Violinist Carolin Widmann Performs Kaija Saariaho’s “Graal théâtre” Concerto

Recorded live, the performance features Widmann playing with the SWR Symphonieorchester and Bas Wiegers

ARD Klassik has released a new video of the German violinist Carolin Widmann performing Kaija Saariaho’s (1952-2023) Graal théâtre for violin and orchestra (1994) with Stuttgart’s SWR Symphonieorchester conducted by Bas Wiegers. 

Hailing from Finland, Saariaho studied compo­sition in Helsinki, Freiburg, and Paris, where she lived from 1982 until her death. Her work at IRCAM, the Parisian center for electroacoustic exper­i­men­tation, informed her expansion into an array of genres. She also wrote extensively for chamber and choral music. 

Saariaho said that the first impulse behind Graal théâtre was hearing Gidon Kremer practicing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.

“Because the genre is so traditional, I was much more aware of the generic tradition and its weight. It felt especially difficult to write a concerto for violin, because many violin concertos have been so dear to me,” she explained. “In this case, the person of the soloist was more distant, more abstract, and prompted me to study to a greater extent already existing concertos rather than to represent his personality.”

Named after poet Jacques Roubaud’s retelling of the Grail legend, the “Graal théâtre” concerto was also Saariaho’s musical response to the death of Witold Lutosławski, whom she greatly admired.

The meanings for Graal (holy and spiritual) and théâtre (profane and physical), is reflected in the concerto’s contrasting two movements, Delicato and Impetuoso. 

Recorded live in May at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Widmann’s performance can be viewed below.

The BBC and a Dutch radio station co-commissioned the first version of Graal théâtre, which was premiered by Gidon Kremer with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in 1995. 

In 1997, the Finnish violinist John Storgårds premiered the concerto’s second version with a reduced orchestra part with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and Hannu Lintu in 1997.

In addition to Graal théâtre, Saariaho wrote two concertos for cello (inspired by the musicianship of Anssi Karttunen) and one for flute, in which she collaborated with flutist Camilla Hoitenga, the dedicatee of the work. 

“My relation to the violin clearly is more complex, since it was at one time my main instrument,” she reflected. “The violin is connected with a lot of frustrated illusions, longing, and love. On the other hand, many interesting things in music and musicianship culminate in the violin: utmost virtuosity, the importance of a personal sonority, instrumental fetishism. A really interesting violinist always seems to be not only a brilliant musician but an unusually enigmatic person at the same time!”