After my hypertrophic virtuoso concert piece ad absurdum 20 years ago, I now felt the urge to compose a large-scale, angelic lyrical trumpet concerto: Towards Paradise. The trumpet soloist sets off on a labyrinthine journey through a wide spectrum of psychological and tonal zones, also featuring wild and craggy orchestral abysses leading into the open—towards a utopian state of suspension.[1]
The concerto is part six of the Labyrinth (Maze) cycle, started in 2005.[4] The associations in a maze are "search for orientation" and "spatial perception".[7]Labyrinth VI also refers to the labyrinthine difficulties occurring during the process of composing.[8]
The work is dedicated to Håkan Hardenberger.[d][9] Widmann and Hardenberger were in close collaboration.[10]
Structure
The demanding[2] trumpet concerto is an "epic" large-scale one-movement work.[11][3][12]
The solitary solo trumpet[13] starts playing offstage right side in lowest registers, the hall at the beginning in darkness.[3] The melancholic melody played by the at this time introverted, isolated trumpeter[2][e] can't be located exactly.[3] The soloist enters the stage and takes up contact and dialogue with an orchestral trumpet player.[1][f]
The soloist is embarking on a journey.[2] When looking for musical partners, the protagonist is sometimes rudely dismissed.[2] The stage setting provides in total nine solo positions facing different groups of the orchestra.[1][3] The music is varied: melancholy, assertive, mischievous, and reflective.[11]
The sound of the trumpet is modified by following effects:[3][g]
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.[15][2][1]
As of 2024[update], the trumpet concerto has been performed 15 times.
Reception
Reviewing the US premiere, The Boston Globe's A.Z. Madonna wrote: "In either case, after 40 minutes in Widmann's labyrinth, paradise was an intermission."[20] Jeffrey Gantz wrote in The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "Birth stage left, death stage right, and in between a lifetime of searching."[12] Kevin Wells in Bachtrack: "labyrinth of textures and layers"[15] 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."[11] Verena Fischer-Zernin (Hamburger Abendblatt): "The applause only breaks out after a delay." ("Erst mit Verzögerung bricht der Applaus los.") and "There is no better way for an audience to express their gratitude." ("Schöner kann ein Publikum seine Dankbarkeit nicht ausdrücken.").[17]
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.[21]
Notes
^Towards Paradise represents a counter-proposal to the first trumpet concerto ad absurdum (2002).[2]
^Widmann had visited three Miles Davis concerts.[4][3]
^Widmann: "I wanted to counter the sobering reality of the corona pandemic with something utopian."[4]
^
abcdefgBesthorn, Florian Henri (28 February 2023). "Ein Blick des Minotaurus – Zum Wandel des Virtuositätsverständnisses bei Jörg Widmann". In Scharfetter, Nadine; Wozonig, Thomas (eds.). Körper(-lichkeit) in der Musik des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts (in German). transcript Verlag. pp. 134–135.
ISBN978-3-8394-5891-4.
^"Neu gehört: Jörg Widmann". Elbphilharmonie Mediathek (in German). 4 February 2023.
Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
^
abcGantz, Jeffrey (19 November 2021).
"Paradise With Trumpets". The Boston Musical Intelligencer.
Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.