Blog posting written by Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies and Production ’16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas 

Last night, Hockett Hall filled with the sounds of the medieval, the baroque and the 20^th century all at once with Ithaca College’s rendition of Carmina Burana, bringing the audience to their feet in the end.

I met with producer, Phil Wilde, after the show to gather his feelings on the concert.

The goal of the concert was to reinvent Carmina Burana. The producers accomplished this goal by incorporating visuals. In addition, the typically choral concert was done entirely by instruments, other than a few sung pieces.

“It took months of production,” said Phil with an exhausted, but proud look.

The material ties perfectly into FLEFF’s theme of Mobilities . The concert was able to tie in the movement of people, passions and environments with the use of the visual and harmonic.

Phil described the connection: “We took material from the 11^th and 12^th century and reimagined it in 2013 in a totally new way.”

Although the concert is over, FLEFF certainly is not. Many more concerts and films are to come in the next few days. In the words of Phil, “It’s just the beginning.”

Did you make it to Carmina Burana last night? Which was your favorite piece? 

Blog posting written by Dorothea Hinman, Cinema and Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Rochester, NY.

Just as one of the busiest weeks of my life draws to a close, another busy, exciting week is just getting started.

Of course, I am talking about FLEFF. 

It's an exciting, fun filled week packed with various lectures, films, musical performances, multimedia presentations and guests. How am I going to make it to everything while still keeping up with the essentials like eating and sleeping? Sleep isn't essential, that can hold off for a bit.

But not in vain! No, of all the events I plan on attending, these three are keeping my excitement levels to a maximum. Make sure to check them out!

#1 GRRR: Love and Revolution- Riot Girl NYC and I Dream of Mummers (Monday, April 1, 4:00-5:15, Park 285). I can't help but agree with what fellow intern Kim wrote in her previous post. I too consider myself to be an up and coming feminist. Whether is is coming to college and constantly being exposed to different view points, being involved in FLEFF and witnessing art and media from around the world, or taking classes from FLEFF co-director Patricia Zimmermann, discrepancies between male and female privileges has been increasingly brought to my attention. Seeing this film which discusses issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, racism and female empowerment via rare, archival footage will only increase my knowledge and give me more perspective. 

#2 White Scripts and Black Supermen (Wednesday, April 3, 4:00-6:30, Park 285). Along the same vein, this film intrigues me because it promises to ignite conversation about a social injustice that most people don't think twice about: this being racism and how it is portrayed in the media. I love comic books and superhero movies as much as the next person. But when I think about the last superhero film I watched, (I'm going to say The Avengers,) only Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury comes to mind. I am intrigued to learn about this topic that I have never given much thought to and to engage in conversation about what I learned.

#3 Carmina Burana (Tuesday, April 2, 8:15pm, Hockett Recital Hall, Whalen Center for Music). It may have not been in The Avengers, but the cantata's opening piece O Fortuna has been featured in countless other action films as well as football games! After a month or so of listening to the piece, I can assure you that there will be nothing like watching it performed live before your eyes. Music has a way of bringing people from all different backgrounds together. Sitting it a room with, experiencing this epic, dynamic, and sometimes downright hauntingly beautiful piece of music is guaranteed to bring people together. Either that or we'll all be pitching in on ear plugs to somewhat dull the mighty blast that will come from the 16 piece trombone troupe. (!!!) 

Are you excited about FLEFF yet? What a silly question, of course you are! See you there. Which event are you most looking forward to?

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

With FLEFF just around the corner, it's time to take a look at some of the events I'm looking forward to. I hope you find some that interest you.

Blog posting written by: Kimberly Capehart, Documentary Studies and Production ’16, FLEFF Intern, Cherry Hill, NJ

I’ve never been to a film festival.

This news might be surprising to some, especially since I’m currently interning for a film festival, but I am a complete newbie in the festival scene.

But, if there’s one thing I know about film festivals, it’s that they’re about films. Duh, right?

Wrong.

