Jörg Widmann dedicated 'Freie Stücke' to his teacher Wolfgang Rihm on his fiftieth birthday in 2002. The ten pieces for mixed ensemble or orchestra are 'inspired by the wish for concentration and reduction. Each piece focusses on one sound phenomenon (pulse, shaking ground, noise, monophony, overtone structures, etc.). All parts are locked together, however. The ending of each piece is the beginning of the next one. Thus, something disparate becomes something continuously narrated.' (Jörg Widmann)