Jörg Widmann (born 19 June 1973) is a German composer, conductor and clarinetist. In 2018, Widmann was the third most performed

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

composer in the world. Formerly a clarinet and composition professor at the University of Music Freiburg, he is composition professor at the Barenboim–Said Akademie. His most important compositions are the two operas ''

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

'' and '' Das Gesicht im Spiegel'', an oratorio ''

Arche ''Arche'' (; grc, ἀρχή; sometimes also transcribed as ''arkhé'') is a Greek word with primary senses "beginning", "origin" or "source of action" (: from the beginning, οr : the original argument), and later "first principle" or "element". ...

'', his string quartets and the concert overture '' Con brio''. Widmann wrote musical tributes to Classical and Romantic composers. He was awarded the

Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art The Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (german: Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst, links=no) was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II von Bayern. It is awarded to acknowledge and reward exc ...

in 2018.

Education and career

Widmann was born on 19 June 1973 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, the son of a physicist and a teacher. He first took clarinet lessons in 1980. Four years later he became a composition student of Kay Westermann. Widmann attended the secondary school in Munich. He later studied composition with

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

Wilfried Hiller Wilfried Hiller (born 15 March 1941) is a German composer. He became known above all for his stage works for families, children and young people. Life and work Hiller was born the son of the teacher August Hiller and his wife Josepha Hiller, n� ...

Heiner Goebbels Heiner Goebbels (born 17 August 1952) is a German composer, conductor and professor at Justus-Liebig-University in Gießen and artistic director of the International Festival of the Arts Ruhrtriennale 2012–14. His composition ''Stifters Dinge ...

and

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

. He studied as a clarinetist at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Gerhard Starke (1986–1997, Meisterklassendiplom 1997) and at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

in New York City with

Charles Neidich Charles Neidich (born 1953 in New York City) is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor. Early career A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich ...

(1994–1995, Advanced Certificate 1995). After graduating with a Master's from Hochschule für Musik Munich in 1997, he furthered his studies at the

Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe Karlsruhe's University of Music (Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe in German) is a college of music in Karlsruhe, Germany. Originally the Baden Conservatory of Music, it was elevated to a Hochschule under the direction of Franz Philipp, who led th ...

(1997–1999). From 2001 to 2015, he taught clarinet as a professor at the University of Music Freiburg. From 2009 to 2016 Widmann was a part-time Professor of Composition, succeeding Mathias Spahlinger, at the Institute for New Music at the University of Music Freiburg. From 2011 to 2017, Widmann was Principal Guest Conductor and from 2017 to 2022, Principal Conductor and Artistic Partner of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Since 2017, Widmann has held the Edward-Said-Chair as Professor of Composition at the Barenboim–Said Akademie, Berlin. Since 2022, he has been Associated Conductor of the Munich Chamber Orchestra. He lives in Berlin and Munich.

Musical works and performances

Widmann has achieved success both as a clarinetist and as a composer.

Clarinet career

As a soloist, Widmann has performed with major orchestras in Germany and abroad, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductors like

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...

Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi (; born 8 September 1929) is a German conductor. Biography Youth and World War II Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine Bonhoeffer. His uncle ...

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 19 ...

and

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 202 ...

. He has premiered several clarinet concerti dedicated to him: in 1999 through "musica viva", he played ''Music for Clarinet and Orchestra'' by Wolfgang Rihm; in 2006 with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, ''Cantus'' by

Aribert Reimann Aribert Reimann (born 4 March 1936) is a German composer, pianist and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', the opera ''Lear'', was written at the suggestion of Dietrich Fischer-Dieska ...

; and in 2015 "''über''" by Mark Andre at the Donaueschingen Festival. Widmann's core repertoire as clarinetist includes

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mo ...

's ''

Dialogue de l'ombre double ''Dialogue de l'ombre double'' (Dialogue of the double shadow) is a mixed work by Pierre Boulez for clarinet and electroacoustic device composed in 1985. The play is dedicated to Luciano Berio for his sixtieth birthday. There exists a version fo ...

'', which he performed on Boulez's 85th birthday in Paris.