In addition to showing films I’ve learned that festivals, specifically the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, feature a lot of other things. This year’s festival will be bringing in an amazing array of films, guests (like directors, producers, distributors, scholars, etc.), new media artists, and music.

Wait a minute, music at a film festival?

That’s right!

On Tuesday, April 2^nd, the Whalen Center for Music will be hosting FLEFF’s Mobilities concert: Carl Orff’s legendary Carmina Burana, performed by musicians from Ithaca and around the world.

Don’t be fooled by the name of the cantata; Carmina Burana is a widely recognized piece of music, and you’ve probably heard it before. The piece’s opening movement, O Fortuna, has been used in hundreds of soundscapes, including scenes in action movies and between plays on Monday Night Football.

The movement can be found on YouTube here, and for Ithaca College students, the cantata can be listened to in its entirety on the Naxos Music Library. I recommend that everyone listen to it at least once before the live performance,

I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to Carmina Burana while I do my homework and, let me tell you, I’ve never felt so empowered while sitting alone in a room.

Each of the movements in Carmina Burana is incredibly varied: not only within the piece, but also in and of itself. Loud, powerful choruses layered with drums and pianos (you read that right, multiple pianos!) follow haunting solos, which, in turn, follow soft instrumentals. 

The piece is truly unpredictable and incredibly exciting to listen to – and that’s just through my cheap headphones. I can’t imagine how the piece will sound live.

The free performance will fill up quickly so make sure you get down to the Hockett Recital Hall at the Whalen Center for Music early on April 2nd. Don't miss out on your opportunity to see a very unique performance of this legendary piece. The concert starts at 8:15 pm. 

Until then, take a listen to Carmina Burana! How does it make you feel? 

Blog posting written by Shea Lynch, Documentary Studies ’13, FLEFF Intern, Glens Falls, New York

Pianist Jairo Geronymo will be joining us all the way from Germany for the unique FLEFF concert special, Carmina Burana Tuesday April 2nd 8:15 p.m. 

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Mahopac, New York

You might have heard it while watching the climax to an action-packed movie. You might have heard it in an elegant concert hall. You might have even heard it on The X Factor.

It's intense. It's powerful. And it will move you.

This is the music of Carmina Burana.

Seamless integration between sporadic bursts of energy, rhythm, and triumph, strung together by a haunting echo in the background define this style of music. And despite how startlingly demonic the music may sound, underneath it all, there is something still enchantingly reassuring about it.

Looking up to the lyrics to one of the more popular, well-known songs "O Fortuna," reassured me of this feeling. "…hateful life first oppresses, and then soothes as fancy takes it poverty and power, it melts them like ice." The music isn't meant to be malicious or intimidating...it's meant to be didactic. There's an enlightening truth behind the cyclical nature that defines fate. Carmina Burana's music is meant to serve as a vehicle for this message.

You can hear the music for yourself on Tuesday, April 2 at FLEFF's Concert featuring these particular pieces performed live at the Whalen Center for Music.

What do you interpret after hearing this music?

Blog post written by Kristen Tomkowid, Journalism '15, FLEFF Intern, Poughkeepsie, New York

Nicholas DiEugenio is an assistant professor in the IC School of Music with specialties in violin and chamber music. At this year's festival, Carmina Burana will be performed by local musicians. DiEugenio talked about his involvement with this performance.

Kristen Tomkowid: How did you become a part of FLEFF?

Nicholas DiEugenio: I'm extremely privileged to live in Ithaca and to teach violin at the IC School of Music. One of my colleagues, Deborah Martin, is organizing this year's FLEFF performance of Carmina Burana, and she asked if I would be interested in participating. Of course I was glad to accept the offer! 

KT: Have you ever performed Carmina Burana before? If yes, where/when? 

ND: I have never been a part of a performance of this work before. However, even if I had, I would not have done anything like what I am doing in this particular performance. Since we will be using many instruments to cover vocal parts (both solo parts and choral parts), I will actually be playing my violin in an attempt to evoke a soprano soloist in two specific moments in the cantata. This is kind of like the reverse of a "pants" role, which might seem rare, though I do get to do this quite often as a violinist! I wonder if it is the first time that this type of musical impersonation has ever been done with Carmina Burana. 

