Fantasie (Widmann)
Fantasie for Solo Clarinet is a solo instrumental work by Jörg Widmann and was composed in 1993. It is a showpiece. It offers a Romantic melodious sound with dance, klezmer and jazz music elements in a "Harlequin spirit". History. The "Fantasie for Solo Clarinet", composed in 1993, is one of Widmann’s earliest compositions. He was inspired by Igor Stravinsky's "Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet" (1919) and Pierre Boulez's "Dialogue de l'ombre double" (1985) for clarinet and tape. Widmann had in mind the Harlequin figure from the Italian commedia dell'arte. The piece was premiered by the  composer on 1 March 1994 at Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich. Music. Widmann wrote the "Fantasie", when he was just twenty years old. It's an expression of "youthful exuberance" with "virtuoso flourishes". He combines conventional playing with extended techniques (multiphonics, flutter-tonguing, key clicks), and non-pitched sounds. Widmann’s skills in clarinetist playing helped him in composing his "Fantasie". The piece is full of extremes in dynamic, tempo, and character. According to Widmann, the opening multiphonic of the "Fantasie" is being a parody of new music, since many new works of that time begin in a similar manner. Widmann  identifies harmony as the central theme of the work. A typical sound are glissandos in the upper registers, in a klezmer or "exaggeratedly jazzy" style. Silences are important. Widmann notates them as a breath mark, a breath mark with a fermata, and an actual rest. Near the beginning is a melody from "The Rite of Spring". Structure. Sections: Reception. The "Fantasie" is one of Widmann’s most frequently performed works and is standard repertory of unaccompanied works for clarinet. Zachary Woolfe from "The New York Times" wrote: "...sounding like the most beautiful circus music ever written."