Schumann • Widmann

Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132; Fantasiestücke, Op. 73; Märchenbilder, Op. 113;

Once Upon a Time...; Five Pieces in a Fairy Tale Mood

Jorg Widmann (clarinet),

Tabea Zimmermann (viola),

Dénes Várjon (piano)

Myrios Classics MYR 020 70:29 mins The idea of combining the piano with clarinet and viola – two instruments of similar dark-hued register – was initially Mozart’s, in his so-called ‘Kegelstatt’ Trio, K498. Schumann was the first composer brave enough to follow in Mozart’s footsteps, with his Märchenerzählungen (‘Fairy Tale Fantasies’, as he originally called them), and the challenge was later taken up by Max Bruch and György Kurtág. The German clarinettist and composer Jörg Widmann is the latest to try his hand at writing for the same ensemble, and the title of his new piece, Once upon a time…, clearly pays homage to Schumann’s late trio, as well as to his Märchenbilder (Fairy Tale Pictures) Op. 113, for viola and piano. The first movement of Widmann’s piece has fragments in Schummanesque style f loating in and out of focus, and the

last movement, with its title ‘And if they did not die’, is an escape into a vanished world of dreams. It’s an altogether impressive work, and Widmann is joined in this premiere recording by two ideal colleagues: the viola player Tabea Zimmermann and the pianist Dénes Várjon.

Of the Schumann pieces, the most familiar are the three Fantasy Pieces for clarinet and piano, which are often appropriated by cellists, but no less beautiful are the Op. 113 Märchenbilder for viola, with their urgent, virtuoso penultimate number and their haunting valedictory finale. The Märchenerzählungen, composed in the last full year of Schumann’s creative life, are more elusive, though their character is well captured in these performances. Altogether, a fascinating programme, superbly played and recorded. Misha Donat PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ RECORDING ★★★★★