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Jörg Widmann's Con brio at Berkeley Symphony Orchestra

Apr. 02, 2010

Joana Carneiro and The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra performed the west coast premiere of Jörg Widmann's Con brio on April 1. This was the Berkeley Symphony's first of two performances of works by Widmann this season, as the Berkeley Akademie performs Widmann's Versuch über die Fuge on May 20.

Commissioned by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2008, Con brio was composed with a knowing wink towards 19th-century Romanticism. Using Widmann's unique style of "block-composition," the work showcases the composer's tonally idiomatic language while interacting with 19th-century musical forms and traditions. As in previous works such as Antiphon, melodies and phrases in Con brio avoid smooth transitions in favor of bold, precise cuts and sudden changes. The marking "con brio" (with fire) is interpreted not only as a tempo notation but also an intimation of Widmann's concepts of musical deconstructionism. Critic Georgia Rowe wrote of the piece after the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra performance:

[Con brio] incorporates material from Beethoven's 7th and 8th symphonies in a kaleidoscopic scheme. Familiar phrases are sliced and diced, leaving jagged edges everywhere: bows strike strings, woodwinds chirp in protest and brass instruments stutter in a series of tense episodes broken by abrupt cuts. The piece ends quietly, but it produces a small universe of sound throughout its 12-minute span.

For more information on Jörg Widmann, visit www.schott-music.com. View the score of Con brio here.

Jörg Widmann
Con brio (2008)
2(2.pic.)2.2-.2.2.0.0-p-str.(14.12.10.8.6)
12’

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