Work of the Week - Herbert Willi: ego eimi

Austrian composer Herbert Willi’s (photo, right) four-part orchestral cycle "Montafon" skilfully expresses the hidden sounds of contemplation to creates a unique portrait of his country’s landscape. Five years after the world premiere in Salzburg (and many subsequent performances), the third part of the cycle, a clarinet concerto titled ego eimi, will be performed at the Musikverein in Vienna on Friday the10th of December 2011. Gustavo Dudamel (photo, left) will take the stage with soloist Matthias Schorn and the Wiener Philharmoniker. Rich orchestral passages and virtuosic clarinet solos sit alongside calmer slow movements as the audience are taken on a musical journey.

"Ego eimi", means "I am" in Greek, in terms of the Austrian philosopher Martin Buber’s phrase: "I am, where you are". Every one of us shelters a special sound which wants to be discovered. Herbert Willi

One further performance of ego eimi is planned at Vienna's Musikverein on 11th December. Moreover, there are two preliminary performances for young audiences on 6th and 9th December.

• Herbert Willi - Profile
• Musikverein Vienna

^{panorama shot Montafon: Friedrich Böhringer}