Henze’s opera Die Bassariden (1965) was one of his great
successes. Never one to waste a good idea, Henze is used to re-cycle
material from some of his works. So, for example, La Selva
incantata (1991), Quattro Poemi (1955) and his Symphony
No.4 (1955) all draw on his second opera König Hirsch
(1953/6). Similarly, he drew a couple of orchestral works from
Die Bassariden: Mänadenjagd (once available on DG
4471152 with Claudio Abbado conducting the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester)
and the rather more substantial suite Adagio, Fuge und Mänadentanz
(2004) recorded here. The suite was assembled to comply with a
request from Christoph von Dohnànyi who conducted the world premiere
of the opera. The substantial and strongly expressive Adagio leads
straight into a mighty Fugue depicting Pentheus’ fatal approach
to Dionysus and his death at the hands of the Bacchae. The final
Mänadentanz actually has nothing to do with the aforementioned
work recorded by Abbado but is based on Pentheus’ aria upon his
own death. The whole amounts to a substantial orchestral piece
full of typical Henze hallmarks and colourfully scored in Henze’s
own brand of Expressionism.
The first performance
of the somewhat earlier Nachtstücke und Arien (1957)
caused a scandal since Boulez, Stockhausen and Nono ostensibly
left the hall after hearing just the first few bars at its first
performance in Donaueschingen. Henze’s expressionist lyricism
was probably too much for them as was the beauty of much of
the music. The work consists of three Nocturnes framing two
settings for soprano and orchestra of poems by Ingeborg Bachmann.
If the first of Bachmann’s poems (Im Gewitter der Rosen)
fits into a nocturnal cycle, the second (Freies Geleit)
deals with a more tangible and immediate concerns – at least
at the time the work was composed – and that was the nuclear
menace of the Cold War: “Die Erde will keinen Rauchpilz tragen”
(“The earth does not want to carry a mushroom of smoke”). The
second Nocturne is rather more troubled and uneasy, more of
a nightmare than a peaceful dream. The second Aria is a plea
for the preservation of Nature and the survival of Man endangered
by nuclear menace. The final Nocturne is again rather troubled,
alternating furious outbursts and more reflective episodes.
It ends with a loud, menacing peroration abruptly cut short.
From the very first time I heard Nachtstücke und Arien
many years ago, actually during the LP era, I was convinced
that this was one of Henze’s finest scores. Its lush, almost
Straussian scoring was miles away from the prevailing trends
of the time: strict, often ascetic serialism and the like. Here
too was a composer who was not afraid to steer clear of any
all-too-dry formalism and rather was willing to emphasise the
communicative and expressive power of music. This fairly recent,
superbly played and recorded reading fully reinforces that early
impression; and I was delighted to renew acquaintance with this
magnificent score.
From the earlier
stages of his prolific composing career, Henze – unlike many
of his colleagues – showed a particular affinity to the genre
of the symphony. That said, it was quite clear that Henze’s
symphonies no longer imitate the 19th Century symphony.
It is remarkable enough that his first five symphonies were
composed between 1947 and 1962 in fairly quick succession. The
Sixth Symphony for two chamber orchestras stands somewhat in
isolation since it was written during a period in which political
concerns were informing some of his music. Although purely instrumental,
the Sixth Symphony’s “political message” was suggested by some
Afro-Cuban music and by quotes from a piece by Theodorakis as
well as a Vietnamese folk song. Eventually, one could sum up
the situation by paraphrasing words by Louis Andriessen: I quote
from memory: “Is there any such thing as a proletarian B sharp
minor or a capitalist D major?” With the notable exception of
the Ninth Symphony for chorus and orchestra to texts by Hans-Ulrich
Treichel, Henze’s later symphonies do not carry any such “message”
although Symphony No.8 has a subliminal programme: Shakespeare’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream, or episodes from it. Eventually,
though, “this is about making peace and about reconciliation,
fraternisation, also with myself, and the gesture for it comes
from one who loves and searches for peace” (Henze). The first
movement alludes to the scene in which Oberon challenges Puck
to search for the magic flower, and thus depicts Puck’s journey,
albeit in a non-programmatic way. In the second movement Titania
attempts to seduce Bottom turned into a monkey. This is reflected
in two different types of music suggesting Bottom’s “oafish
coarseness” (solo trombone) and Titania’s delicate physiognomy
(strings). The third and final movement was in fact written
first and attempts a reconciliation of sorts. The symphony,
however, may be experienced in purely abstract musical terms
and without any knowledge of what might have prompted its composition.
One way or another, the Eighth Symphony is attractive and readily
accessible and repays repeated hearings.
While preparing
this review, I re-listened to all of Henze’s symphonies and
was struck by something that had not always appeared clearly
to me - that Henze might well be the heir of Karl Amadeus Hartmann.
I say this bearing in mind his non-dogmatic approach to the
genre and the overall sound of his music, although Henze also
sometimes lets echoes from Stravinsky creep in; none the worse
for that. Henze’s ten symphonies form a remarkable and substantial
body of work that is now available complete in recordings, albeit
from different sources.
The present performances
are superb and the recording serves Henze’s opulent scoring well.
This release (or re-release for that these works have been available
on Capriccio 5548259) is a must for all admirers of Henze’s music.
Even so, I am sure that many others would find much to enjoy here.
Hubert Culot
Henze’s symphonies
on disc
Symphonies 1-6 DG
4767234
Symphony No.7 EMI CDC7547622
Symphony No.8 Phoenix 113
Symphony No.9 EMI 5565132
Symphony No.10 Accord
4767156
Claudia Barainsky
(soprano)a 
