Raccontare l’alterità: la prospettiva omosociale di Hans Werner Henze

Abstract

The article analyses two of the most successful titles of Hans Werner
Henze’s operatic output (1926-2012) in the light of the concept of ‘homosociality’,
which was theorized by Eve Kosovsky Sedgwick. The subjects of the analysis are
Boulevard Solitude (Hannover, Landestheater, 1952) and Phaedra (Berlin, Staatsoper
Unter den Linden, 2007). In both works the vocal roles and the musical writing
are employed on several occasions with the aim of connoting the homosocial relationships
that involve the male protagonist. There are episodes in which music,
contributing to highlight these relationships, strengthens the representation of the
protagonist as an individual who diverges from the ‘male vs female’ binarism. The
analysis of the ways in which this occurs in each of the two titles gives us back a
level of meaning of the dramaturgy that is specifically conveyed by music. The
examined episodes show how music theatre represents for Henze also the space to
narrate aspects of humanity that are marginalized in the real world, such as nonnormative
gender identities and homosocial relationships.