Despite being regarded by some commentators as the work of an ‘odious opportunist’, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana remains one of the most performed (and recorded) 20th-century choral works. With the backing of the Nazi state, this ‘carnal cantata’ brought him wealth and notoriety – as well as helping to sell millions of bottles of aftershave.

The most recent commercial recording comes from an LPO concert given in April 2013 as part of the Southbank’s The Rest Is Noise festival, where it was preceded by Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. One can see immediately how much the Bavarian absorbed from the Russian’s musical thumbprints. Rhythmic impetus is paramount (helped by a generous percussion section), with incisive block chords for the chorus, and dramatic contrasts of tempo and dynamics.

Rattle’s performance (on New Year’s Eve 2004) was released in audio format in 2005. At the time Rattle’s penchant for brisk tempi raised a few eyebrows, although with the visual element this feels less worrisome. Timings between the two interpretations are quite close, in fact.

Both choruses sing with tremendous verve and attack, aided by the almost complete lack of contrapuntal writing. There are a couple of moments when the Berlin singers occasionally stumble ahead of Rattle’s beat, despite being glued to his gaze. For the LPO Sarah Tynan was a strong substitute for an indisposed Sally Matthews. She copes well with her exposed lines but lacks some of Matthews’s floating finesse on the Blu-ray. Gerhaher (for Rattle) is much more characterful than Pogossov, who tends to be throaty, although Gerhaher struggles with his falsetto passages; and Andrew Kennedy’s roasting swan (for the LPO) is much more beautiful than Lawrence Brownlee’s. Kennedy maintains a searing lyricism despite the cruelly high top Cs and Ds.

As a listening experience the LPO disc is ahead. The recording is much warmer and better balanced, with just one stifled distant cough noted, unlike Berlin’s bronchial burghers, and superlative playing