The Bassarids de Hans Werner Henze

Premiered at the 1966 Salzburg Festival, Hans Werner Henze's The Bassarids, based on a libretto by W. H. Auden and C. Kallma after Euripides's The Bacchae, is one of the most notable operas of the second half of the 20th century, and a work that never fails to surprise its audience.

In this modern transcription of the classic Greek tragedy, Henze saw an opportunity to express his own artistic voice, both lyrically and dramatically, through symbolism. Center stage, we find the conflict between King Pentheus and Dionysus: the former (interpreted by the powerful Russel Braun) represents reason and self-control, while the latter (masterfully brought to life by Sean Panikkar) is the embodiment of human passion and emotion. This 2018 production by Krzysztof Warlikowski at the Salzburg Festival, where The Bassarids originally premiered, more than does justice to the score and libretto, staging the conflict between reason and the irrational. The performance is conducted by Kent Nagano, the legendary maestro who was also a personal friend of the composer.