KT: What is your favorite part of the piece and why?

ND: I'm not sure that I have a "favorite part" of the piece, but I think my favorite aspect of this piece is its original conception. It was designed to be a piece of music to go with visual movement. It's often performed as a concert cantata, but its birth as a piece of multimedia art gives it a tremendous adaptability, and creative directors can take it in many different directions. It's no wonder that this quality has been exploited over the years in commercial advertising--my brain always associates the opening of Carmina Burana with a desire to join the Marines, and I wonder why! So, the music has this "empty vessel" quality which is actually quite potent when combined with strong visual imagery, and I think that is what I appreciate most about this piece.  

KT: What do you want people to take away from the performance?

ND: Hopefully this performance will be memorable for all of its musical innovation (down-scaling to two pianos, using instrumentalists to cover vocal parts, using the Trombone Troupe to cover chorus parts!), and for its powerful visual imagery in conjunction with the music. These aspects will make the performance unique, and hopefully any person in attendance will enjoy and remember a unique artistic experience which crosses boundaries and blends many senses. 

KT: Are you going to see anything else FLEFF is doing? If yes, what are you most excited for?

ND: There are a few films programmed at the Ithaca Cinemapolis that are of particular interest to me; since I've recently traveled to both Russia and China to perform, I am interested to see China Concerto, Lost Boys, and No Problem. I'm also really interested in October, a silent movie for which the Cloud Chamber Orchestra will provide live music. 

Will we see you at Carmina Burana?

Blog posting by Karly Placek, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Social Media Manager, Monroe, Wisconsin 

Gruonet der walt allenthalben! The woods are turning green all over!

Or hopefully they will soon, anyway. As the snow melts and spring here in Ithaca dances towards us, I can't help but get excited for the warm weather and the great events that come with it. For me, spring means that FLEFF is nearly here! During the long winter months, I've had time to reflect upon a musical masterpiece that will be featured in FLEFF this year: Carmina Burana. On Tuesday, April 2, a selection of virtuosos (including not one, but two pianists as well as a 16-piece trombone troop) will perform the cantata live at the Whalen Center for Music. Being a nature enthusiast who loves spring, I am particularly looking forward to the live performance of the seventh movement of the piece: Floret Silva, or The Forest Flowers. 

The movement opens in grandiose form, saluting the burgeoning 'noble woods' with a thick array of voices. A musical landscape is painted where the woods are green and welcoming. However, the movement includes frequent decrescendos that hint at something unsettling - a changed, missing lover. Soft, high voices such as flutes and strings make one ponder "uni est antiquus meus amicus?" or "where is the lover I knew?" The slow reverence snaps into a quick tempo that reminds us again of the nature around us. Short staccato string voices almost seem like little bounding deer in our lively woods. Our lover may be missing, but we have enough nature for company! 

I can't wait to hear how this movement will be represented in the live performance. What are you looking forward to this spring? 

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

I was doing homework in my dorm, listening to Carmina Burana and, all of a sudden I started to feel uneasy. I didn't know why. I lifted my foot that was dangling off the bed and tucked it under me, preventing the monster from my childhood from snatching my foot and dragging me under the bed for a snack. I felt like something was creeping up on me. I looked behind me, nothing there. What was this feeling? I looked to my door expecting someone to barge in. Nothing. Why was I feeling like this? Then the cymbals crashed and thousands of men on horse charged into my room! 

Ok, that part did actually happen but if Carmina Burana can evoke that powerful of a feeling in me through the weak speakers of my computer just imagine what it can do to an audience member during a live concert! 

Carmina Burana is an exciting and dangerous sounding piece of music that evokes all types of emotions in it's listeners. Written by Carl Orff and based on poems and dramatic texts written by medieval student vagabonds were fed up with the Catholic Church and spoke out against all authority! You can feel their angst, anger, sweat and tears as tiptoed around Fate and his games. Come with them on their journey to climb to the highest heights and swim to the deepest depths. You won't be disappointed.

