When the Ruhr region was chosen as the European Capital of Culture, its artistic director Steven Sloane immediately saw Hans Werner Henze as a musical focus, a world star with roots in the region and an oeuvre that encompasses all musical genres as well as a wide range of opportunities for children, young people and amateurs, and who could thus connect the entire region.

Guiding thoughts for the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte Montepulciano from 1989, published in the program book of the Cantiere 2022.
The composer wrote this text to highlight the uniqueness of the Cantiere and to ensure its economic survival in the long term.

With the founding of the Munich Biennale, the City of Munich commissioned five to six compositions every other year. Hans Werner Henze succeeded in bringing the premieres of new music theatre works to the attention of the international public and thus making a decisive contribution to the renewal of the genre.

Hans Werner Henze founded the Cantiere in 1976 and directed it for five years. With the realisation of joint projects by residents of all ages with internationally renowned artists and young talents, it quickly became one of the most important music festivals in Italy and also in Europe, if the focus is on the educational and social implications.