38 - HANS WERNER HENZE – COMPOSER, COMMUNIST, DANDY

The life of Hans Werner Henze, born in 1926, reflects the dramatic history of 20th-century Europe. His experience of the Nazi era and the war, the conflicts he faced as a homosexual, and public attacks made him one of Germany’s most politically engaged composers. His cosmopolitan lifestyle, his villa in Italy and his image as a dandy challenged conventional notions of what a composer of “serious music” should be. The film unearths previously unseen archival material, revealing a more intimate side of Henze – both as a person and as the composer of previously unreleased songs.