London Sinfonietta demonstrates the commissioning boldness for which it is known in this unflinching critique of modern society. Contrasting movements from Hans Werner Henze’s “brilliantly colorful” song cycle Voices, originally commissioned by the London Sinfonietta in 1973, with contemporary responses illustrating the frustrations and injustices of life 50 years on.
Henze’s seminal work sets a range of poems from across the globe with a common theme of oppression and resistance and still sound as provocatively relevant today as they did in the London Sinfonietta’s early days. Taking this as a starting point, composers living and working today will compare and contrast societal issues around the world in their own original protest songs.
