Henze, Hans Werner (
b Gütersloh, Westphalia, 1926). Ger. composer and cond. Studied at Brunswick State Mus. Sch. 1942–4, Heidelberg 1946. Studied Schoenberg's 12-note system with
Leibowitz at Darmstadt 1948. Mus. dir. Hessian State Opera's ballet, Wiesbaden, 1950. Settled in Italy 1953. Politically Henze moved in the 1960s to the extreme Left and many of his works after that date reflected revolutionary ideals and dogmas. Henze's mus. style is bewilderingly diverse, reflecting his fertile imaginative gifts and his refusal to be ‘tied down’ by formulae. As much a Fr. or It. composer as Ger., he can adopt at will Schoenbergian, Stravinskyan, or aleatory styles. Sensuous lyricism, rich and delicate tone-colours, and easy mastery of choral writing are among the prin. features of his work. Wrote
Music and Politics (Ithaca, NY, and London, 1982). Prin. works:OPERAS AND MUSIC THEATRE:
Das Wundertheater (1-act, after Cervantes, for actors and orch., 1948; new version for singers 1964);
Boulevard Solitude (1951);
König Hirsch (1953–5; reduced version as
Il Re Cervo, 1962);
Der Prinz von Homburg (after Kleist) (1957–8, rev. 1991);
Elegy for Young Lovers (1959–61);
Der junge Lord (1964);
Das ende eine Welt (1964, stage version of radio opera, 1953);
Ein Landarzt (1964, stage version of radio opera, 1951);
The Bassarids (1965);
Moralities (3 scenic cantatas to Auden text, 1967);
Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer (The Tedious Way to the Place of Natasha Ungeheuer) (1971);
La Cubana (vaudeville, 1973);
We Come to the River (lib. by E. Bond) (1974–6);
Don Chisciotte della Mancia (version of Paisiello, 1976);
Pollicino (children's opera, 1979);
Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria (realization of Monteverdi, 1980–2);
The English Cat (lib. by E. Bond) (1980–3, rev. 1990);
Das verratene Meer (1986–9).RADIO OPERAS:
Ein Landarzt (Kafka) (1951);
Das Ende einer Welt (1953).BALLETS:
Ballett-Variationen (1949,
Suite 1949);
Rosa Silber (1950,
Suite 1950);
Maratona (1956,
Suite 1956);
Undine (1956–71, 2
Suites 1958);
Tancredi (1964 rev. of
Pas d'action 1952,
Suite 1952);
Orpheus (1978).CHAMBER BALLETS:
Jack Pudding (1949,
Suite 1949);
Die schlafende Prinzessin (arr. of Tchaikovsky for small orch. 1951);
Labyrinth (1951, choreog. fantasy for orch. 1950);
Der Idiot (1952);
Des Kaisers Nachtigall (after Andersen, 1959,
Suite 1959).INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Der tolle Tag (Beaumarchais) (1951);
Les Caprices de Marianne (Musset/Ponnelle) (1962);
Der Frieden (Aristophanes/Hacks) (1964).ORCH.: syms.: No.1 (for chamber orch. 1947, rev. 1963), No.2 (1949), No.3 (1949–50), No.4 (1955), No.5 (1962), No.6, for 2 chamber orch. (1969), No.7 (1982–4);
Symphonic Interludes from
Boulevard Solitude (1953);
Quattro Poemi (1955);
Antifone (1960);
Los Caprichos (1963); Symphonic Interludes from
Der junge Lord (1964);
3 Symphonic Studies (1955–64);
The Hunt of the Maenads (from
The Bassarids) (1965);
Telemanniana (1967);
Heliogabalus Imperator (1971–2);
Tristan, preludes for pf., orch., tape (1973);
Ragtimes and Habaneras, brass band (1975);
Suite from Pollicino (1979); 2
Dramatic Scenes from Orpheus (1979);
Barcarola (1983);
Allegro brillante (1989).CHAMBER ORCH.:
Sinfonie (1947, rev. for full orch. as sym. No.1, 1963);
Symphonic Variations (1950);
Sonata for Strings (1957–8);
3 Dithyrambs (1958);
4 Fantasies (3 movts. from
Chamber Music 1958 with new
Adagio), 8 instr. (1963);
In memoriam: Die weisse Rose (1965);
Fantasia für Streicher (1966, from film mus. for
Der junge Törless);
Fragments from a Show (from
Natasche Ungeheuer), hn., 2 tpt., tb., tuba (1971);
Suite from film mus.
