Horn Concerto (Widmann)

Jörg Widmann's Horn Concerto was composed in 2023–24 and premiered on 30 May 2024 with soloist Stefan Dohr and the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Simon Rattle at Berliner Philharmonie. The work has enigmatic as well as humorous elements.

History

In the 2023–24 season, Widmann was Berlin Philharmonic's Composer in Residence and made his debut conducting the orchestra. Widmann composed a concerto during the residency for the orchestras principle horn and dedicatee Stefan Dohr. The composer and the soloist had met with sketch material about ten times. With the premiere of this work Widmann's residency with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra came to an end.

The horn concerto has been commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic and Lucerne Symphony Orchestra.

Structure

The 7-movement horn concerto last 38 minutes. The number seven has been already used by Widmann in the opera Babylon and appears commonly in Mesopotamian tradition and theology. The movement titles are evokative.

1. Traumbild (Reverie)


2. Andantino grazioso


3. Scherzo à la surprise


4. Adagietto


5. Zwischenwelt (Intermediate World)


6. Vorahnung (Premonition)


7. Finale

Widmann characterized the first movement ''Traumbild'' (Reverie) with "Let there be sound". The second movement ''Andantino grazioso'' is based on a theme of Carl Maria von Weber's Horn Concertino. Further citations in ''Scherzo à la surprise'' are Rossini, Johann Strauss I and Offenbach. The centrepiece ''Adagietto'' is reminiscent to Mahler. The enigmatic ''Vorahnung'' (Premonition) lays false trails and the ''Finale'' summarizes the thematic material of the preceding movements. The work with humorous elements uses extended techniques.

Orchestration

* ''Woodwinds'': 3 Flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 3 Oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais and cuckoo whistle), 2 Clarinets in B und A (2nd doubling E clarinet), Bass clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Double bassoon
* ''Brass'': 4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpets in C, 2 Trombone, Bass trombone, Tuba
* ''Timpani''
* ''Percussion'' (3 players): I Glockenspiel, Crotales, Xylophone, Tubular bells, Triangle, Splash cymbal, Cymbal (medium), 3 Tam-tams (high/medium/low), 2 High brasilian tamborims, Snare drum, 3 Tom-toms (high/medium/low), Castanets, Flexaton, Vibraslap, Clay bird whistle. II Tubular bells, Triangle, Pair of cymbals, Splash cymbal, 3 Cymbals (high/medium/low), Sizzle cymbal, 3 Tam-tams (high/medium/low), Tamburin with jingles, Bass drum (with cymbals), Friction drum (small), Metal chimes, Maracas, Claves, 3 Wood blocks, Whistle, Whip, Flexatone, Car horns (tuned), Rainmaker (ossia: ocean drum). III Vibraphone, Triangle, Pair of cymbals, Splash cymbal, 3 Cymbals (high/medium/low), Chinese cymbal, Sizzle cymbal, 2 Tam-tams (medium/low), Thai gongs, Guiro, Ratchet, Castanets, 3 Wood blocks (on top of each other), 5 Temple blocks, Whip, Whistle, Flexatone, Vibraslap, Swanee whistle (high), Waterphone, Thunder sheet
* ''Strings'': 12 Violins I, 10 Violins II, 8 Violas, 6 Violoncellos, 6 Double basses (all 5 strings with B as the lowest string)
* Harp (the lowest strings are tuned to C and D), Celesta

Premiere

The work premiered on 30 May 2024 in Berliner Philharmonie with Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and the soloist Stefan Dohr (further performances on 31 May and 1 June).

Reception

Wolfram Quellmalz from ''Neue (musikalische) Blätter'' wrote: "A little bit of circus" and "the audience had fun and applauded enthusiastically". Elena Luporini from ''Bachtrack'' wrote: "The score brims with different materials, tracing not just a history of horn-playing, but a present and possibly a future."

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Horn Concerto
Concertos by Jörg Widmann
21st-century classical music
2024 compositions
Widmann
Music commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic
Music commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Music commissioned by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Music commissioned by the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
Music commissioned by the Brussels Philharmonic
Music commissioned by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Music dedicated to ensembles or performers