Hans Werner Henze: The Bassarids: Wiener Philharmoniker (Kent Nagano) (2019)

52 years after their premiere, Hans Werner Henze's 'The Bassarids' return, with Kent Nagano at the helm, to the Salzburg Festival for a rare revival of this modern classic in a highly dramatic psychological staging by Krzysztof Warlikowski. Aware of the story's up-to-dateness, the director showcases the stark contrast between Dionysus, who preaches intoxicating excesses and sensuality, and his cousin King Pentheus, who leads a life marked by purity and asceticism. The personified battle between the two protagonists leads the royal family at least into disaster.