Hans Werner Henze: Hommages

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HENZE Sonata for 6 Players . Margaret Waltzes. Ländler . La mano sinister. Epitaph. Toccata mistica . Trio in 3 Movements. Ode to the 12th...


HENZE Sonata for 6 Players . Margaret Waltzes. Ländler . La mano sinister. Epitaph. Toccata mistica . Trio in 3 Movements. Ode to the 12th Apostle. An Breton. Piano Piece for Reinhold . Serenade. Adagio adagio • Ens Recherche • WERGO WER 6727 2 (68:51)


Ensemble Recherche (note: not “recherché”) is a small new-music group based in Freiburg. This disc—titled Hommages —is its tribute to Henze. Two major chamber-music works—Sonata for Six Players, and (string) Trio in Three Movements—are stashed among the miscellany. We are accustomed to large-scale Henze on disc: opera, symphony, oratorio, and various dramatic works; the 10 minor pieces here are mostly tributes or birthday celebrations for friends. Ranging from less than two minutes to nearly five, they are solo works for piano ( Margaret Waltzes, La mano sinister, Toccata mistica, Ode to the 12th Apostle, Piano Piece for Reinhold ), violin (Ländler, Serenade), viola ( An Breton ), or cello ( Epitaph ). These are generally conventional, often tonal works of much beauty and considerable elegance. Adagio adagio is a four-minute movement for piano trio that could be Rachmaninoff with a splash of dissonance.


The gentle, subtle sonata (1983–84) is for flute, clarinet, violin (alternating viola), cello, percussion, and piano (alternating celesta). Its three movements are marked Con moto, Andante cantabile, and Passacaglia. The first movement opens with a Schoenbergian blend of all the instruments, but that impression is fleeting; Henze’s distinctive colorations—appealingly polished, although by no means tonal—soon take over. The Passacaglia’s delicate bass line consists of subtle timpani and bass clarinet—a stroke of genius.


The 1998 string trio, although well beyond the bounds of conventional tonality, makes a very classical impression. Each of its three (fast, slow, fast) movements depends on what the notes label “developmental variations,” material from early in each movement resurfacing toward its close. Rondo-like recurrences dominate an emotionally extravagant finale. The string writing is also conventional, with most phrases consisting of long-bowed strokes, producing the effect of 19th-century music challenged by extreme dissonance. The trio’s 24-minute duration enforces the impression of a Classic or Romantic-era work. Henze continues to surprise and to convince; this is potent, vital music.


All the performances do justice to the music at hand; the strings are masterly. The soloists are violinist Melise Mellinger, violist Barbara Mauer, cellist Åsa Åkerberg, and pianist Jean-Pierre Collot. He plays celesta as well as piano in the sonata, where he is joined by flutist Martin Fahlenbach, clarinetist Shizuyo Oka, and percussionist Christian Dierstein. Everything except Toccata mistica is claimed to be a first recording. This is an essential disc for Henze fans, and all chamber-music lovers should hear this trio.


FANFARE: James H. North


Product Description:

  • Release Date: March 01, 2010


  • UPC: 4010228672725


  • Catalog Number: WER67272


  • Label: Wergo


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Hans W. Henze


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Ensemble Recherche


  • Performer: Asa Akerberg, Barbara Maurer, Jean-Pierre Collot, Melise Mellinger