One of my favorite pieces in the symphonic literature is Carmina Burana. It’s energetic, powerful, and rhythmically charged. It also requires large forces - over 200 musicians in total. More importantly, although composed 90 years ago, the piece concerns topics familiar in today’s world: the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of live, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling, and lust.