Henze: Orchestral Works

Hans Werner Henze is one of the preeminent composers of the 20th century. For his 100th birthday, the 'Hans Werner Henze Edition' brings together nearly all recordings released on the Wergo label, some under the supervision of the composer. The edition makes no claim to be a complete collection of his extensive oeuvre, yet it remains an impressive document of a versatility that reflects Henze's cosmopolitanism: culturally, politically, and socially, as well as formally and compositionally.

The recordings, some of which are out of print, have been newly compiled for the edition, organized into work groups, and released in five sets. Following the previously released symphonies, orchestral works and instrumental concertos now follow. These include, among others, his early "Chamber Concerto," the Piano Concerto No. 1, the "Concerto per contrabbasso," three symphonic etudes, English love songs, and the "Ouverture für ein Theater," which was composed in the year of the composer's death. Forms and genres alternate in an impressive way: alongside playful compositions for ballet stands the strict form of, for example, the "Antifone" composed for the Berlin Philharmonic. Thus, the orchestral works and concertos form a diverse and lively counterweight to Henze's symphony cycle.