Hans Werner Henze passed away on 27th October last year and a few months earlier, on 18th May so did Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, for whose voice Henze had specially composed Elegy for Young Lovers. Indeed, the plot focuses on the character of Gregor Mittenhofer, a ruthless poet singing in baritone and the events that result through his manipulative actions to gain inspiration, based on the libretto written by Wystan Hugh Auden. The self-centeredness of the poet and pettiness is reflected by the chamber ensemble and Henze’s choice of vocal timbre. Elegy for Young Lovers premiered in 1961 at the Schwetzingen Festival in German. Revised for the Fenice Theatre in 1988, the opera will be performed again in Venice, directed and designed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, winner of the Premio Abbiati in 2005.