Career as composer

Widmann's compositions draw on different musical genres. For example, he has written a trilogy for orchestra examining the projection of vocal forms of instrumental ensembles. The trilogy consists of ''Lied'' (premiered in 2003 and recorded on CD by the Bamberg Symphony with Jonathan Nott), ''Chor'' (premiered in 2004 by the

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) is a German broadcast orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra performs its concerts principally in the Philharmonie Berlin. The orchestra is administratively based at the ''Rundfunk Berlin-Branden ...

with Kent Nagano) and ''Messe'' (premiered in June 2005 by the Munich Philharmonic under

Christian Thielemann Christian Thielemann (born 1 April 1959) is a German conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. He was artistic director of the Salzburg Easter Festival from 2013 to 2022, and a regular conductor at the Bayreuth Fe ...

). In 2007, Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic premiered his orchestral work ''Armonica''. His early string quartets are of particular note among his

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

: the First Quartet was written in 1997, followed by the ''Chorale Quartet'' and the ''Hunting Quartet'', the latter premiered in 2003 by the

Arditti Quartet The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974 and led by the British violinist Irvine Arditti. The quartet is a globally recognized promoter of contemporary classical music and has a reputation for having a very wide repertoire. Th ...

. 2005 saw the first performances of the Fourth Quartet and ''Experiment on a Fugue'' (Fifth Quartet, with soprano), with

Juliane Banse Juliane Banse (born 10 July 1969 in Tettnang, Germany) is a German opera soprano and noted singer. Banse received her vocal training at the Zürich Opera, and with Brigitte Fassbaender in Munich. She won first prize in the singing competition of ...

and the

Artemis Quartet The Artemis Quartet is a German string quartet, founded in 1989 in Lübeck, and now based in Berlin. The quartet is named for the Greek goddess of hunting and the wilderness. History The first members of the Artemis Quartet, Wilken Ranck, Isa ...

. These five one-movement quartets form a cycle. Widmann was Composer in Residence at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

and at the chamber music festival Spannungen,

Heimbach Heimbach is a town in the district of Düren of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, in the Eifel hills, approx. 20 km south of Düren. Heimbach has the smallest population of any town in North Rhi ...

in 2004. Octet was premiered on 4 June 2004 at the power plant

Kraftwerk Heimbach Kraftwerk Heimbach is a hydro-electric power station in Heimbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was built in Jugendstil architecture, completed in 1905, then the largest hydro-electric power station in Europe. It is also known as Urftkraftw ...

. Widmann premiered ''Am Anfang'' by

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan h ...

in July 2009 as part of the 20th anniversary of the

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris Nat ...

, in which he acted as composer, clarinetist and made his debut as conductor. He was Composer in Residence at the

Lucerne Festival Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it curren ...

in 2009, where on 13 August 2009, Heinz Holliger performed Widmann's oboe concerto, commissioned by the festival. On 5 September Widmann premiered Holliger's ''Rechant'' for solo clarinet. Widmann's ''Free Pieces for Ensemble: Number X'' is used in Sophie Fiennes's documentary ''

Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow ''Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow'' is a 2010 Sophie Fiennes documentary about the German industrial artist Anselm Kiefer's creation of a 40 hectare work in progress at an abandoned factory complex outside Barjac, France. Kiefer moved to the ...

'' (2010), about the postwar German artist Anselm Kiefer. His sister

Carolin Widmann Carolin Widmann (born 1976) is a German classical violinist. The sister of composer and clarinetist Jörg Widmann, she focuses mainly on contemporary music. She plays a violin made in 1782 by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. Career Born in Munich, ...

premiered his ''études IV-VI'' for violin (20042010) at the

Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik The Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (Witten Days for New Chamber Music) is a music festival for contemporary chamber music, jointly organised by the town Witten in the Ruhr Area and the broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). The con ...

on 23 April 2010. From 2009 to 2011 he was the Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow at the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

. He performed his '' Fantasie for Solo Clarinet'' (1993) to celebrate

Walter Fink Walter Fink (16 August 1930 – 13 April 2018) was a German entrepreneur and a patron of contemporary classical music. He is known for being a founding member, executive committee member and sponsor of the Rheingau Musik Festival, where he initi ...

