Henze: Violin & Viola Works

Featuring

Peter Sheppard Skærved
Roderick Chadwick
Hans Werner Henze

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Performer Biography

Peter Sheppard Skærved, the violinist and violist on this recording, has had over 400 works dedicated to him by composers including Hans Werner Henze.

Composer Biography

Henze's need to compose was ignited by the hunger and anxiety following the fall of the Third Reich in 1945, with his first works created amidst poverty and humiliation.

Interpretation

Peter Sheppard Skærved, the performer, chose to record the original, 'rougher, more violent' version of Henze's Solo Violin Sonata, as the composer had suggested he might later.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Hans Werner Henze, the composer, believed art must advocate for the repressed, humiliated, and offended, serving as a voice for the oppressed.

Compositional Technique

Henze's Solo Violin Sonata is described as 'a real piece of theatre' and a three-part dramatic 'scena' grounded in the work of humanist poet Agnolo Ambrogini, known as Poliziano.

Composition History

The sonatas on this album span Henze's entire creative life, from his very first works to those composed for his Cantiere dell'Arte festival in Montepulciano, Italy.