Based on a play by the short-lived German Romantic firebrand Heinrich von Kleist, The Prince of Homburg concerns a young commander who dreams of glory, impulsively achieves a great victory, and is court-martialed for violating the chain of command. Can his death sentence be just? An unpredictable master of many styles, Hans Werner Henze takes us into the Prince’s head with flights of hazy lyricism, in purposeful contrast to the astringent modernism associated with the military discipline. Though Henze’s stature in 20th-century music is unquestioned, opportunities to experience his 15 operas—among them such fascinations as Elegy for Young Lovers, König Hirsch (“King Stag”), The Bassarids, and The English Cat—are rare. For many, even recordings, let alone videos, are lacking. Apart from Frankfurt’s The Prince of Homburg, the global resource Operabase lists not a single other title. Henze’s loyalists and musical explorers won’t want to miss it. —Matthew Gurewitsch