long to hear a familiar tune in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” In fact, the opening notes form one of the most recognizable musical sound bites in existence. From films to commercials to talk radio intros, “O Fortuna” is used so often that if you say you’ve never heard it, you must be either living under a rock or lying.
The Spokane Symphony and the Spokane Symphony Chorale will perform Orff’s masterpiece at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Saturday at 8 p.m.
The rest of the piece, while nowhere near as ubiquitous as the first movement, is no less powerful, said baritone soloist Aaron Agulay. A professor of music at WSU, Agulay will be making his debut with the Spokane Symphony.
“It’s a real test of stamina,” Agulay said. “But with the range that it uses, there are so many special moments…. Hearing ‘Carmina Burana’ for the first time, I just thought, ‘This is out of this world … who can possibly sing this?’ ” Agulay sings almost from start to finish, oscillating between soaring high notes and some of the lowest required of a baritone.