Hans Werner Henze : Symphony 6 : Finale

Symphony No. 6 for two chamber orchestras by Hans Werner Henze was written in 1969. It was written whilst the composer was living in Cuba and marks a departure in the composer’s symphonic output: whilst the previous five symphonies were more straightforwardly lyrical, the Sixth Symphony has a more overtly political theme, in common with other Henze works of this period. Henze himself said it was written using experiences of a bourgeois who had been writing music to the ruling class for 20 years to compose against the bourgeoisie. Instead of nostalgia and scepticism I wanted affirmation, direct avowal of revolution.[1] Henze included quotations from the song of the Vietnamese Liberation Front, ’Stars in the Night’, first heard played on the banjo and also from Mikis Theodorakis’ ’Song of Freedom’ on the guitar. Henze later improvises on the Cuban dance rhythm ’Son’ which he contrasts with the more traditional sound of the European orchestra. However Henze hi