Widmann | Reinecke | SWR Experimentalstudio

Les Métaboles / SWR Experimentalstudio

In his late work, Luigi Nono always also transformed the music into moving ambient sound. To achieve that, he regularly worked with the legendary SWR Experimentalstudio. One example is his vocal and instrumental work »Diario polacco No. 2«, in which electronic sounds permeate the hall. His work »›Hay que caminar‹ sognando«, in contrast, features two violinists wandering from one music desk to the next. Under conductor Léo Warynski, the Les Métaboles vocal ensemble and the SWR Experimentalstudio remember Nono the political man. When martial law was introduced in Poland in 1981 he wrote »Quando stanno morendo / Diario polacco No. 2« and dedicated it to persecuted Polish friends and comrades. Nono composed »›Hay que caminar‹ sognando« in 1989, one year before his death. With its »choreographic« arrangement, it epitomises an inscription, seen on a monastery wall, that had fascinated Nono: »Wanderer, there is no path. All that matters is the walking.«

musica viva: Jörg Widmann

The clarinetist, composer, and conductor Jörg Widmann is one of the shining lights of contemporary music. His credo is to combine tradition with new developments, resulting in timbres whose virtuosity, intensity, and directness both surprise and oftentimes confront the listeners, but also challenge them with quiet, fragile moments. The transparent, ethereal orchestral piece Armonica seems to defy the laws of gravity as it emerges out of nowhere. In the Trumpet Concerto, composed for Håkan Hardenberger, the sounds wander through space – like the trumpeter through the orchestra. A labyrinthine journey extending from wild and rugged orchestral abysses all the way to an open, utopian state of suspension.

Carolin Widmann | SWR Symphonieorchester | Bas Wiegers

To explore sound's intricacies, Kaija Saariaho put it "under the microscope." The SWR Symphony Orchestra, with violinist Carolin Widmann, honors the late Finnish composer. Saariaho's early work "Verblendungen" intertwines orchestra and tape. Her violin concerto "Graal théâtre" draws inspiration from the Holy Grail legend. The concert opens with Lutosławski's lively "Little Suite" and concludes with Debussy's "La Mer."

Das SWR Experimentalstudio bei WEIT! in Weingarten

Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner and Widmann

Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony has long been one of the composer’s underrated works. According to Sir Simon Rattle, this is because it doesn’t offer what people usually expect of a Bruckner symphony. It is shorter, more transparent and less solemn than usual, “a piece full of humour and daring”. Bruckner himself seems to have seen it that way, for he whimsically declared the Sixth to be his “boldest”. To open the programme, Simon Rattle conducts the world premiere of a horn concerto written by Jörg Widmann, this season’s Composer-in-Residence, for our principal horn-player Stefan Dohr.

Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner and Widmann

Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony has long been one of the composer’s underrated works. According to Sir Simon Rattle, this is because it doesn’t offer what people usually expect of a Bruckner symphony. It is shorter, more transparent and less solemn than usual, “a piece full of humour and daring”. Bruckner himself seems to have seen it that way, for he whimsically declared the Sixth to be his “boldest”. To open the programme, Simon Rattle conducts the world premiere of a horn concerto written by Jörg Widmann, this season’s Composer-in-Residence, for our principal horn-player Stefan Dohr.

Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner and Widmann

Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony has long been one of the composer’s underrated works. According to Sir Simon Rattle, this is because it doesn’t offer what people usually expect of a Bruckner symphony. It is shorter, more transparent and less solemn than usual, “a piece full of humour and daring”. Bruckner himself seems to have seen it that way, for he whimsically declared the Sixth to be his “boldest”. To open the programme, Simon Rattle conducts the world premiere of a horn concerto written by Jörg Widmann, this season’s Composer-in-Residence, for our principal horn-player Stefan Dohr.

Jörg Widmann conducts Beethoven and himself

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Das SWR Experimentalstudio in Freiburg mit Alfonso Gomez