Viola Concerto

Jörg Widmann's Viola Concerto was composed in 2015 and premiered on 28 October 2015 with soloist Antoine Tamestit and the Orchestre de Paris under the direction of Paavo Järvi at Philharmonie de Paris. History The original commission of the viola concerto by Tamestit dates back to the year 2008. The concerto, dedicated to Tamestit and realized in 2015, was finally commissioned by Orchestre de Paris, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In a performance of Hector Berlioz's Harold in Italy in May 2015 Tamestit was wandering through the orchestra while playing the viola solo part. Widmann took up the idea. Widmann and Tamestit worked close together during the creation process of the concerto. The unusual piece is tailored to Tamestit's technical and theatrical skills. Structure The viola concerto has a duration of about half an hour and is in a single movement. At the beginning, the violist discovers his instrument through tapping and pizzicato. The concerto becomes later more traditional with using the bow. Starting near the harps and ending nearby the conductor, the viola soloist takes seven positions on the stage and becomes a partner or opponent to the bass flute, two harps, double basses, tuba and percussion. At one point in the middle of the concerto the soloist screams. The solo viola plays at the end a glissando and the viola's C string is tuned down to a B, matching the pitch of the Double Basses in the last few measures. . Instrumentation Source: Woodwinds: 4 flutes (all doubling piccolo, 3rd doubling alto flute, 4th doubling bass flute), 4 clarinets in A (1st doubling in B, 3rd doubling bass clarinet, 4th doubling contrabass clarinet), 4 bassoon (4th doubling double bassoon) Brass: 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba Percussion: timpani, percussion (3 players) Strings: 4 violins, 3 violas, 3 violoncellos, 8 double basses (5th–8th: 5-stringed) 2 harps, celesta, piano (also with scotch glass)