Olga Neuwirth’s Zones of Blue Receives North American Premiere in Cleveland
Olga Neuwirth’s Zones of Blue receives its North American premiere with clarinet soloist Jörg Widmann, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Franz Welser-Möst in May.
Olga Neuwirth’s Zones of Blue, a rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra, receives its North American premiere with dedicatee Jörg Widmann, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Franz Welser-Möst on May 7-9. Zones of Blue was written in memory of the composer’s father, Harald Neuwirth, who passed in 2023.
The 20-minute score received its world premiere in February 2026 with Widmann, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Simon Rattle, followed by further performances with Widmann and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming performances include the Austrian premiere with the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich and Brad Lubman in August, as well as performances with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in a future season.
Following the first performances in February, Seen and Heard International praised Widmann’s “complete instrumental mastery,” highlighting the “hushed tones that gradually saturated into fuller sonorities.” Leading Catalan newspaper Ara focused on the bigger picture of Neuwirth’s piece, stating that it’s “very interesting in terms of the ensemble textures it demands from the various sections of the orchestra.”
The title_ Zones of Blue_ was partly inspired by the Tennessee Williams poem Blue Song, which the composer includes in the prelims of her score. Williams originally wrote the poem on the back of an exam booklet in 1937 while studying at Washington University. Neuwirth highlights the second stanza, which starts with lines that read: “I am tired. I am tired of speech and of action.”
This season also featured the world premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s new opera Monster’s Paradise at Hamburg State Opera, with its Swiss premiere at Zürich Opera running through April 12. Additionally, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Fredrik Burstedt give the Swedish premiere of Neuwirth’s Tombeau II. Hommage à Pierre Boulez—written in honor of Pierre Boulez’s centenary in 2025.
Concert Information
Thursday, May 7 at 7:30pm ET
Saturday, May 9 at 7:30pm ET
Severance Music Center | Cleveland, OH
More info
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Jörg Widmann, clarinet
SERGE PROKOFIEFF Symphony No. 1, “Classical”
OLGA NEUWIRTH Zones of Blue (North American Premiere)
RICHARD WAGNER Excerpts from Götterdämmerung
> Further information on Work: Zones of Blue
Photo: Rui Camilo