's 80th birthday at the Rheingau Musik Festival on 16 August 2010 and in 2014 was the festival's Composer and Artist in Residence. Widmann was the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich's Creative Chair in the 2015–16 season. On 9 September 2015, the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 18 ...

and the

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

announced they were commissioning a work from Widmann as part of a planned collaboration by the two organizations beginning in the fall of 2017. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra announced Widmann's appointment as its first-ever ''Gewandhauskomponist'' (Gewandhaus composer) for the 2017–18 season. Widmann's oratorio ''

ARCHE ''Arche'' (; grc, ἀρχή; sometimes also transcribed as ''arkhé'') is a Greek word with primary senses "beginning", "origin" or "source of action" (: from the beginning, οr : the original argument), and later "first principle" or "element". ...

'' had its world premiere on 13 January 2017 on the occasion of the opening festivities of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano performed it. A concert by Widmann,

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

, and

Anna Prohaska Anna Prohaska (born 1983) is an Austrian lyric soprano. She lives in Berlin. Career Anna Prohaska studied in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music. Prohaska made her debut in 2002 at the Komische Oper in Harry Kupfer’s production of Br ...

opened the Pierre Boulez Saal on 4 March 2017. HagenQuartet

On 27 January 2018 Widmann and the

Hagen Quartet The Hagen Quartet is an Austrian string quartet founded in 1981 by four siblings, Lukas, Angelika (first replaced by Annette Bik, who was then replaced by Rainer Schmidt in 1987), Veronika and Clemens, in Salzburg. The quartet members are teach ...

performed his Clarinet Quintet, as part of a European tour, at Amsterdam's

Muziekgebouw aan het IJ Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (English: "Music Building on the IJ") is the main concert hall for contemporary classical music on the IJ in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building opened in 2005 and is located above the IJtunnel, a ten-minute walk from Am ...

. Partita, five reminiscences for large orchestra, commissioned by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was premiered in Leipzig on 8 March 2018 with Andris Nelsons conducting. After the world premiere in 2012 at the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

, in 2019 a new Berlin version of his opera ''Babylon'' was performed at the

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great ...

Unter den Linden Unter den Linden (, "under the linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. Running from the City Palace to Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the linden (lime in England and Ireland, not rela ...

under the musical direction of Christopher Ward.

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henr ...

is the dedicatee of String Quartet No. 6 (''Study on Beethoven'', 2019). With this piece, Widmann began a new series of works in the genre. Widmann held the 2019–20 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

of 2020, he contributed to the online Festival of New Music with his composition ''empty space''. Barenboim and Emanuel Pahud curated the festival in the empty Pierre Boulez Saal.

Musical style

Sounds, not tones, are the focus of Widmann's thinking. His music integrates

serialism In music, serialism is a method of composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though some of his contemporaries were al ...

and noise in traditional sources. In most of his compositions, Widmann is in a musical "dialogue" with Classical-Romantic composers such as Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. He wrote musical tributes to these composers. Widmann has written pieces without pitches and also purely tonal pieces with exaggerated familiar gestures. The scores show extremely precise, well-considered structures and instructions. He uses extended techniques in many compositions, such as ''Con brio''. He finds inspiration in literature, poems, paintings and sculptures and frequently uses literary sources for his compositions, like Matthias Claudius, Klabund,

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

, Peter Sloterdijk,

Clemens Brentano Clemens Wenzeslaus Brentano (also Klemens; pseudonym: Clemens Maria Brentano ; ; 9 September 1778 – 28 July 1842) was a German poet and novelist, and a major figure of German Romanticism. He was the uncle, via his brother Christian, of Franz ...

and

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

. According to ''

Bachtrack ''Bachtrack'' is a London-based international online music magazine which publishes listings of classical music, opera, ballet and dance, as well as reviews of these genres, interviews and general feature articles. History Bachtrack Ltd was r ...

'', Widmann was the third most performed contemporary composer in the world in 2018, behind

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

and

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Awards

* 1996 * 1997 Bayerischer Staatspreis für junge Künstler * 1999

Belmont Prize The Belmont Prize is a music award named after the place of destiny in Shakespeare's ''The Merchant of Venice''. The Munich-based Forberg Schneider Foundation, founded in 1997, promotes outstanding achievements in the field of contemporary music. T ...

for Contemporary Music from the Forberg-Schneider Foundation * 2002

Hindemith Prize The international Paul Hindemith Prize promotes outstanding contemporary composers within the framework of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (SHMF). The award commemorates the musical pedagogy of Paul Hindemith, who wrote the composition ''P ...

of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival * 2002

Schneider-Schott Music Prize The Schneider-Schott Music Prize is a cash award bestowed to an outstanding composer, performing artist, or music ensemble in classical music—with emphasis, but not mandatory, on contemporary music. From 1986 to 2006, the prize was awarded annua ...

