Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" is hard to avoid, whether one is a fan of choral music or not. Its passages of rhythmic punch and full-throated cries have been used to evoke moods in movies and commercials. Listeners who have never heard of it recognize the music when they hear it.

The texts are from a collection of 13th century poems in Latin, German and French, found in a German monastery but celebrating decidedly secular themes like love, food, and drink. Orff favored direct, even primitive-sounding modes of musical expression, with declamatory speech setting and vigorous rhythms. He was middle aged in 1937 when "Carmina" was first performed, but felt it so far outshone all his previous work that it truly marked the beginning of his composing career.

"Carmina Burana" is full of challenges and rewards for any chorus that takes it up, as the Connecticut Master Chorale did on Saturday night. The performance at St. Rose of Lima church in Newtown, under Music Director Tina Johns Heidrich, showed why the work has been so popular for so long.

The chorale is a well-trained group, nimble and articulate while able to summon up a big sound when needed. Passages like the sinuous lines of "Veris Leta Facies" were expressive and atmospheric. The pastoral mood of "Floret Silva" and the exclamations, shouted across the sections of the chorus, in "Swaz hie gat Umbe" were equally well expressed. They were joined by the excellent Litchfield County Children's Choir, who sang their parts with a clear tone and sureness of pitch.

"Carmina" is a long work and the chorale showed it had stamina as well. Energy and intonation were as good for the final reprise of "O Fortuna" as they had been for the beginning. There were moments along the way where one heard carefulness and wished for more abandon, but overall the chorale gave a fine performance.

Among the soloists, baritone Dan Kempson showed off a rich, ringing tone with an excellent top register. Dramatic feeling and flexible articulation were evident throughout. The mock chant of "Ego sum Abbas" (the song of an abbot who likes his drink) was witty and characterful. Soprano Louise Fauteux sang an especially warm and appealing "In Trutina." Jeffrey Mandelbaum's countertenor was haunting in "Olim Lacus Colueram" (the lament of a swan roasting on a spit), though his pitch wandered in places.

Conductor Heidrich led with a firm hand, rhythmic verve and sure sense for drama. The orchestra generally played well, with some rustic fiddling in the instrumental dance, some lusty brass fanfares and an eerie, high-pitched bassoon to accompany the countertenor that particularly stood out.

The program opened in a very different mood, with Brahms' Nanie. The composer wrote it as an elegy for an artist friend, on a text full of classical allusions by the great German poet Schiller. As in his consolatory "German Requiem", Brahms treats the subject of death with serenity and acceptance.

Heidrich and the chorale caught the ethereal mood of the opening and surely paced the slow buildup of the individual lines. Intonation, breath support and feeling for a sustained line were all excellent. The group sang with a fresh sound and musical sensitivity. The piece was sung in an English translation and one would have liked to catch more of the words, but the overall spirit was unmistakable.