HANS WERNER HENZE : Symphonies 1 & 6

In contrast to many composers who only began to write symphonies in their maturity, Hans Werner Henze composed his First Symphony when he was 20. Henze himself later described this original version as a “complete failure” ? a revised version of the work was performed in Berlin in 1964: “Rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic cells from the original version remain, and in the slow movement there are almost no changes; otherwise everything is new, different, and better.” (Henze) In fact, the outer movements of this now three-movement work are not mere revisions, but completely new compositions, in which Henze could incorporate the experiences of his Symphonies Nos. 2?5. He uses here 12-tone thematic material, without strictly applying any dodecaphonic techniques however. While the original version of the symphony had already been written for a relatively small orchestra, the instrumentation has now been reduced even further: bassoons, trombones, tuba, and percussion have been omitted and replaced with harp, piano, and celesta.

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1. Symphony for chamber orchestra (1947/1963, rev. 1991)
Sinfonia N. 6 for two orchestras (1969, rev. 1994)

orchestra/ensemble: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Marek Janowski: conductor