* 2003 Ernst von Siemens Composers' Prize * 2003–2004 award of the magazine ''

Opernwelt ''Opernwelt'' (''Opera World'') is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert ...

'': "most important premiere of the season: ''Das Gesicht im Spiegel''" * 2004

Arnold Schönberg Prize The International Arnold Schönberg Prize was established in 2001, and named after the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg, on initiative of Kent Nagano, the former principal conductor and musical director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Ber ...

* 2006 Kompositionspreis of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg for ''Second Labyrinth'' * 2006 Claudio-Abbado-Kompositionspreis of the Orchester-Akademie of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

for Quintet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano * 2007

Prize of the Christoph and Stephan Kaske Foundation The Prize of the Christoph and Stephan Kaske Foundation () is an annual award for promotion of new music. It was founded in 1988 by Karlheinz and Christiane Kaske in memory of their sons Christoph and Stephan. has its legal seat in Munich. The ...

* 2009

Stoeger Prize The Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is an international music prize for composers of chamber music. The US$25,000 cash award is given every two years in recognition of significant contributions to the chamber music r ...

of the New York Chamber Music Society * 2010 Marsilius Medal of the

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

* 2013 Heidelberger Frühling Music Award * 2013 German Music Authors' Prize (Composition Symphonic) * 2018 Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music Mainz * 2018

* 2019 , "Composer of the year" for ''ARCHE'' * 2021 Musikpreis der Landeshauptstadt München * 2021

Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany The Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany (german: link=no, Würth-Preis der Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland) has been awarded since 1991 to artists, ensembles or projects who implement 's (JMD) values and objectives in an exemplary manner. ...

Memberships

* 2003 Fellow of the

Berlin Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (german: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin) is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is model ...

* 2005 Member of the

Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste in München (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) is an association of renowned personalities in Munich, Bavaria. It was founded by the Free State of Bavaria in 1948, continuing a tradition established in 1808 by ...

* 2007 Member of the

Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg The Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg e.V. is a not-for-profit association of artists, founded in 1950 by the organ-builder and writer Hans Henny Jahnn. It now includes architecture, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as ...

* 2007 Member of the Deutsche Akademie der Darstellenden Künste * 2016 Member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz

Works

Widmann's works are published by

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fo ...

. * ''Absences'', Schuloper (1990) * ''Kreisleriana'', concert piece for violin and chamber orchestra (1993) * '' Fantasie for Solo Clarinet'' (1993) * First

String Quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

(1997) * ''Five Fragments'' for clarinet and piano (1997) * ''Nachtstück'' (''Nightpiece'') for piano, clarinet and cello (1998) * ''Fever Fantasy'' for piano, string quartet and clarinet (with bass clarinet) (1999) * ''Implosion'' for orchestra (2001) * ''Light Study I'' for orchestra (2001) * ''ad absurdum'' for trumpet and small orchestra (2002) * ''Free Pieces'' for ensemble (2002) * ''Toccata'' for piano (2002) * Second String Quartet (''Chorale Quartet'') (2003) * ''Hall Study'' for piano (2003) * '' Das Gesicht im Spiegel'' (''The Face in the Mirror''), opera in 16 scenes,

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

Roland Schimmelpfennig Roland Schimmelpfennig (born 19 September 1967) is a German theatre director and playwright. His plays are performed in more than 40 countries. Biography Schimmelpfennig was born in Gottingen. He began his career as a journalist in Istanbul, b ...

