El Rey de Harlem

The poem El Rey de Harlem by Federico Garcia Lorca, ‘a vision of Harlem interspersed with violent images’ and of the oppression of black peoples, inspired Hans Werner Henze to compose his ‘imaginary music theatre play’ of the same name. Henze thought less of a scenic representation than of creating music of great immediacy which, like the text, conveys a passionately humane message. Henze envisaged the performance of his piece, which references jazz and Latin American folklore, ‘as in a cellar in which jazz is played, a jazz full of oppression and wildness that constantly wants to explode, made by black people in rebellion.’ (Hans Werner Henze)