Hans Werner Henze and German Art

Mark Berry of the Boulezian blog has recently published his fascinating paper from the Royal Musical Association’s 2012 conference, discussing the relationship between composers Hans Werner Henze and Wagner, in the context of the German art:

For {Henze}, moreover, ‘German art – especially the middle-class, nationalistic art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries – became insufferable and suspect’. There are no prizes for guessing that Wagner’s music might fall under that rubric, especially given the strong ties between the Bayreuth Festival and Hitler himself. What did remain was the modernist art proscribed by the Nazis, untainted by association.

Published on 29 June 2012

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