(2003) * Third String Quartet (''Hunting Quartet'') (2003) * ''Lied'' for orchestra (2003) * ''Chor'' for orchestra (2004) * ''Skeleton'' for percussion (2004) * ''Light Studies (I-VI)'' for violin, viola, accordion, clarinet, piano and orchestra (2004) * Octet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (2004) * Fourth String Quartet (2005) * ''Experiment on a Fugue'' (Fifth String Quartet with soprano) (2005) * ''Messe'' for full orchestra (2005) * ''Air'' for horn solo (2005) * ''Labyrinth'' for 48

chordophone String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the s ...

s (2005) * ''Elegy'' for clarinet and orchestra (2006) * ''Echo-Fragments'' for clarinet and orchestral groups (2006) * ''Second Labyrinth'' for orchestral groups (2006) * ''Armonica'' for glass harmonica and orchestra (2007) * Violin Concerto (2007) * '' Con brio'' for orchestra (2008) * ''Antiphon'' for orchestral group (2008) * Oboe Concerto (2009) * ''Flûte en suite'' for flute and orchestral groups (2011) * ''

'', opera in 7 scenes, libretto by Peter Sloterdijk (2011–2012, 2018) * ''Third Labyrinth'' for soprano and orchestral groups (2013–2014) * ''Trauermarsch'' (''Funeral March'') for piano and orchestra (2014) * Viola Concerto (2015) * ''Once upon a time...'', five pieces in fairy-tale style for clarinet, viola and piano (2015) * ''

'',

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

for soloists, choirs, organ and orchestra (2016) * ''Sonatina facile'' for piano (2016) * Clarinet Quintet (2017) * Partita, five reminiscences for large orchestra (2017–2018) * Violin Concerto No. 2 (2018) * ''Labyrinth IV'' for soprano and ensemble (2019) * ''Study on Beethoven'' (String Quartet No. 6) (2019) * String Quartet No. 7, 8, 9, 10 (''Cavatina'') (Study on Beethoven II, III, IV, V) (2019/2020) * ''empty space'' for five players (flute, clarinet, percussion, piano and violin) (2020) * ''Zeitensprünge'', 450 bars for orchestra (2019, 2020) * ''Towards Paradise'' (''Labyrinth VI'') for trumpet and orchestra (2021) * ''Danse macabre'' for orchestra (2022)

Discography

* Lied, Jonathan Nott, Bamberg Symphony (Tudor Records 2005) * String Quartets, Leipzig String Quartet ( MDG 2008) * Violin Concerto, Antiphon, Insel der Sirenen,

Christian Tetzlaff Christian Tetzlaff (born 29 April 1966) is a German violinist. Biography Tetzlaff was born in Hamburg. His parents were amateur musicians and met in a church choir. He began playing the violin and piano at the age of 6, and made his concert debu ...

Daniel Harding Daniel John Harding (born 31 August 1975) is a British conductor. Biography Harding was born in Oxford. He studied trumpet at Chetham's School of Music and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra at age 13. At age 17, Harding assembled ...

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra ( sv, Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester) is a Swedish radio orchestra based in Stockholm, affiliated with Sveriges Radio (Sweden's Radio). Its principal performing venue is the Berwaldhallen (Berwald Hall). The ...

( Ondine 2013) * String Quartet No. 3 (Hunting Quartet) (with Haydn and Schubert Quartets), Ragazze Quartet (

Channel Classics Channel Classics Records is a record label from the Netherlands, specializing in classical music. The managing director and producer is C. Jared Sacks, who grew up in Boston. Sacks was schooled as a professional horn player at the Oberlin Conser ...

2013) * Armonica, Antiphon, Souvenir bavarois,

Paavo Järvi Paavo Järvi (; born 30 December 1962) is an Estonian-American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia, to Liilia Järvi and the Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi. His siblings, Kristjan Järvi and Maarika Järvi, are also mu ...

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra The Frankfurt Radio Symphony (german: hr-Sinfonieorchester) is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. From 1929 to 1950 it was named ''Frankfurter Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchester''. F ...

(Pan Classics 2014) * Con brio (with Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 & 8), Mariss Jansons,

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (german: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orches ...

(BR-Klassik 2015) This CD edition was awarded the Choc Classica 2013. * String Quartets, Minguet Quartet (

Wergo WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was ...

2015) * Viola Concerto, Duos, Hunting Quartet, Antoine Tamestit,

Signum Quartet The Signum Quartet is a string quartet based in Bremen, Germany. Founded in 1994, it has been playing in the current formation since 2016. Concert and festival appearances The Signum Quartet has appeared at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Cité ...

, Daniel Harding, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group. Its Latin name ''harm ...