If you are a music fanatic or just someone who appreciates good music, the Carmina Burana concert is the FLEFF event for you! Featuring sixteen trombones, a baritone singer, a flautist, and a violinist, this is going to be arguably the most adventure filled night at FLEFF!

How can this be? Classical music isn't fun…or is it? What has been your experience with classical music in the past?

Blog posting written by Erica Moriarty, Documentary Studies and Production ’16, FLEFF Intern, Houston, Texas

I both love and hate scary movies. Call me a masochist, but I find fun in jumping out of my chair and squealing at the top of my lungs. However, the nights following my viewing of a scary movie are not so enjoyable.

Last night, I listened to Carmina Burana right before bed, which proved to be a less than intelligent decision. As the first song, O Fortuna, played through my computer, I grew increasingly uneasy. I felt myself return to the same fear in the nights after I watched The Exorcist.

My skin clammed up from being tightly cocooned in my comforter. My refrigerator suddenly emitted demon noises. Ghostly shapes kept popping up in my closet, later to be revealed as sweaters.

To calm my nerves, I looked up more on the meaning of O Fortuna. The translation of the last line reads, “Fate strikes down the strong man. Everyone weep with me!” After seeing this, my fear suddenly subsided. Instead, I was sad.

The song wasn’t about demons or ghosts at all. The lyrics simply follow this poor man’s terrible bout of ill fate and misfortune. With this revelation, I continued with my listening and researching of Carmina Burana. My anticipation for the concert during FLEFF in a month grew more than ever before.

Which songs from Carmina Burana are you most excited to hear? Click the link to hear more!

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

This isn't your typical "wheel of fortune."

One of the major events of FLEFF's programming is the performance of Carmina Burana - a cantata that consists of medieval poetry (written in Latin) set to music composed in the later 1930s.  If you haven't heard it, I definitely recommend listening to it - it's a moving set of pieces (you've probably heard parts of it before) that are powerful and beautiful to listen to.

As somebody who has a background in classical music, I always enjoy getting the chance to explore new pieces of music.  When I sat down to listen to Carmina Burana, I was surprised with how familiar I already was with some of the music.  "O Fortuna!" is probably the most recognizable piece from the cantata.

I loved all of the music, but what I find most interesting about Carmina Burana is the symbolism behind the piece.  Carmina Burana is about the Wheel of Fortune - a medieval, philosophical concept that shows the cycle of life as a wheel.  At one moment, a person may be at the top.  At another, a person may be at the bottom.

This is reflected prominently in the music with how the melodies and volumes change throughout Carmina Burana.  I found the cantata to be easy to listen to because of this, and it's a piece that definitely consumes your attention.

You can listen to the full cantata here, and I definitely recommend doing so.

I'm excited for the FLEFF performance because instead of a full chorus, there will be brass instruments - like saxophones and trombones.  Have you listened to Carmina Burana yet? 

Blog posting written by Shea Lynch, Documentary Studies and Production '13, FLEFF Blogger, Glens Falls, New York

Joy to bitterness. Hope to grief. FLEFF's exclusive Carmina Burana show premiers Tuesday, April 2nd and the performers, Ithaca College's Brad Hougham and Deborah Martin, are hard at work planning the event, continuing to tweak the 25 song setlist and choreograph the many trombonists that will accompany this performance. Tonight, they gave interns a discussion on the poems and a preview of the music.

Written between the 11th and 12th Century, Carmina Burana is a collection of over 250 manuscripts from students and clergy; sexual, satirical, and full of youthful mischief. These poems explore the human reality of lust, pleasure, and pain of Western European youth. Infused with Monteverdi, Canto Gregoriano and Stravinsky, this musical contata is a unique experience.

FLEFF will be inviting Jairo Geronymo back for a two-piano performance, this time accompanied by violins, percussions and flutes; a diversified look at music and emotion. FLEFF interns will also be creating new media art for projection during the performances. This will be a show like no other, stay tuned for more updates!

What are you looking forward to most?