Hans Werner Henze

As one of the most significant leading lights of contemporary music, Hans Werner Henze never composed for specialists in new music. On the contrary. Born in Gütersloh, Westphalia, the composer sought to appeal to and move a wide audience through his extensive body of work. »Such beauty! Such deep feeling! Wherever you look, the scores sing, live and move you.« It was with these words that conductor Markus Stenz once described the uniqueness of Henze’s music. Henze, who made Italy his home and passed away in 2012, had a particular love for the human singing voice. The programme of the Musikfabrik ensemble to mark the 100th anniversary of Hans Werner Henze’s birth also reflects this. He would have been particularly delighted that it includes a piece by his pupil Olga.