Towards Paradise (Widmann)


Towards Paradise is a trumpet concerto by German composer Jörg Widmann. It was composed in 2021 and premiered on 23 September 2021 by soloist Håkan Hardenberger and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig conducted by Andris Nelsons at Gewandhaus.

Background

Widmann's second trumpet concerto was commissioned by Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Boston Symphony Orchestra. The composition is influenced by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and the lockdowns enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Widmann describes the work:
The concerto is part six of the Labyrinth cycle, started in 2005. The associations in a maze are "search for orientation" and "spatial perception". Labyrinth VI also refers to the labyrinthine difficulties occurring during the process of composing.
Widmann and Hardenberger were in close collaboration, before and during the creation process of the concerto.

Structure

The demanding trumpet concerto is an "epic" large-scale one-movement work.
The solitary solo trumpet starts playing offstage right side in lowest registers, the hall at the beginning in darkness. The melancholic melody played by the introverted, isolated trumpeter can't be located exactly. The soloist enters the stage and takes up contact and dialogue with an orchestral trumpet player.
The soloist is embarking on a journey, with confrontative and fragile moments. The stage setting provides in total nine solo positions facing different groups of the orchestra. The music is varied: melancholy, assertive, mischievous, and reflective. When looking for musical partners, the protagonist is rudely dismissed by the trumpet group.
The sound of the trumpet is modified by following effects:
  • player's back to the audience
  • pointing the trumpet bell towards the floor
  • toward the audience
  • mutes
At the end, the light fades out and the soloist leaves the stage on the left side playing a "glimmering, ethereal high E", reaching an oasis.

Instrumentation

Source:Woodwinds: 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons Brass: 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tubaStrings: 12 first violins, 10 second violins, 8 violas, 6 cellos, 4 double bassesPercussion: timpani, percussion I. glockenspiel, crotales, xylophone, 2 plate bells, triangle, 3 cymbals, sizzle cymbal, snare drum, 3 tom-toms, bass drum, metal chimes, ratchet, wood block, waterphone; II. glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, tubular bells, 3 cymbals, Chinese cymbal, Thai gongs, 3 tam-tams, water tam-tam, 2 high Brazilian tambourines, 2 bongos, snare drum, 3 tom-toms, bass drum, flexatone, guiro; III. tubular bells, 3 plate bells, triangle, 3 cymbals, Chinese cymbal, sizzle cymbal, crash cymbals, Thai gongs, tam-tam, 2 Brazilian tambourines, 2 bongos, snare drum, 3 tom-toms, bass drum, rain stick; IV. 3 plate bells, triangle, 3 cymbals, Chinese cymbal, sizzle cymbal, Thai gongs, water gong, 3 tam-tams, tambourine, bass drum, metal chimes, ratchet, mounted castanets, 3 temple blocks, metal block, rain stick, whip, flexatone; V. 3 tam-tams, ratchet
  • 2 harps, accordion, celesta
The orchestration is characterized by a vast percussion array.

Premiere and Performances

Source:
Soloist: Håkan Hardenberger
, the trumpet concerto has been performed 15 times.

Reception

Reviewing the US premiere, The Boston Globes A.Z. Madonna wrote: "In either case, after 40 minutes in Widmann's labyrinth, paradise was an intermission." Jeffrey Gantz wrote in The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "Birth stage left, death stage right, and in between a lifetime of searching." Kevin Wells in Bachtrack: "labyrinth of textures and layers" Jonathan Blumhofer in Boston Classical Review: "The solo writing is highly virtuosic in register, timbre and articulation." and "Towards Paradise stands as one of the season’s most fascinating and original musical journeys. The audience sensed as much, rewarding Hardenberger with a fervent ovation." Verena Fischer-Zernin : "The applause only breaks out after a delay." and "There is no better way for an audience to express their gratitude.". Martin Blaumeiser from The New Listener wrote: "One of Widmann's best works".

Films

  • 2023
The film Im Labyrinth – Der Musiker Jörg Widmann accompanies the composer during the writing of the trumpet concerto from the first drafts to the world premiere.