The 1968 premiere of Das Floß der Medusa in Hamburg ended in a riot after a red flag was displayed on stage to honor Che Guevara. This event defined the career of Hans Werner Henze, a German composer whose music functioned as a vehicle for his Marxist convictions and an expression of his defiance against social conservatism.
Early Development and War
Born in 1926 in Gütersloh, Henze was the eldest of six children. His early training took place at the state music school of Braunschweig in 1942, where he studied piano, theory, and percussion. His education was interrupted in 1944 when he was conscripted as a radio operator during the Second World War. Following his release from a prisoner-of-war camp, he continued his musical development at Heidelberg University in 1946 under the guidance of Wolfgang Fortner.
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Henze gained early recognition at the Darmstadt New Music Summer School, an environment that encouraged the adoption of serial and avant-garde techniques. In 1948, he became a musical assistant at the Deutscher Theater in Konstanz, where he premiered his first opera, Das Wundertheater. By 1950, he served as a ballet conductor at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. During this period, he produced Boulevard Solitude, a jazz-inflected adaptation of the Manon Lescaut narrative.
Relocation to Italy
In 1953, Henze left Germany for Italy, settling initially on the island of Ischia before moving to a villa in Marino, Lazio, in 1961. This departure was motivated by his dissatisfaction with the prevailing political climate and widespread intolerance regarding his homosexuality. In Italy, he forged a significant creative partnership with the poet Ingeborg Bachmann, collaborating on works such as the 1958 opera Der Prinz von Homburg.
Political and Artistic Legacy
Henze spent his later years teaching and composing across Europe and beyond, including a period in Cuba from 1969 to 1970. His vast output spanned operas such as The English Cat and Gisela! as well as extensive vocal and orchestral music. Throughout his life, he received numerous accolades, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 1990 and the Praemium Imperiale in 2000. He died in Dresden in 2012.
Fast facts
- Born: 1926, Gütersloh
- Died: 2012, Dresden
- Primary Occupations: Composer, conductor, musicologist
- Notable Works: Der Prinz von Homburg, Das Floß der Medusa, Boulevard Solitude
- Awards: Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (1990), Praemium Imperiale (2000)
- Membership: Academy of Arts, Berlin; Academy of Arts of the GDR
- Key Residence: Marino, Lazio
Questions readers ask
Why did Hans Werner Henze leave Germany?
He emigrated to Italy in 1953 to escape the conservative political atmosphere and prevailing intolerance toward his homosexuality.
What was the significance of Das Floß der Medusa?
It was an oratorio written by Henze to honor Che Guevara, the premiere of which resulted in a riot and arrests due to the inclusion of a red flag on stage.
Achievements
- Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg — 1983
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 2008
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Notable work: Der Prinz von Homburg
- Notable work: Gisela!
- Notable work: Boulevard Solitude
- Notable work: The English Cat
- Instruments: piano
- Genres: opera, symphony and vocal music
