100th anniversary of Hans Werner Henze

In honour of Hans Werner Henze's 100th birthday (1 July 1926), the Hans Werner Henze Foundation, in cooperation with the music journalism collective MUJK, will produce a podcast series that will make Henze's relevance, his work and his influence not only during his lifetime but also for future generations audible and tangible. The podcast will be available in German.

The podcast ‘Hans Werner who?! – Why you need to know Henze’ is dedicated to some of the subjects that were central to his life, such as

• Freedom
• Antifascism
• Escape
• Vulnerability
• Utopia of a better world
• Friendship and sexuality

and other timeless subject matter that, from today's perspective, played a role during his lifetime and now seem more relevant than ever.

Together with Henze's contemporaries, such as composers, conductors, performers and his students, Maria Gnann, music journalist and radio host, discusses these aspects excitingly, in the context of the times and backed by the outstanding expertise of high-calibre discussion partners, such as

Detlef Glanert, Member of Henze's Cologne master class in 1986 and now a highly successful composer,

Antje Tumat, the spearhead of Henze research throughout Germany and worldwide,

Christiane Albiez, Former member of the management board of Henze's main publisher, Schott Music,

Peter Ruzicka, Henze's successor as artistic director of the Munich Biennale, composer, conductor and former artistic director of the Salzburg Festival

as well as many other exciting interview partners we are not yet supposed to reveal.

The different episodes of the podcast will be released in 2026 in the weeks leading up to Henze's birthday on 1 July and will be published here on the foundation's website and wherever podcasts are available.

Stay curious and keep up to date, for example with our newsletter!

During the International Music Festival Hamburg, a number of top-class artists will be focusing on Henze's music. Guests will include the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by its principal conductor Vladimir Jurowski, the Berlin Scharoun Ensemble and the Schumann Quartet, and of course the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra will also be taking part.

The events of this focus:

04.02.26 Orpheus Behind the Wire · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

07.02.26 Orpheus Behind the Wire · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

22.02.26 Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum · Zeise Kinos · Hamburg

22.02.26 Sinfonia N. 8 · Laeiszhalle

17.04.26 Six Absences | Cherubino · Elbphilharmonie · Kleiner Saal

13.05.26 Seconda sonata per archi · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

15.05.26 Tristan · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

16.05.26 Kammermusik 1958 · Elbphilharmonie · Kleiner Saal

16.05.26 Tristan · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

17.05.26 Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum · Zeise Kinos · Hamburg

19.05.26 5. Streichquartett · Elbphilharmonie · Kleiner Saal

21.05.26 Symphonie Nr. 7  · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

22.05.26 Symphonie Nr. 7  · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

31.05.26 Sinfonia N. 9  · Elbphilharmonie · Großer Saal

Until the summer holidays, Berlin's musicians will celebrate the anniversary with eight concerts featuring the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the UnitedBerlin Ensemble and the renowned piano duo Grau/Schumacher, among others, conducted by international stars such as Daniel Harding and Vladimir Jurowski.

16.01.26 Ariosi · Radialsystem (Ultraschall Berlin – Festival für neue Musik )

21.01.26 Le miracle de la rose · Pierre-Boulez-Saal

16.02.26 Voices · Konzerthaus

24.02.26 Sinfonia N. 9 · Philharmonie

05.03.26 Barcarola · Philharmonie

06.03.26 Barcarola · Philharmonie

07.03.26 Barcarola · Philharmonie

07.09.26 Tristan · Philharmonie

Since the late 1960s, Hans Werner Henze had maintained close ties with Cologne and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, which commissioned and premiered his cello concerto Liebeslieder. On 2 May, WDR will pay tribute to the composer with a concert by the WDR Symphony Orchestra and the young Dutch conductor Bas Wiegers. The concert will then be broadcast on WDR 3 the following month. Bas Wiegers will also conduct a chamber concert featuring, among other works, Henze's early masterpiece Apollo et Hyazinthus and works by Henze's Austrian students Gerd Kühr and Olga Neuwirth.

02.05.26 3. Sinfonie · Philharmonie · Köln

02.05.26 Los Caprichos · Philharmonie · Köln

04.05.06  3. Sinfonie/Los Caprichos · WDR 3

22.06.26 Apollo et Hyazinthus · Philharmonie · Köln

22.06.26 Sonate für sechs Spieler · Philharmonie · Köln

22.06.26 El Rey de Harlem · Philharmonie · Köln