Music by Hans Werner Henze

Libretto by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

Adapted from Miguel Barnet’s Biografia de un Cimarrón, based on interviews with Esteban Montejo; English translation by W. Nick Hill

American Modern Opera Company
Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur, artistic directors 
Jennifer Chen, managing director

Performers
Davóne Tines, bass baritone
Emi Ferguson, flute
Jonny Allen, percussion
Jordan Dodson, guitar (guest artist)

Hans Werner Henze’s El Cimarrón is a sonic tour-de-force based on the oral autobiography of Esteban Montejo, an Afro-Cuban slave who escaped bondage on a sugar plantation, survived in the jungle, fought for Cuban independence from Spain, and lived to tell about it all before dying at the age of 113. Henze’s visceral score is a cry for freedom that transcends time and place. 

This production, filmed in 2019, features members of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) and was curated by Julia Bullock, MetLiveArts 2018–19 Artist in Residence. 

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