Ode to Henze Isang Enders & WDR Sinfonieorchester

• Hans Werner Henze (1926 - 2012): Ode an den Westwind:
• 1Henze: Ode an den Westwind: I. Calmo03:21
• 2Henze: Ode an den Westwind: II. Vivo04:17
• 3Henze: Ode an den Westwind: III. Tranquillo07:16
• 4Henze: Ode an den Westwind: IV. Al tempodi una marcia solenne, ma non lenta02:39
• 5Henze: Ode an den Westwind: V. Grave06:24
• Englische Liebeslieder:
• 6Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: I. Ruhig, verhalten03:03
• 7Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: II. ♩ =7203:53
• 8Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: III. Bewegt, heftig, stürmisch06:15
• 9Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: IV. Ernst, getragen03:37
• 10Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: V. Tango01:56
• 11Henze: Englische Liebeslieder: VI. Sonett06:10
• Introduktion, Thema und Variationen:
• 12Henze: Introduktion, Thema und Variationen11:30
• Trauer-Ode für Margaret Geddes:
• 13Henze: Trauer-Ode für Margaret Geddes08:41
• Total Runtime01:09:02

Info for Ode to Henze

His pacifist message: "Music is nolens volens political" is a famous statement by Hans Werner Henze. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death, Isang Enders and the WDR Sinfonieorchester have dedicated themselves to the composer's works for cello and will release the album "Ode to Henze" on 14 October on the Berlin Classics label in co-production with the WDR.

On this album, Isang Enders takes a close look at Henze's works for solo cello. "I asked myself why Henze is programmed so little after his death in 2012," the cellist describes the inspiration for this production. He wants to make the composer present again: "because of his undogmatic approach to life and composition, but also with an ear to his pacifist message" - which is more relevant today than ever.

The Ode to the West Wind, written in 1953, will be performed. Henze felt the compositional break of his contemporaries in the shadow of war to be hypocritical and turned away from the increasingly dogmatic avant-garde. Referring to this turning away, Dr. Anna Schürmer, media and music scholar and journalist, writes in the booklet of this album: "The exquisitely lyrical work, which follows Percy Shelley's poetry cycle of the same name, was written in the summer of 1953 in Sicily and on the island of Ischia: Italy, that is, which was to become Hans Werner Henze's home after the break with the German post-war avant-garde.

The English Love Songs were written by Hans Werner Henze for the WDR Symphony Orchestra, so Isang Enders presents the poetic music from the premiere material - a truly complex repertoire. "The work is almost unplayable," says Isang Enders in conversation with Anna Schürmer, "and what's more, the cello is barely perceptible because of the huge orchestration." The Love Songs are directly related to the Introduction, Theme and Variations for cello, harp and string orchestra. For him, the softly ethereal piece symbolises a naively ironic view of the composer's life: "Henze reflects a childhood he never had; full of emotions and colours."

Also full of musicalised feelings is the Mourning Ode to Martina Geddes, which Hans Werner Henze composed in 1997 as an "obituary for a revered and beloved friend, Princess Margaret of Hesse and by Rhine".

The project required a lot of attention and resilience. Not only did the conductor have to be quarantined during the recording due to corona -Jonathan Stockhammer was fortunately able to stand in for her. At the same time, Russian troops invaded Ukraine and launched their war of aggression. Isang Enders recalls the work and messages of the avowed pacifist Hans Werner Henze and he makes it clear: "You are rewarded with every note."

Isang Enders, cello
WDR Sinfonieorchester
Jonathan Stockhammer, conductor
Lin Liao, conductor

Isang Enders
born in Frankfurt/Main in 1988, is the son of a German-Korean family with both parents being musicians. At the age of nine years he got the first time into touch with a cello and only a short time later he began his early studies in the class of Prof. Michael Sanderling at the Frankfurt Music Academy. Six years later he became a student of Prof. Gustav Rivinius at the University of Music Saar. Taking part in numerous master classes being held by professors like David Geringas, Janos Starker, Steven Isserlis as well as by the composer Krzysztof Penderecki enabled Isang Enders to improve his skills in playing the cello. The longlasting close personal contact with the American cellist Lynn Harrell advancing him intensely, too was of great importance for the young artist.

As a Stipendiat der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and the German Foundation Musikleben the young artist enjoyed an intense promotion. As a prize winner of the Deutscher Musikinstrumentenfonds he was given as a loan in trust a „Joseph Gagliano Neapoli 1720” violoncello owned by a Hamburg family.

Awarded with the Darmstädter Musikpreis 2007 and the Lichtenberger Musikpreis 2008 of the Land Hessen, Isang Enders – with only 20 years of age - was engaged to the Semper Opera House, to the more than one decade vacant position of the lead concertmaster of the violoncelli of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden in June 2008.

As a soloist Isang Enders has already performed with orchestras like the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Philharmonic Orchestras in Kiel, Erfurt and Darmstadt, he gave concerts in Innsbruck, Krakow, Belgrade, Seoul, Giessen, Berlin, at the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as with the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie going on tour with them under the baton of Michael Sanderling in 2010. In addition he gave concerts with the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Hessen in Cyprus and Israel in October 2010.

Isang Enders also well known as a chamber musician is a welcome guest at prestigious national and international festivals.

In this field, Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps with the conductor and pianist Myung-Whun Chung in 2008, the advancement in Seiji Ozawa's IMAS project in summer 2010 as well as a chamber concert with Christoph Eschenbach in the framework of the Piano-Festival Ruhr 2010 are especially worth mentioning. Concerts with the pianist Kit Armstrong at Dresden Semper Opera and Leipzig Gewandhaus followed in Spring 2011.

As highlight of an acclaimed concert evening of the Staatskapelle Dresden on February 17, 2010 Isang Enders performed under the baton of Pablo Heras Casado the cello concerto (chamber music No. 3 op. 36 No. 2) by Paul Hindemith which was recorded by MDR Figaro.

In the framework of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival 2010 Isang Enders performed Schumann Cello Concerto under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach. On the occasion of the Internationale Schostakowitsch Tage Gohrisch, taken place for the first time in 2010 and in the future annually as the only regular Shostakovich Festival in the sphere of international festivals Isang Enders performed Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Rudolf Barschai on September 11, 2010 and Shostakovich Cello Sonata as well as Piano Trio No. 2 in the framework of a chamber music evening on September 12, 2010.

In the season 2012/13 Isang Enders will give concerts – among others – with Zubin Mehta, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Stuttgart Philharmonics, the Prague Philharmonics. He will be a guest at the Music Festival Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Internationale Schostakowitsch Tage in Gohrisch, The Dvorak Festival in Prague and the Rheingau-Musikfestival.

This album contains no booklet.