Work of the Week - Jörg Widmann: Dubairische Tänze

Dubairische Tänze was composed as part of the project "into …" initiated by the Ensemble Modern, the Siemens Arts Program and the Goethe Institute. Connected to this project, for which several composers visited citys like Dubai, Istanbul or Johannesburg for one month, researching cultural backgrounds, Jörg Widmanns Dubairische Tänze came to being, and will be presented for the first time May 27 at the Berliner Konzerthaus. A further performance will take place May 28 at Frankfurt/Main, both concerts will be conducted by Frank Ollu.

The Munich composer connects impressions of his four week stay at Dubai in Spring 2008 with elements of Bavarian folk dances as Zwiefacher, Ländler and Marsch:

"My one month stay in Dubai raised the question in me: where I actually come from – even with regard to music. Just like it is natural to want to go to foreign parts of the world when at home, it is perhaps necessary to travel abroad in order to discover the familiar. My answer to that – be it consequence, substratum or counterquestion – is Dubairische Tänze." (Jörg Widmann, 2009)

• Jörg Widmann - Profile
• Video: Widmann into Dubai
• Homepage of the "into..." Project