Lyrical pathos and battering choral climaxes were the strong suits at the Dutch première of Hans Werner Henze’s incendiary oratorio Das Floβ der Medusa.
Paul Wittgenstein (brother of famous philosopher Ludwig) was a well-known pianist before he lost his arm in the First World War. Instead of quitting music, he perfected his left hand skills and commissioned a few composers, including Britten, Hindemith, Prokofiev and R. Strauss to write pieces for him.
