Immediately before his 50th birthday on June 19 2023, the Liedfestival dedicated a focus point to the internationally busy composer, clarinettist and conductor from the 17. until June 18.

Jörg Widmann has been closely associated with the Heidelberger Frühling since 2005. Three years in a row he was intensively present at the Musikfestival in spring in different contexts. Lied also played a role at that time: Aribert Reimann and Wolfgang Rihm composed commissioned works for the cast of Schubert's "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" (soprano, clarinet and piano), which Widmann premiered here. He also gave his soon-to-be-legendary lecture "On Dissonance" for the first time in Heidelberg in 2005 - sitting at the piano impromptu.

The finale of the Liedfestival was dedicated to Widmann's music and Lied poetics. Scholarship holders of the Liedakademie had rehearsed the cycle "Das heiße Herz" (The Hot Heart), for which Widmann held a two-hour public workshop. On Sunday afternoon, the song circle of about 40 minutes was also be heard in its entirety. Widmann's view of the theme of love in song, shaped by his intensive study of Schumann and the Romantic period, also guided the programming of the Liedakademie-concerts as well as the concert, which focuses on prize-winners from the competitions in Graz and London. The Widmann focus was concluded with an associative evening with which the Heidelberger Frühling Liedfestival celebrated his anniversary on Sunday.