Henze: Ode to the West Wind

Born in 1926, Hans Werner Henze long ago became recognized as one of the greatest and most original composers of the later 20th century. The three works on this disc, all written in the 1950s, reflect the period in which he lived in Italy and brought a new lyricism and color to his music. The Saarbrcken Radio Symphony Orchestra, one of provincial Germany€s best ensembles, is led here by three different distinguished conductors. Stanislav Skrowaczewski is the best known to American audiences, having served as conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now Minnesota Orchestra) for 11 seasons, and making a classic recording with them of the complete orchestral works of Ravel.