Wolfgang Rihm
Über die Linie VIII
Short instrumentation: 3 3 3 3 - 4 3 3 1 - timp, perc(3), hp, str
Duration: 30'
Instrumentation details:
1st flute
2nd flute
3rd flute
1st oboe
2nd oboe
th cor anglais
1st clarinet in A
2nd clarinet in A
th bass clarinet in Bb
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon
th contrabassoon
1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
4th horn in F
1st trumpet in C
2nd trumpet in C
3rd trumpet in C
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
th bass tuba
th timpani
1st percussion
2nd percussion
3rd percussion
harp
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
double bass
Rihm - Über die Linie VIII for orchestra
Translation, reprints and more
Wolfgang Rihm
Rihm: Über die Linie VIIIOrchestration: for orchestra
Type: Studienpartitur (Sonderanfertigung)
Sample pages
Audio preview
Work introduction
At his birthday concert almost three years ago, Wolfgang Rihm was asked to contribute to Karlsruhe’s birthday celebrations. The first performance of a capriccio for piano and orchestra he originally planned for the occasion was cancelled without comment.
Instead, only Über die Linie VIII was played, commissioned by the City of Karlsruhe. It was a recycled piece, according to the programme booklet: “An early version was written in 2013 as a homage to Benjamin Britten entitled A Tribute. Compared to its earlier English incarnation, Rihm’s mature piece is composed for a substantially larger orchestra.”
According to Rihm, who was present at the entire symphony concert and gave a short introduction, Über die Linie VIII stresses the linear: lines, lifelines and growth, or development from a germ cell. It ends with a colon; Rihm will continue the growth and development. The eighth work in the Über die Linie series proved to be suitable for a wide audience in concert; surging forwards, gripping, and rich in variety, it received lengthy applause.