MENDELSSOHN'S "REFORMATION" SYMPHONY. Jörg Widmann and Sarah Aristidou

REPERTOIRE

Felix Mendelssohn: The Hebrides, concert overture, Op. 26 (1830) 10′
Jörg Widmann: Versuch über die Fuge for soprano, oboe and orchestra (2005) 25′
Felix Mendelssohn / Jörg Widmann: Andante from Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat (1824) 7′
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D major “Reformation”, Op. 107 (1830) 27′

ARTISTS

Jörg Widmann, conductor and clarinet
Sarah Aristidou, soprano
Rafael Muñoz, oboe
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)

PROGRAMME

Jörg Widmann, whose works are frequently performed in concert halls around the world, is conductor and soloist in a concert featuring music by Mendelssohn and works of his own. The overture The Hebrides, composed in the same period as the Scottish Symphony, recreates the atmosphere of mystery that pervades these islands and Fingal’s Cave in particular.

Versuch über die Fuge, composed by Widmann in 2005, is written for soprano in addition to the oboe and the orchestral ensemble. As in the later adaptation of a Mendelssohn sonata for piano and clarinet, his favourite instrument, it showcases his versatility as a composer.

Despite the numbering, Symphony No. 5 “Reformation” was not the last composed by Mendelssohn. With a language anchored in the sensibility of his century, its use of counterpoint and Lutheran melodies represents a return to the balance of the classical past, with certain traces of the Baroque.