Violin Concerto No. 2 (Widmann) Explained

Violin Concerto No. 2
Composer:Jörg Widmann
Genre:Concerto
Period:Contemporary
Composed:2018
Publisher:Schott Music
Movements:3
Premiere Location:Suntory Hall, Tokyo
Premiere Conductor:Jörg Widmann

Jörg Widmann's Violin Concerto No. 2 was composed in 2018 for his sister Carolin Widmann. The work premiered on 31 August 2018 with soloist Carolin Widmann and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jörg Widmann at Suntory Hall, Tokyo.[1] The concerto is dedicated to Carolin Widmann ("German: für Caro") and was commissioned by Suntory Hall, Orchestre de Paris and Frankfurt Radio Symphony.

History

Carolin and Jörg Widmann played music together as children.[2] [3] They re-enacted operas with cuddly toys.[4] Widmann was asking his younger sister to try extended techniques on her violin; her response: "You are crazy!"[5] [6] Later Carolin has made an international career and often played standard Classical and Romantic repertoire.[7]

For the composer, the concerto was an "exercise in reduction".

Structure

The concerto has traditional three movements and lasts 35 minutes.

  1. Una ricerca
  2. Romanze
  3. Mobile

The limited thematic material is varied. With the violin as narrator, the work contains personal statements.[8] The short first movement Una ricerca is a search of the violin for itself, for its own voice. The extensive second movement Romanze crosses several "emotional zones". This is manifested by the citation of virtuoso Romantic and Late-Romantic violin concertos, the English ballad Scarborough Fair and a French chanson. In the short final movement, Mobile, the former violin singing tends to splinter.

Instrumentation

The concerto employed woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, and a harp and celesta:

Performances

The premiere took place at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, followed by performances in Europe with Orchestre de Paris and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Alte Oper under Andrés Orozco-Estrada.[9]

Reception

Sofia Nyblom of Svenska Dagbladet wrote: "theatrical premiere that combines existential precociousness with childlike innocence" ("Swedish: teatralt uruppförande som förenar existentiell brådmognad med barnslig oskuld").[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Violin Concerto No. 2 . . 31 August 2018 . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801102152/https://www.schott-music.com/en/violinkonzert-nr-2-no353460.html . live .
  2. Web site: Carolin Widmann performs the world premiere of her brother's concerto – Askonas Holt . Askonas Holt . 28 August 2018 . 1 August 2023 . 7 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220907152718/https://www.askonasholt.com/carolin-widmann-performing-the-world-premiere-of-her-brothers-concerto/ . live .
  3. Web site: Reihe: Woher kommt die Energie? "Die Musik macht mich high" . . 10 August 2017 . de . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801113039/https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/reihe-woher-kommt-die-energie-die-musik-macht-mich-high-100.html . live .
  4. Web site: Çatı . Irem . Lebenswege Carolin Widmann . concerti.de . 9 January 2021 . de . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801122939/https://www.concerti.de/vermischtes/ich-habe-das-gefuehl-ich-selbst-zu-sein/ . live .
  5. Web site: A Composer Finds the Old in the New . . 20 March 2020 . 1 August 2023.
  6. Web site: Solist, Komponist, Dirigent: Jörg Widmann ist eine Ausnahmeerscheinung der Musik . . 16 October 2020 . de . 3 August 2023 . 9 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230609081241/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/jorg-widmann-ist-eine-ausnahmeerscheinung-der-musik-6600397.html . live .
  7. Web site: Carolin Widmann: Mendelssohn/Schumann (ECM New Series 2427) . Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond . 23 June 2019 . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801133838/https://ecmreviews.com/2019/06/23/carolin-widmann-mendelssohn-schumann-ecm-new-series-2427/ . live .
  8. Web site: Eckhard . Weber . Jörg Widmann: Violinkonzert Nr. 2 . Ultraschall Festival Berlin . 9 December 2019 . de . 1 August 2023 . 15 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240815201114/https://ultraschallberlin.de/aufsatz/joerg-widmann-violinkonzert-nr-2/ . live .
  9. Web site: Carolin Widmann . Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) . 8 December 2021 . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801104835/https://www.rsb-online.de/en/artists/carolin-widmann-2/ . live .
  10. Web site: Nyblom . Sofia . Dödsföraktande saga med mörka undertoner . SvD.se . 26 April 2019 . sv . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801120204/https://www.svd.se/a/9vkqVl/dodsforaktande-saga-med-morka-undertoner . live .

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