O Fortuna topped a 2009 list of the most-played classical music of the previous 75 years in the United Kingdom. O Fortuna "O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the 13th century, part of the collection known as the "Carmina Burana". It is a complaint about Fortuna, the inexorable fate that rules both gods and mortals in Roman and Greek mythology. In 1935–36, "O Fortuna" was set to music by German composer Carl Orff as a part of "", the opening and closing movement of his cantata "Carmina Burana". It was first staged by the Frankfurt Opera on
Zachary Gordin and others. Some of his notable concert repertoire includes Bach’s Cantata #82 “Ich Habe Genug”, Monteverdi’s "Magnificant", Mahler’s "Kindertotenlieder", Mozart’s "Coronation Mass" and "Requiem", Pergolesi’s "Stabat Mater", and Handel’s "Messiah". Orff’s "Carmina Burana" has become a signature piece for Gordin, who has performed the work numerous times. Maestro Michael Morgan of the Oakland Symphony stated that Gordin is “the ideal baritone for "Carmina Burana"…this is the best singing of the high, sensual music that I have ever heard. This is as good a rendering of those solos as one is ever likely to encounter.” Gordin’s celebrated vocal technique has won