Ensemble Modern

The Cuban-born composer Tanja León, who later emigrated to the USA, has been one of the country's most versatile musicians for decades, working as a pianist, conductor, teacher and mediator. Her music, influenced by various traditions of the classical avant-garde as well as folk music and jazz, has often appeared on the programme of the Ensemble Modern. This is also true of Hans Werner Henze, who from the mid-1960s increasingly saw himself as a political artist. One of the most fascinating contributions from this period is the 22-part song cycle 'Voices'. The 'voices' that speak in different languages are those of the poor and disenfranchised, captured by poets from all over the world who are also politically engaged: a cycle with close ties to music theatre and a stirring musical experience that consciously places itself in the tradition of Hanns Eisler or Paul Dessau.