Hans Werner HENZE

Language French
ISBN 978-2358841498

German composer Hans Werner Henze (1926–2012), a major figure in 20th-century music, studied in Braunschweig and Heidelberg and attended the Darmstadt School. He composed for the Deutsches Theater in Konstanz and quickly established himself as a big name in ballet and opera. In 1953, he settled permanently in Italy, living in Naples and Rome before purchasing Villa La Leprara in Marino and founding the Montepulciano Festival in Tuscany. A committed left-winger, he taught in Havana, Cuba, and in Europe, and conducted the Berlin Philharmonic on several occasions. A prolific composer and winner of several awards, his extensive oeuvre ranges from stage music (notably 32 operas, including 3 for children, and 17 ballets) to film music, chamber music, orchestral music (including 10 symphonies), concertos and chamber music. He died in Dresden at the age of 86.

This new volume in the ‘horizons’ series invites you to discover contemporary music in this illustrated, innovative biography with numerous appendices.

Jérémie Bigorie has a degree in musicology (Paris IV – Sorbonne) and is interested in all kinds of good music, from Pérotin to contemporary music, with a particular passion for the composers Liszt and Henze. As a fellow of the Académie Charles Cros and a music critic, he also works in the programming department of Radio Classique. His latest book, Qui a peur d'Arnold Schoenberg? (Who's Afraid of Arnold Schoenberg?; Editions des Lumières), was nominated for the Prix France Musique.