Con brio is a concert overture by Jörg Widmann influenced by Beethoven. It is a commission by the Bayerischer Rundfunk.
| Con brio | |
|---|---|
| Concert overture by Jörg Widmann | |
.jpg) The composer in 2006 | |
| Period | Contemporary |
| Composed | 2008 |
| Published | 2008: Mainz |
| Publisher | Schott Music |
| Recorded | 25 September 2008 |
| Duration | 12:00[1] |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 25 September 2008 |
| Location | Gasteig, Munich |
| Conductor | Mariss Jansons |
| Performers | Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra |
History
editMariss Jansons said that the new piece should be performed along with a pure Beethoven program.[2] The overture was composed in 2008.[1] It was written in a "mad hurry".[3]
Music
editWidmann refers to musical characteristics of Beethoven’s 7th and 8th Symphonies.[1][4] There are no exact quotations from the symphonies, but he has chosen the same instrumentation.[5][3] According to Widmann, it is an exercise in fury and rhythmic insistence.[1] Fragmented motifs are fired between orchestra groups.[6]
- Motif I
- Motif II
In a very small space, a sonata form is presented before the recurring material is arranged into a scherzo.[7] The overture is run through with Beethovenian riffs, flourishes and humor and is like a deconstruction of Beethoven.[5] The piece, full of extended techniques,[3] has a cut-and-paste structure.[5] The timpani are in the focus from the beginning of the overture.
The metronome markings are deliberately selected at a fast speed.[1] The score contains six dense pages of written instructions.[3]
Instrumentation
editThe concert overture is scored for a Beethoven sized orchestra, with 2 flutes (both doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.[1]
Performances
editCon brio was premiered by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons on 25 September 2008 in Munich, Gasteig, Philharmonie.[1]
Recordings
edit- Con brio (with Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 & 8), Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BR-Klassik 2015) OCLC 1017093816
Reception
editAnthony Tommasini from The New York Times wrote: "effective as a warm-up".[5] David Allen from The New York Times wrote: "One of the most performed orchestral works written this century".[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Con brio". Schott Music. Mainz. 2008. ISMN 979-0-001-18691-9. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ^ Kaiser, Sybille (16 November 2015). "Ein Gespräch mit Jörg Widmann über sein Orchesterwerk "Con brio"". br-klassik.de (in German). Munich. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Allen, David (20 March 2020). "A Composer Finds the Old in the New". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ Badelt, Udo (29 June 2016). "Beethoven und sein Klangschatten". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d Tommasini, Anthony (14 January 2011). "Beethoven's Varied Descendants". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ "Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra – Arcana.fm". Arcana.fm. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Besthorn, Florian Henri (2019). "Jörg Widmann". KDG Online. Komponisten der Gegenwart.