Katharina Blum (1975);
Amicizia, cl., tb., vc., pf., perc. (1976);
Aria de la folia española, orch., also chamber orch. (1977);
Apollo trionfante, wind, perc., db. (1979);
Arien des Orpheus, guitar, hp., hpd., str. (1979);
Canzona, ob., 3 vas., vc., pf., hp. (1982);
I Sentimenti di Carl P. E. Bach (transcr. of
Fantasia for pf. and vn., 1787), fl., hp., str. (1982);
Cinque piccoli concerti (interludes from
The English Cat), 8 instr. (1983);
Sonata for 6 (1984);
12 kleine Elegien, Renaissance instr. (1986);
Requiem (9 Spiritual Concertos), pf., tpt., large chamber orch. (1990–2).CONCERTOS: chamber conc., pf., fl., str. (1946); vn. conc. No.1 (1947), No.2, vn., bass-bar., 33 instr., tape (1971); concertino, pf., wind, perc. (1947); pf. conc. No.1 (1950), No.2 (1967);
Jeux des Tritons (from
Undine), pf., orch. (1956–7/1967);
Ode to the West Wind, vc., orch. (1953);
Concerto per il Marigny, pf., 7 instr. (1956); double conc., hp., ob., str. (1966); db. conc. (1966);
Compases para preguntas ensimismadas, va., 22 players (1969–70);
Il Vitalino raddoppiato, vn., chamber orch. (1977);
Musik, vc., chamber orch. (1977);
Le Miracle de la Rose, cl., 13 instr. (1981); gui. conc. (1986);
7 Liebeslieder, vc., orch. (1984–5).VOICE AND INSTR.:
Ein Landarzt, monodrama, bar., orch. (1951–64, see also RADIO OPERA);
Whispers from Heavenly Death ( Whitman), high v., 8 instr. (or pf.) (1948);
The Reproach (
Der Vorwurf) ( Werfel), aria for bar., tpt., tb., str. (1948);
Apollo and Hyacinth, alto, 9 instr. (1949);
5 Neapolitan Songs, mez. or bar., chamber orch. (1956);
Nocturnes and Arias, sop., orch. (1957);
Chamber Music 1958 ( Hölderlin), ten., guitar, 8 instr. (1958); 3
Hölderlin Fragments, v., guitar (1958);
Ariosi (Tasso), sop., vn., and orch. (or pf. 4 hands) (1963);
Being Beauteous (Rimbaud), coloratura sop., hp., 4 vc. (1963);
Essay on Pigs, bar., chamber orch. (1968);
El Cimarrón, bar., fl., guitar, perc. (1969–70);
Voices (22 songs), mez., ten., 15 instr. (1973);
The King of Harlem, mez., instr. ens. (1979);
3 Auden Poems, v., pf. (1982–3).CHORAL:
5 Madrigals, ch., 11 instr. (1947);
Lullaby of the Blessed Virgin, boys' ch., 9 instr. (1948);
Chorus of the Captured Trojans (from Goethe's
Faust II), ch., orch. (1948, rev. 1964);
Novae de Infinito Laudes, cantata, 4 solo vv., ch., small orch. (1962);
Cantata della Fiaba Estrema, sop., small ch., 13 instr. (1963);
Choral Fantasia ( Bachmann), chamber ch., tb., 2 vc., db., org., perc., timp. (1964);
Muses of Sicily (Virgil), conc. for ch., 2 pf., wind, timp. (1966);
Das Floss der Medusa, oratorio for sop., bar., speaker, ch., 9 boys' vv., orch. (1968);
Jephte (realization of Carissimi's oratorio, 1650), 3 sop., alto, ten., 2 bass, 6 vv., instr. (wind, hp., perc., guitar, banjo, mandolin) (1976);
Canzoni für Orpheus, unacc. ch. (1980).CHAMBER MUSIC: str. qts.: No.1 (1947), No.2 (1952), No.3 (1975–6), No.4 (1976), No.5 (1976); vn. sonata (1946); sonatina, fl., pf. (1947);
Chamber Sonata, pf., vn., vc. (1948, rev. 1963);
Serenade, vc. (1949);
Quintet, fl., ob., cl., hn., bn. (1952);
3 Tentos (from
Chamber Music 1958), guitar (1958);
Der junge Törless, fantasia (after work for str. orch.), str. sextet (1966, trans. of
Fantasia für Streicher);
Memorias de El Cimarrón, guitar (1970);
Carillon,
Récitatif,
Masque, mandolin, guitar, hp. (1974);
Royal Winter Music (2 sonatas on Shakespearean characters), guitar (1975–6 and 1979);
L'Autunno, wind quintet, fl., cl., ob., hn., bn., with interchangeable instr. (1977); sonata, solo vn. (1977); va. sonata (1979);
Capriccio, vc. (1983);
Selbst- und Zwiegespräche, va., gui., small org. (1984–5);
Serenade, vn. (1986);
Five Night Pieces, vn., pf. (1990).KEYBOARD:
Variations, pf. (1949); pf. sonata (1959);
Lucy Escott Variations, pf. or hpd. (1963);
6 Absences, hpd. (1961);
Divertimenti, 2 pf. (1964);
Toccata senza Fuga from
Orpheus, org. (1979);
Euridice, hpd. (1981).
