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Hans Werner Henze's The English Cat at The University of Southern California

Oct. 29, 2014

Hans Werner Henze's <em>The English Cat</em> at The University of Southern California

The University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music mounts a production of Hans Werner Henze’s The English Cat this month at the Bing Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Brent McMunn conducts and Ken Cazan directs, with performances taking place November 19, 21 and 23.

Based on Honoré de Balzac’s short story from Scenes of the Public and Private Lives of Animals, Henze’s The English Cat follows a group of respected (and strictly vegetarian) cats belonging to the Royal Society for the Protection of Rats. Of the work, Henze writes:

In March 1978, I wrote a letter to the poet and playwright Edward Bond telling him about the dramatization of a piece by Balzac taking place in the world of animals (particularly the world of cats) entitled Peines de coeur d’une chatte anglaise which I had seen and enjoyed in Paris… Even during the performance, I had already begun to hear music associated with masquerades, parables and the style of 19th-century opéra comique, a sinister and off-key music for a sinister and off-key story…

Because I believe in the revolutionary strength of humans, this is optimistic music which laughs and cries and has the intention of moving the audience to laughter and tears.

Details on the production can be found at usc.edu.

For more information on Hans Werner Henze, please visit schott-music.com.

Hans Werner Henze
The English Cat (1983)
a story for singers and instruments by Edward Bond
libretto (En) by Edward Bond
for 3 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 2 baritones, bass-baritone and bass
2(afl, pic).2(ca, 2. Heckelphon).2(1.Ebcl, 2.bcl, cbcl).2(2.cbsn)-2.1.1.0-3perc-hp.cel.pno(four hands).small org.zith-str(6.4.3.3.1)
130’

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