Jörg Widmann
Sarah Christian Felix Mendelssohn
Jörg Widmann

There is something captivating about the idea of a dialogue across time. When the German composer and clarinettist Jörg Widmann brings forth Mendelssohn's music and reworks it, he plays with it and places it in new contexts. In this concert we encounter Widmann's music side by side with Mendelssohn's, discovering how two composers converse across nearly two hundred years.

Mendelssohn arr. Widmann: Andante from Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

As a child, Jörg Widmann (b. 1973) played Mendelssohn's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano together with his clarinet teacher. He immediately fell in love with the second movement and dreamed of arranging it for a larger ensemble.

Felix Mendelssohn composed the original sonata for clarinet and piano at the age of 15. Widmann considers the melody of the andante movement perfect as it is. In his arrangement, he has therefore not altered the melody, but has instead allowed himself to rework the underlying harmonies. This creates entirely new soundscapes and shows how little it takes to transform a musical expression.

Widmann: Paraphrase on Mendelssohn's Wedding March for Solo Violin

In his piece Paraphrase on Mendelssohn's Wedding March, Widmann creates a musical dialogue with Mendelssohn. He parodies the well-known theme from A Midsummer Night's Dream with irony and playfulness.

Like much of Widmann's music, it is extremely demanding to perform. One would hardly believe it was written for and first performed at a wedding in Rome in 2016. This is five minutes of impressively virtuosic violin playing.

Mendelssohn: The Hebrides

When Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) visited the west coast of Scotland in 1829, he went, among other places, to Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa. Mendelssohn was immediately inspired by the surroundings and began sketching the opening theme of the piece.

As listeners we can picture a coastal landscape, the sound of waves striking the rocks and the echoes within Fingal's Cave. The opening theme of the concert overture is majestic and serves as a humble tribute to the nature that inspired Mendelssohn. The music expresses the sense of solitude and calm one often feels when encountering raw nature.

Widmann: Danse macabre für Orchester (2022)

Widmann has described his piece Danse Macabre as a playful dance with death. The message reminds us that we don't always have to take life so seriously. The music is strange, mysterious, and in its own way amusing.

In Danse macabre, Widmann uses the various instrument groups to create highly specific sounds. One can hear long shrieks in the strings, ghostly sounds in the woodwinds, and not least sounds from the celesta that can resemble a skeleton in motion.

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D major, "Reformation"

Felix Mendelssohn began composing his Symphony No. 5 in D major to mark the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 1830. Due to political and religious tensions in Europe, it was not performed until many years later. The nickname "Reformation" was given by his sister Fanny Mendelssohn.

The symphony is rooted both historically and musically in the Protestant tradition. At the same time, the work has a youthful energy and a strong connection to Romanticism. Mendelssohn is known for writing with clarity and elegance, which is equally true of Symphony No. 5.