Discovering Hans Werner Henze: El Cimarrón

Murmuris Teatro, Florence, Italy

El Cimarrón. Autobiography of the Runaway Slave Esteban Montejo was written during Henze’s stay in Cuba between 1969 and 1970. The text is based on the autobiography of Esteban Montejo which was then edited and translated by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. Described by Henze as a “Recital for Four Musicians” the work consists of fifteen tableaux each relating to an episode in Montejo’s life. 
The decision to then have the performance of Henze’s work supported by Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation came about on the one hand from a desire to honor the recently deceased Henze. This is also a work that is highly representative of the music of the second half of the 20^th century. To make this clear and to elaborate on the work comprehensively ahead of the performance a workshop will be held on El Cimarrón where Henze’s treatment of the text and his dramatic and musical transposition are to be explored.

December 19, 2014
Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, Florence

January 10, 2015
Teatro Cantiere Florida, Florence

January 19, 2015
Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, Utopia I, Societé de Musique Contemporaine, Lausanne

Further Information
www.murmuris.it