Some compositions accompany musicians throughout their life: works to which one keeps returning, polishing details and shaping structures. For the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin, one of these musical life companions is Hans Werner Henze's Kammermusik 1958, akin to the group's "signature piece".

The first contact took place shortly after the ensemble was formed in 1983. Joint projects soon developed in Cologne, Berlin and several othe German cities. Hans Werner Henze composed for and worked with the musicians on such works as the Neue Volkslieder und Hirtengesänge.

Rehearsals with Henze proved an extremely important experience for the Scharoun Ensemble. It soon became clear that the composer's interpretation of Kammermusik 1958 ("In lovely blueness") was freer than the written score. Henze took some tempi more slowly, which resulted in more songful, indeed quite romantic music. These joint studies led to real friendships. Whenever Henze was in Berlin, he would meet with "his" Scharoun Ensemble. And individual members would also visit the admired Maestro on his estate "La Leprara" near Marino on Lake Albano.

Henze's death in Dresden on 27^th October 2012 ended a musical partnership that had lasted more than 20 years. The programme of the memorial concert given the following year by the Scharoun Ensemble in the Matthäus-Kirche at the Berliner Kulturforum featured the work with which their partnership began decades earlier: the Kammermusik 1958. Daniel Harding conducted the Scharoun Ensemble, tenor Andrew Staples and guitarist Jürgen Ruck who turned out to be an ideal cast. With the present CD recording, things have now come full circle: the outcome of the memorial concert, it is both a record and the legacy of the friendship between Hans Werner Henze and the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin.

(c) Scharoun-Ensemble

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Neue Volkslieder und Hirtengesänge (1983/1996)

für Fagott, Gitarre und Streichtrio

1. Pastorale
2. Morgenlied
3. Ballade
4. Tanz
5. Rezitativ
6. Abendlied
7. Ausklang

Kammermusik 1958
über die Hymne In lieblicher Bläue von Friedrich Hölderlin
für Gitarre, Tenor und acht Soloinstrumente

Benjamin Britten gewidmet

1. Prefazione
2. In lieblicher Bläue
3. Tento 1: Du schönes Bächlein
4. Innen aus Verschiedenem entsteht
5. Tento 2: Es findet das Aug' oft
6. Gibt es auf Erden ein Maß?
7. Sonate
8. Möcht ich ein Komet sein?
9. Cadenza
10. Wenn einer in den Spiegel siehet
11. Tento 3: Son Laios
12. Wie Bäche reißt das Ende von etwas mich dahin
13. Adagio - Epilog