Widmann reviews
Solo – Telemann: Fantasias for Solo Flute, Nos 1-12; plus solo flute works by Takemitsu, Karg-Elert, Widmann et al
Emmanuel Pahud (Warner)
Widmann's 'bold and brilliant' new viola concerto
The cover is eye-catching: viola player Antoine Tamestit caught mid-scream, mouth wide open. There is a musical point to the image too. In Jörg Widmann’s 2015 Viola Concerto, written for Tamestit, the soloist becomes a theatrical figure who roams around the orchestra, leaving the usual spot near the conductor. And Widmann, actually a clarinettist by training, fully exploits the viola’s capabilities. Extended techniques – waving the bow through the air, tapping the wood, and yes, even shouting – turn the viola into a one-man-band.