2018) * Arche, Marlis Petersen, ,

Iveta Apkalna Iveta Apkalna (born 30 November 1976, Rēzekne, Latvia) is a Latvian organist and pianist. Biography Iveta Apkalna studied piano and organ at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, graduating in both instruments with distinction in 199 ...

, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg (

ECM ECM may refer to: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Elliptic curve method * European Congress of Mathemat ...

2018) * Diabelli Variation (with Beethoven, et al.: The Diabelli Project), Rudolf Buchbinder, (

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

2020)

Recordings as clarinetist

* Rihm: Vier Studien zu einem Klarinettenquintett, Vier Male, Jörg Widmann, Minguet Quartet ( Ars Musici 2004) * Rihm: Music for Clarinet and Orchestra, Jörg Widmann,

, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (SWRmusic 2010) * Elegie, Messe, Five Fragments, Jörg Widmann, Heinz Holliger,

Christoph Poppen Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher. Career Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Ku ...

Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern The Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern (German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern) is a German radio orchestra. Its administrative headquarters is in Saarbrücken, at the ''Funkhaus Halberg''. The orc ...

(ECM 2011) * Brahms: Clarinet Quintet, Jörg Widmann,

(Myrios 2012) * Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, Jörg Widmann, Arcanto Quartet (Harmonia Mundi 2013) * Three Shadow Dances (with Mozart:

Clarinet Concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

, Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 1), Jörg Widmann, Peter Ruzicka,

( Orfeo 2016) * Once upon a time... (with Schumann: ''

Märchenerzählungen ''Märchenerzählungen'' (Fairy tale narrations), Op. 132, is a trio composition by Robert Schumann in four movements for clarinet (violin ad libitum), viola and piano. He composed the clarinet-viola-piano trio in B-flat major, between 9 and 11 ...

''),

Tabea Zimmermann Tabea Zimmermann (born 8 October 1966) is a German violist. Born in Lahr, she began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five. At the age of 13, she studied viola with Ulrich Koch at the Conservato ...

, Jörg Widmann, (Myrios 2016) Opus Klassik 2018, ICMA Winner 2019 – Chamber music, Diapason d'Or de l'Année 2018 Winner – Musique de chambre * Polyphonic Shadows (Light Study II), Third Labyrinth, , Christophe Desjardins, Jörg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Emilio Pomárico,

WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra mainly performs at two concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. Histo ...

(Wergo 2018) * Intermezzi, Brahms

Clarinet Sonatas A clarinet sonata is piece of music in sonata form for clarinet, often with piano accompaniment. The Clarinet Sonatas by Brahms are of special significance in the development of the clarinet repertoire. Several important transcriptions are also p ...

András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Mus ...

, Jörg Widmann (ECM New Series 2020)

Opus Klassik ''Opus'' (pl. '' opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publica ...

– Chamber music recording of the year

Recordings as conductor

* ad absurdum (with Mendelssohn: Symphonien No. 1 & 4), Sergei Nakariakov, Jörg Widmann, Irish Chamber Orchestra (Orfeo 2016) * Experiment on a Fugue (with Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 "Reformation"),

Mojca Erdmann Mojca Erdmann (born 29 December 1975) is a German soprano who is particularly associated with the Mozart operas. She created the role of Ariadne in Rihm's ''Dionysos'' at the Salzburg Festival. Career Born in Hamburg, Erdmann sang in the chil ...

, Jörg Widmann, Irish Chamber Orchestra (Orfeo 2017) * 180 beats per minute, Fantasie (with Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 "Scottish", The Hebrides), Jörg Widmann, Irish Chamber Orchestra (Orfeo 2018)

Writings

* *

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Jörg Widmann
at

*
Jörg Widmann
Harrison Parrott (agents)
Jörg Widmann

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Widmann, Jorg 1973 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century German conductors (music) Composers for piano Contemporary classical music performers Ernst von Siemens Composers' Prize winners German classical clarinetists German male conductors (music) German male classical composers German opera composers Hochschule für Musik Freiburg faculty Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe alumni University of Music and Performing Arts Munich alumni Juilliard School alumni Living people Male opera composers Musicians from Munich String quartet composers 20th-century German composers 21st-century German composers 20th-century clarinetists 21st-century clarinetists 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians