Eduard de Boer – Eduard de Boer

Homage to Julian Assange. Version for Brass Band, Op. 104

I. Youth
II. A ‘Family’ Member
III. Hacktivism
IV. Collateral Murder
V. Wanted
VI. Contained
VII. A Tent in an Embassy
VIII. Solitude
IX. Arrest
X. Isolation
XI. Finale: Breaking Free Continue reading Homage to Julian Assange. Version for Brass Band, Op. 104

Toward a Golden Future, Oratorio for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Child’s Voice, Mixed Choir and Wind Orchestra, Op. 103

This oratorio deals with what I believe to be very important developments in recent human history, centered around the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This event, with everything surrounding it, has been so profound for each and every one of us that I very much wanted to dedicate a musical document to it in the form of an oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra. I discussed this wish with wind orchestra Muziekvereniging Concordia from the Dutch town of Hengelo and their conductor Lute Hoekstra. The idea appealed to them and this resulted in an application for a composition commission from the Dutch Fund for the Performing Arts; an application that, to the delight of all concerned, was granted at the end of October 2023.

A common statement at the beginning of the pandemic was: ‘Things will never be as they were.’ Furthermore, concepts like Build Back Better and Great Reset were being introduced. I found this fascinating: regardless of these slogans, I too had come to the conclusion that humanity is evolving in a way that simply cannot be continued forever. To mention an example: we produce so much plastic, that this will turn against us, some day, one way or the other. And there are more examples: pesticides in our food and farmland, radioactive waste as a by-product of nuclear power, and so on. The time will inevitably come when ‘the shore will make the ship turn’.

This theme runs like a thread through my compositions. An example is the second movement of my first symphony, subtitled From the Diary of Etty Hillesum.[1] This movement is called Systems and is based on the following excerpt from Etty’s diary: ’The terrifying thing is, that systems rise above people and hold people in a satanic grip, designers as well as victims of that system, as great buildings and towers, built by people with their own hands, rise above us at some point, control us and can collapse over us and bury us.’ The way life grinded to a halt after the pandemic outbreak reminded me of this sharp observation.

Immediately after the commission was granted, I set to work intensively, and with me my regular lyricist Franz K. Custos. The first thing that had to be available was an outline of the various movements of which the oratorio would consist, and a draft of the texts to be set to music. While working on this, we discovered all sorts of details about how the people advocating the Build Back Better idea envisioned this ‘better built back’ world. It turned out that their vision is based on quite materialistic thinking; a world of ideas that denies the existence of concepts such as God, the soul, free will or immortality, and sees humans as improvable, ‘upgradable’, by means of the application of modern technology.

Franz Custos and I wanted to contrast this ‘transhumanist’ ideal, as promoted by institutions such as the World Economic Forum and articulated by people like Yuval Harari and Klaus Schwab, with a vision of the universe as described in the Corpus Hermeticum, an ancient text attributed to a certain Hermes Trismegistus: ‘threefold great Hermes’.[2]

What struck me while reading the Hermetic tracts was a certain similarity with, on the one hand, the Hindu-Buddhist view of existence (karma and reincarnation), and on the other hand, with the many near-death experiences as people all over the world have experienced and are still experiencing; experiences that indicate that human beings have a soul that is immortal and that death is just a transition to another form of life. Also, Hermetic philosophy emphasizes that human beings are divine and that there is in fact only one ‘sin’, namely lack of consciousness. Once you really understand how universal laws such as for instance the law of karma work, you won’t even think of deliberately doing things that are damaging for your fellow human beings, and therefore for you yourself as well.

What Franz Custos and I also discovered was that all kinds of prominent people connected to the World Economic Forum were already priming people’s minds for what they call a Great Reset, years before the pandemic broke out. For instance, the now familiar slogan You will own nothing and you will be happy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zUjsEaKbkM) dates back to 2016, and is elaborated on in an article by Danish Young Global WEF Leader Ida Auken, also from 2016, with the (original, later modified) title Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better (https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/welcome-to-2030-i-own-nothing-have-no-privacy-and-life-has-never-been-better-ee2eed62f710).

We also discovered, that as early as of 2005, several prominent persons have predicted that a pandemic would come. What I was already familiar with, was a report, written in 2010, with the telling title Scenario LOCK STEP, a world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback (https://archive.org/details/pdfy-tNG7MjZUicS-wiJb/mode/2up). This report describes how a pandemic, supplemented with, among other things, climate change issues, must necessarily result in citizens’ freedoms being – permanently – curtailed. I therefore immediately wrote a cantata in 2020, entitled An Ardent Love Affair, which musically illustrates this Scenario; this in collaboration with American poet Michael R. Burch. A modified version of part of this composition is included in the oratorio, as Movement V: The World Grinded to a Halt, the movement that depicts how ’the pandemic the world had been expecting for years finally struck’.[3]

For the cantata, Michael R. Burch transformed excerpts from Scenario Lockstep into poetry, suitable for setting to music. Similarly, Franz K. Custos transformed public statements by prominent figures in the Netherlands and abroad, as well as excerpts from various public articles, into song lyrics, which I was then able to set to music. However, we wanted to leave one single statement by a prominent figure unchanged: a remarkable assertion by Abraham Kuyper, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905: In every successful attack on freedom, the state can never be an accomplice. The main culprit remains the duty-forgotten citizen himself, who, slacking off his moral muscle in sin and carousal, lost the power of his own initiative. Our current (albeit currently outgoing) prime minister Mark Rutte quoted this statement during the Parliamentary debate of 21 February 2021 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY5QjgUXmf4).

Franz Custos’ and my efforts eventually lead up to a composition consisting of 11 movements. Here is a summary of them:

I. Prelude, for orchestra
A prelude, with a positive, bright ending, passing into the beginning of this composition’s story
II. A World View, for tenor and orchestra
A summary of the transhumanist ideal image regarding the future of humanity, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic
III. Hymnus ad Divinum (Hymn to the Divine), for choir and orchestra
As a contrast to the previous movement, elements from the ancient Hermetic philosophy are highlighted here.
IV. Predictions, for soprano, tenor, baritone and orchestra
In addition to various predictions by prominent figures that a pandemic would someday break out, some pre-2020 visions of what some prominent figures believe to be an ideal future for humanity are also featured.
V. The World Grinded to a Halt, for tenor, baritone, choir and orchestra:A brief depiction of what happened when the pandemic broke out, based on excerpts from the accurate description of this in 2010’s Scenario Lockstep
VI. ‘Things will never be as they were’, for tenor, baritone and orchestra
About various measures deemed necessary to combat the virus, complemented by the statement that the pandemic is not just a tragic event, but also a golden opportunity to realize a necessary Great Reset.
VII. ‘The Apex of our Century’, for tenor and orchestra
A euphoric compilation of the transhumanist ideal, this time complete with a vision of an ‘upgraded’, chipped world population
VIII. Over the Top, for choir and orchestra
The various government measures to combat the pandemic inevitably led to occasional hilarious scenes, which we can now look back on with good-natured humor. An anthology.
IX. I’ve Got Climate Change!, for soprano, choir and orchestra
The combination of absurdities and frightening assertions confuses the soprano and the chorus to such an extent that they believe they have contracted the disease Climate Change.
X. Mama, I don’t want to be here, for children’s voice and orchestra
Song of a child, longing for how life used to be before the pandemic outbreak
XI. Towards a Golden Future, for soprano, tenor, baritone, children’s voice and orchestra
I see the transformation humanity is currently in as a kind of birth canal to a new, better world. This is the theme of the final movement, where texts from the Corpus Hermeticum are supplemented by lines of poetry by Franz Custos, who has also added some Latin lines in the spirit of Hermetic philosophy.

To add to this concluding section: I base my view that we will eventually face a golden future partly on the Hermetic ideas, which state that man, consisting of light and life, is in fact divine and the soul immortal. I have also read many books on life after death, such as Life in the World Unseen (https://www.ghostcircle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Anthony-Borgia-Life-In-The-World-Unseen.pdf) and A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (https://sacred-texts.com/eso/wsl/index.htm) and listened to or read many testimonies of so-called ‘near-death experiences’. According to these books, the collective development of human consciousness will eventually lead to the point that entities that feed off our negative feelings, such as fear, sadness or anger[4], will no longer be able to exist here, for lack of sustenance. To mention an example, one day the insight will come that war can never bring about anything positive because negative energy always leads to negative results. The recently unleashed wars show that we have not yet reached that point. At the same time, things like the greatly increased interest in spirituality show that our collective consciousness is growing, and it is my impression that the pandemic outbreak has given a powerful impetus to this development. All in all, we are not there yet, and it looks like we are in for a difficult time in the short term; but we are nevertheless on the right track.

Eduard de Boer, April 6, 2024

[1] Esther (Etty) Hillesum (15 January 1914 – 30 November 1943) was a Dutch Jewish author of confessional letters and diaries which describe both her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In 1943, she was deported and murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etty_Hillesum).

[2] The Hermetic writings have their origin in pre-Christian Egypt, but the ‘tracts’ known today date from the first to third centuries AD, and are strongly influenced by the philosophy of Neoplatonism. A Greek version of the Corpus Hermeticum, was discovered in 1460 by a monk in Macedonia and translated into Latin by Marsilio Ficino a few years later, by order of Lorenzo de Medici. Excerpts from this translation are included in my oratorio.

[3] Cf. p. 18 from Scenario Lockstep: In 2012, the pandemic that the world had been anticipating for years finally hit. (…) This new influenza strain (…) was extremely virulent and deadly. (…) The virus streaked around the world, infecting nearly 20 percent of the global population and killing 8 million in just seven months, the majority of them healthy young adults. The pandemic also had a deadly effect on economies: international mobility of both people and goods screeched to a halt, debilitating industries like tourism and breaking global supply chains. Even locally, normally bustling shops and office buildings sat empty for months, devoid of both employees and customers.

[4] In the Nag Hammadi writings, these entities are called ‘archons’, see for example https://spiritueleteksten.nl/esoterisch-christendom-jezus-christus/het-evangelie-van-filippus-over-achonten-parasiterende-entiteiten-die-zelf-niet-over-creatiekracht-kunnen-beschikken/. These entities are also described in the above-mentioned books on life after death, but are not called archons there, since these books predate the discovery of the Nag Hammadi writings.

A vocal score of the oratorio can be seen here.

YouTube:

Concertino Italiano, for Violin and Piano, Op. 102

A concertino with positions I – VII for the violin (with a few high natural harmonics mixed in)

The movements:
I. Energico
II. Siciliana
III. Tarantella

Youtube:

‘Prikspijt’ (Life with a UR?-Code), Opera in One Act, op. 101

The scenario of the opera can be read and downloaded here: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/prikspijt-life-with-a-ur-code-scenario/, and the libretto can be read and downloaded here: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/prikspijt-life-with-a-ur-code-libretto/. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for soundfiles of the music on YouTube.

Dit was eens, maar nooit weer!
Dit gebeurt niet nog een keer!
(This has been once, but never again!
This will not happen ever again!)

Lines from the final song from the opera De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren

INTRODUCTION BY FRANZ K. CUSTOS

In Early 2020, the outbreak of the well-known ‘pandemic’ caused an enormous wave of panic and fear among the world population. In turn, this fear brought about a number of scenes that cannot be seen as anything else than absurd – at least in retrospect, now that the fear has subsided to some extent. Here is one example of many: the story of the woman in the swimming pool and Superman. An – admittedly slightly ironic – description of what happens here could go as follows: A highly anti-social woman is endangering the survival of mankind, by floating around in a swimming pool! ‘Fie!’, people shout, close together(!), but at a safe distance from this irresponsible shrew…. But then, Superman arrives! Risking his own life, he drags the mean witch to the poolside, where a policeman is already ready to take her in – also risking his life in the process. The onlookers are relieved. Whew, that was close! Let’s hope that this threat to humankind was averted in time!

Witnessing absurdities like this one, be it on the internet or in daily life, made composer Eduard de Boer decide to write an opera about Edgar Allan’s short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether,[1] in which the patients of a lunatic asylum temporarily take over power; an opera for which I had the pleasure to write the libretto. During the process of our collaboration, we both made a habit of collecting stories and videos of similar absurdities. Maybe some of this material might turn out to be usable for a future project.

Even before this had resulted in anything concrete, the renowned Dutch accordion ensemble Alphen Opus 2 expressed interest in our plan, to the extent that they applied for a composition commission for a one-act opera from the Dutch Fund for the Podium Arts (Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten). At this stadium, we had settled on the title Prijkspijt, meaning Jab Regret. This word had been chosen as the Dutch word of the year 2021 – which is of course an absurdity in itself. To our great joy, the news that the application had granted came on the very day that our opera De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren was completed! We set to work immediately, and I soon came to the conclusion that the new opera would have not one overall storyline, but several independent ones.

In the meantime however, three months had passed and the absurdities now also included the obligation to have a so-called QR-code, basically to proof that one had taken the prescribed vaccines, in order to be allowed into buildings like concert halls, cafés and restaurants, etc. This had quite an impact on Ed de Boer, since, refusing to let himself be vaccinated, he was refused entrance to several concerts where his music was on the program. Even more: a planned concert with a number of his chamber music compositions on the program, in which he himself would take part as a pianist, was cancelled immediately after he announced that he did not have a QR-code, even though performing musicians were at the time exempted from the obligation to have one! Sad as this was for the composer, it was in itself a great story, and it gave me the idea to conceive a scenario for an opera within an opera, framed by a Prologue and an Epilogue, in which a composer would be refused to attend the premiere of his own opera, because he didn’t have a so-called UR? (You-Are?)-code.

From this point on, the absurdities connected with the QR/UR?-code gradually became more and influential in the opera concept. Furthermore, I felt the need to write the new libretto in English – which is my second language – instead of in Dutch, as I had done for the previous opera, since all kinds of surreal things as depicted in the opera, happened all over the world, in those days. Even so, the title Prikspijt remained, since the word itself is tellingly surreal, but in the end, we felt compelled to add Life with a UR?-Code, to it, with an eyewink to Alfred Schnittke’s opera Life with an Idiot. Very tellingly, a scene called Jab Regret is the central scene, containing an aria with the same title.

Some of the various stories used in the opera are based on real life occurrences, like of course the Prologue and Epilogue, and also the Third Scene, and the Fourth Scene, which is based on a story directly related to the composer. I leave it him to give an account of this occurrence.

I hope this opera will find its way to the hearts of many opera-goers.

Franz K. Custos, March 14, 2023

[1] Sound files of this previous opera can be heard here, while simultaneously the vocal score and the libretto text can be read (please scroll down for a playlist of the opera that this webpage deals with):

INTRODUCTION BY EDUARD DE BOER

At some time in 2022, when the government measures to combat the ‘life-threatening virus’ were at their strictest, my wife and I went into a few cafés, without the then obligatory mouth masks and QR-codes, as an experiment to see if we would be allowed in. To our surprise, there was indeed a café where we were welcomed with open arms. When I asked the café owner, why she had no problem with our disobedience, she told me that a so-called BOA[2] had visited her and summoned her to follow the government orders. But she had answered: ‘I just can’t find it in my heart to refuse people. A café is meant to be a welcoming place for everyone.’ The BOA had been so impressed by this answer that he had simply left, and the café had been left in peace since then.

This story is so beautiful in its simplicity, that I suggested it would be the basis for one of the scenes of the new libretto. Indeed it became the final scene, letting the opera-within-the-opera begin and end in a café.

When the news came that the application for a commission by accordion ensemble Alphen Opus 2 had been granted, I decided to also make a version with orchestra, since this will greatly increase the possibilities for performances.

A final remark about the street musician – who is in fact an accomplished accordion player dressed as a beggar – playing outside the opera building before and after the performance of the opera. He is to perform several songs from the opera, if desired complemented by pieces of his own choosing, and thereby the opera-within-the-opera, framed by the Prologue and Epilogue, will in turn be framed by his performing. When the opera goers will hear him play before the opera building, they may be surprised to hear him play music that is different from what one would expect. Only when they see him onstage, a little later, will they realize that he is in fact part of the opera. Finally, when they leave the opera building and hear him play outside again, they may recognize the melodies, and some may even recall some of the words sung to the melodies; words like

I do not want to participate
In a system that I do not want to exist,
A system that we should not cooperate with.
Refusing to feed it is my way to resist.

I just can’t find it in my heart
To implement the UR?-code.
If I would do so, from the start
My heart would overflow
With feelings of regret,
That I would not be able to forget.

Eduard de Boer, March 14, 2023

[2] An abbreviation of ‘Buitengewoon Opsporingsambtenaar’ (Special Tracking Down Officer): someone who is authorized to track down and fine violators of certain specific offences. In the Netherlands, in 2020 and 2021, the number of Boa’s authorized to enforce compliance with Corona measures such as social distancing, wearing of mouth masks, observing curfew, etc. was greatly increased.

Here the music can be heard while simultaneously the vocal score with the libretto text can be read:
YouTube playlist:

The Woman in the Swimming Pool and Superman

In 2020, soon after the outbreak of the ‘pandemic’, when the world population as a whole was in the grip of panic, this video appeared online:

A highly anti-social woman is endangering the survival of mankind, by floating around in a swimming pool! ‘Fie!’, people shout, close together(!), but at a safe distance from this irresponsible shrew…. But then, Superman arrives! Risking his own life, he drags the mean witch to the poolside, where a policeman is already ready to take her in – also risking his life in the process. The onlookers are relieved. Whew, that was close! Let’s hope that this threat to humankind was averted in time!

Compositions inspired by current times

Composed before 2020:
Coming to Light, for wind band (2013): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/coming-to-light-op-68/

Prelude to a New Era & Prelude to a Peaceful World, for fanfare orchestra or wind band (2015): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/3-preludes-version-for-fanfare-orchestra-op-73/

Das Leben, das ich selbst gewählt (The life I chose myself), for high voice and piano (2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVCU_So2mxI&list=PLjU4srAfiJLB20ryB6ns3V9pT0jF1uoKx&index=3

De Gekkenstad (The City of Fools), for voice and piano (2018): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/de-gekkenstad-the-fools-city-version-for-tenor-and-piano/

The Final Liberation of Man, for orchestra with choir (2018/2020): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/the-final-liberation-of-man-for-mixed-chorus-and-symphony-orchestra-2020/

Composed as of 2020:
Einsamkeit (Loneliness), for voice and piano (2020): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/einsamkeit-loneliness-version-for-tenor-and-piano-op-97-nr-3/

Sta op en Schitter (Arise and Shine), for high voice and piano (2020): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/sta-op-en-schitter-arise-and-shine-op-97-nr-4-for-high-voice-and-piano/

An Ardent Love Affair (2021)
Version for tenor, baritone, piano and choir ad libitum:
https://www.eduarddeboer.org/an-ardent-love-affair-cantata-for-tenor-baritone-choir-ad-libitum-and-piano-op-97/
Version for tenor, baritone, orchestra and choir ad libitum: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/an-ardent-love-affair-op-97-bis/

Anthem towards a New World, for high voice and piano (2021):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXVnGO6i9Ns&list=PLjU4srAfiJLB20ryB6ns3V9pT0jF1uoKx&index=1

The Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren (The Method of Doctor Peck and Professor Veeren), Opera in Three Acts, after a short story by Edgar Allan Poe (2021), for soloists, choir and orchestra: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/de-methode-van-doctor-peck-en-professor-veeren-opera/

Toward Forgiveness, for symphony orchestra (2019 / 2021): https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-forgiveness-for-symphony-orchestra-op-98/

Toward Freedom (2022)
Version for orchestra and choir ad libitum: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-freedom-symphonic-poem-in-twelve-stanzas-op-100-version-for-orchestra-with-choir/ (with choir) & https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-freedom-symphonic-poem-in-twelve-stanzas-op-100-version-for-orchestra-without-choir/ (without choir)
Version for accordion ensemble, percussion and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-freedom-symphonic-poem-in-twelve-stanzas-op-100-version-for-accordion-ensemble-percussion-and-vocal-ensemble-or-choir-ad-libitum/
Version for two pianos and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-freedom-symphonic-poem-in-twelve-stanzas-op-100-version-for-two-pianos-and-vocal-ensemble-or-choir-ad-libitum/

Fraternization, for wind band (2022):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5-VoKAlPiU&list=PLFphAvDeWM1QThLLBL-yThxjzqLNCM0xe&index=8

‘Prikspijt’ (Life with a UR?-Code), Opera in One Act, op. 101 (2022-’23):
https://www.eduarddeboer.org/prikspijt-life-with-a-ur-code-opera-in-one-act-op-101/.

‘Towards a Golden Future’, Oratorio for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Child’s Voice, Mixed Choir and Wind Orchestra, Op. 103: https://www.eduarddeboer.org/toward-a-golden-future-oratorio-for-soprano-tenor-baritone-childs-voice-mixed-choir-and-wind-orchestra-op-103/

Toward Freedom, Symphonic Poem in Twelve Stanzas, Op. 100. Version for two pianos and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum

As one of the persons preferring not to take any of the vaccines that are currently being pushed, I followed the developments surrounding the so-called Freedom Convoy, early 2022 in Canada, with more than average interest. As I see it, something happened there and then, that was quite surprising and that went against the visions of those who were at the time pushing very hard for everyone to ‘take the vaccine’.

At the start of 2022, I could not avoid noticing that people like me were being heavily criticized by government officials all over the world. For instance, in my country, the Netherlands, health minister at the time Hugo de Jonge declared he had ‘zero understanding for refusers[1]’. The French prime minister, Emmanuel Macron, went even further by stating: ‘Eh bien, là, les non-vaccinés, j’ai très envie de les emmerder’ [2] which translates to ‘Well, with regard to those non-vaccinated, I really feel like pissing them off (literally: shitting on them)’.

But the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, surpassed all others by calling the ‘non-vaccinated’ ‘extremists who are often misogynists and racists’[3]; in doing so, Trudeau is the only person in the world who has ever accused me of things like that. [4]

To add to the overall picture, at the beginning of 2022, Canada was among the countries with the strictest corona measures in the world. Such were the general circumstances when, on January 13, 2022, the Canadian government issued a legislation which in practice made it impossible for truck drivers to continue doing their job if they weren’t ‘fully vaccinated’.[5]

What happened next filled me with hope. In sharp contrast with the campaign to make the ‘non-vaccinated’ the scapegoats of the worldwide pandemic situation, the vaccinated Canadian truck drivers showed solidarity towards their non-vaccinated colleagues by supporting them in their protest against this legislation. In brotherly collaboration they started what has become known as the Freedom Convoy.[6] And what was even more: many ordinary citizens, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, started to support the truck driver protests! Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet, on the other hand, did their utmost to thwart the uprising. Their main argument was that the Freedom Convoy movement was damaging the Canadian economy. This argument, however, doesn’t seem to make sense[7], especially in the light of the damage that governments worldwide are currently inflicting on the world economy, by printing ever more fiat money like crazy, spending it in very questionable ways, driving up gas, fuel and electricity prices to impossible heights, steering toward hyperinflation, etc. This worldwide destructive policy is so consistent that it appears more purposeful than random. Indeed Klaus Schwab, leader of the World Economic Forum, is very open about it that the destruction of the middle class is one of the goals of his institution[8], and he is also very open about the fact that many so-called ‘Young Global Leaders’, among whom Justin Trudeau, have ‘infiltrated’ cabinets all over the world, in order to push the World Economic Forum’s agenda. In Schwab’s own words: ‘We penetrate the cabinets.’ (…) [About Trudeau:] ‘And I know that (…) even more than half of his cabinet are actually Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.’[9]

It is my firm belief that the actual reason why the Canadian government was hell-bent on thwarting the Freedom Convoy uprising had nothing to do with protecting the economy and everything to do with the growing fraternization of the Canadian population. In order to push an agenda as destructive as the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset [10]agenda, it is vital to ‘divide and conquer’, as the saying goes, and the type of fraternization that the Freedom Convoy brought about, went against this. In my view, this was the actual reason why the global policymakers felt so strongly that something had to do done about it. In doing so, by framing and shaming, and by issuing ever more absurd legislations, they eventually felt compelled to resort to brutal violence, whereby the last remnants of their masks of friendliness and care for ‘their’ citizens fell off.

Indeed it is also my firm belief that in fraternization lies the way out of the problems that we, ordinary citizens of the world, are confronted with in this crucially important phase of the history of humankind. As a composer, I feel called to contribute to this, and it is for this reason that I wrote this composition, inspired by the Canadian Freedom Convoy protest and by the events that unfolded as a result, and entitled it Toward Freedom.

The composition is in the form of a mix between a symphonic poem in several ‘stanzas’ and a variation form ending with a fugue, depicting how the two parties involved – the government vs. the people – react to each other, to and fro. The heart-warming fraternization that the Freedom Convoy has brought about, has led me to insert Beethoven’s famous melody to Schiller’s Ode an die Freude / Alle Menschen werden Brüder (Ode to Joy / All Men will Become Brothers) into the piece. In addition, I made use of elements from the Canadian national anthem O Canada. Furthermore, halfway the composition appears a motive that originates from an earlier composition, called Vita Aeterna Variations and symbolizing positive karma.[11] It emerges triumphant in the last movement and the piece closes with it. Finally, I wanted to express that the fraternization that the citizens of Canada have shown is an example for the rest the world that here lies the solution to stop the plans that the globalists and their World Economic Forum have with humanity. I therefore reshaped the Canadian national anthem into an anthem for the world, to lyrics by Franz K. Custos; to whom I turned, as usual since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, with the request to provide me with lyrics; and to which he kindly obliged, as usual.

The composition consists of twelve movements (stanzas) that flow into one another without breaks. Here follows a description of each of these movements:

I. Introduction: Under the Yoke ^[12]
A depiction of a bleak atmosphere of suppression, under the guise of ‘prioritizing the health and safety of citizens’. Central theme is a melody derived from ‘O, Canada’, Canada’s national anthem.

II. Announcement: Crossing a Borderline[13]
Scroll down for the lyrics. Needless to say that the title is also meant in the sense of ‘going too far’.

III. Growing Protest ^[14]
Next to the O Canada motive, bits of Beethoven’s Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme start to appear.

IV. Framing and Shaming[15]
The Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme is ridiculed, while the O Canada motive is wrapped in a cloak of cheap seduction.

V. Charity[16]
A merging of Beethoven’s melody with the O Canada motive symbolizes the people’s willingness to help by donating. Halfway this ‘stanza’ the Vita Aeterna motive, symbolizing positive karma, appears for the first time.

VI. Announcement: Freezing of Accounts[17]
See lyrics on page 5. The discrepancy between the intention to ‘prioritize the health and safety of citizens’ and the new legislation now becomes apparent.

VII. ‘Material Aid’[18]
The Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Mensche warden Brüder motives, all together in a tender triple counterpoint.

VIII. Announcement: Arrests[19]
See lyrics on page 5. The discrepancy between the intention to ‘prioritize the health and safety of citizens’ and the new legislation now takes on surreal proportions.

IX. March with Empty Jerry Cans ^[20]
When the government had descended to the level of making things like carrying jerry cans filled with fuel punishable by law, people started walking the streets with empty jerry cans, thereby making use of one of the mightiest weapons that humanity has at its disposal: humor. Beethoven’s theme, in the shape that he used in the scherzo from the finale of his ninth symphony, is now in counterpoint with the O Canada motive, now reshaped into the global anthem melody that will conclude the composition.

X. Brute Force ^[21]
Time and time again, history has shown that the one thing that totalitarian systems can’t stand is humor. So, now the government descends to the level of brute force and it violently crushes the Freedom Convoy movement. It doing so, the noble O Canada motive is besmirched.

XI. Despondency
This ‘stanza’ can be subdivided into three parts: a depiction of a desolate battlefield after a battle, an expression of grief, and finally a return to the somber atmosphere of the opening stanza.

XII. Finale: Ode an die Freiheit (Ode to Freedom)
To keep a tyrannical system in place, people must be convinced that the system is there for their own good. This means that by descending to a level of brute violence, a totalitarian regime in fact signs its own death warrant, in the long run. Time and again, history has shown this, and the globalists know it.
This stanza starts off with a lonely fugue theme, getting stronger and more lively as time goes by, and then being joined by the Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Menschen warden Brüder themes respectively. The movement culminates first into a jubilant merging of the Alle Menschen werden Brüder and the O Canada themes, and finally into the global anthem, the melody of which had already appeared in the ninth movement.

Writing this composition has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Dutch Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten (Fund for Podium Arts), for which I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

Eduard de Boer, October 6, 2022

[1] https://wnl.tv/2021/03/08/de-jonge-nul-begrip-voor-mensen-die-coronaprik-weigeren/
[2] https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/maladie/coronavirus/pass-sanitaire/video-emmerder-les-non-vaccines-la-phrase-d-emmanuel-macron-remise-dans-son-contexte_4905605.html
[3] https://thepostmillennial.com/flashback-video-resurfaces-of-trudeau-calling-anti-vaxxers-racists-and-misogynists
[4] In contrast with all these and similar accusations, I have never contracted Covid, nor have I been ill otherwise, nor have I infected anyone, since March 2020 (and before that); this in spite of (or thanks to?) the fact that I have never worn medicinal masks and have never undergone any PCR test.
[5] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/01/requirements-for-truckers-entering-canada-in-effect-as-of-january-15-2022.html
[6] For a description of events, names and chronological order (albeit a rather biased one), see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_convoy_protest.
[7] For general information about Trudeau and his influence on the Canadian economy, see Jordan Peterson – How Justin Trudeau Destroyed Canada’s Economic Future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrqWUiXDNzQ.
[8] See for instance Der Mittelstand muß weg: https://twitter.com/TheNeedle10/status/1570255141160497152, where Klaus Schwab openly declares that the middle class will have to go, that the rich will profit from this and that the poor will be the losers. See also these statements by Yuval Harari, spokespersons of the WEF policies: https://rumble.com/search/video?q=harari%20human%20hackable%20animals.
[9] One can hear him say this, and more remarkable things, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daE0jthD5F8
[10] Also called Build Back Better, Agenda 21, Agenda 30, or New World Order
[11] Personally, I call this motive the Walter motive, since it refers to the Austrian Naturheiler (natural healer) Walter Saler, one of the kindest persons I have had the privilege of meeting.
[12] See for instance https://www.forbes.com/sites/sandramacgregor/2021/05/20/over-75-of-canadians-may-need-to-be-vaccinated-before-canada-us-border-reopens/?sh=40f8ed6edfec.
[13] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/01/requirements-for-truckers-entering-canada-in-effect-as-of-january-15-2022.html
[14] See https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/canada-resists-pressure-drop-vaccine-mandate-cross-border-truckers-2022-01-09.
[15] See for instance this article about Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the Freedom Convoy: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/01/requirements-for-truckers-entering-canada-in-effect-as-of-january-15-2022.html.
[16] As the abovementioned Wikipedia article correctly states, several initiatives were started to provide the protesting truck drivers with money they needed for being able to continue their protest, among which a GoFundMe campaign.
[17] See for instance https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trudeau-govt-confirms-canadian-banks-have-started-freezing-accounts-of-freedom-convoy-protesters/ & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4I9Rz_g6pU (Freeland says some protesters’ bank accounts frozen). This was made possible by invoking a so-called ‘Emergencies Act’: https://globalnews.ca/news/8617952/canada-convoy-blockade-military-response/. An unprecedented move by Trudeau and his government.
[18] Apart from food and water, the protesting truck drivers were provided with much needed fuel to keep warm, considering the freezing cold.
[19] See for instance https://www.eduarddeboer.org/o-canada-links-en-teksten, video 3.
[20] See https://www.goyimtv.tv/v/1124483593/Ottawa-residents-carry-empty-gas-cans-to-throw-off-police & https://www.eduarddeboer.org/o-canada-links-en-teksten, video 7.
[21] See for instance https://www.eduarddeboer.org/o-canada-links-en-teksten, videos 4, 5 & 6.

Lyrics:

To Stanza II:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens.^[1] Therefore:
Truck drivers, in order to be permitted to reenter the country from abroad, will be required to submit proof of being fully vaccinated.^[2]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.^[3]

To Stanza VI:
The illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms are not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.[4] Therefore:
As of today, a bank or other financial service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account of anyone financially supporting the demonstrators, without a court order. And if you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges.[5]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.

To Stanza VIII:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens. Therefore:
Anyone bringing material support, such as fuel as a protection against the freezing cold[6], to the demonstrators will be subject to arrest.[7]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.
To Stanza XII:
Finally,
Humanity
Shall shed its shackles and shall be free[8]. / Has shed its shackles and is now free.[9]

Humanity
Henceforth shall be
As one in its resolve to guarantee
Freedom for each and ev’ryone, you and me.

[1] Cf. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/11/government-of-canada-announces-adjustments-to-canadas-border-measures.html.
[2] Cf. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/01/requirements-for-truckers-entering-canada-in-effect-as-of-january-15-2022.html.
[3] Cf. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/11/government-of-canada-announces-adjustments-to-canadas-border-measures.html.
[4] See https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/02/14/full-text-of-chrystia-freelands-remarks-during-emergencies-act-announcement.html.
[5] See https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/we-will-actively-look-to-identify-you-ottawa-police-chief-warns-departed-protesters/ar-AAU6AhW.
[6] Franz K. Custos has added this to his lyrics, as to makes it clear to audiences what the fuel was intended for and why it was so important for the truck drivers to have fuel.
[7] See https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-ottawa-police-threaten-to-arrest-anyone-providing-material-support-to-freedom-convoy.
[8] To be sung at this moment in time.
[9] To be sung at some point in the future.

There is are also a version for orchestra with choir, an abridged one for orchestra alone, and a version for accordion ensemble, percussion and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum.

YouTube:

Toward Forgiveness, for symphony orchestra, Op. 98

Introduction

This composition has been derived from a piece for fanfare orchestra that I wrote in 2019, entitled Via ad Veniam (Road to Forgiveness). In 2021, one year into the outbreak of the coronavirus situation, I wrote the opera The Method of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, a free adaptation of a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, that deals with this subject. Toward the end of its second act, nurse Angelica willingly consents to ‘taking the vaccine’, not for herself, but ‘for the others’, as to reduce the risk of infecting other people. Immediately after having been inoculated, she collapses and starts to convulse violently, and she is rushed to hospital at the close of curtain. In the third act, she makes a dramatic reappearance, in a wheelchair, paralysed on one side[1], and gives an account of the process that she went through, eventually having reached the stage where she can accept what has happened to her. For the aria in which she does so, I re-used the earlier composition Via ad Veniam, and I simultaneously transformed it into this score.

[1] *)See https://www.eduarddeboer.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cf.-Nurse-Angelica.mp4

The composition is based on two medieval melodies from the Carmina Burana Codex, namely Procurans Odium

and Stabilitas.

The first song text is about the fact that injustice, when done, often turns out to be a blessing in disguise eventually; the second one is about stabilitas, steadfastness, not letting oneself be diverted from one’s path, no matter what. With this as a starting point, this composition musically depicts all kinds of stages, from the darkness that accompanies wrong-doing to its ultimate acceptance and release. The eight parts in total all merge into one another. Here is a concise overview:

Darkness. Nurse Angelica’s sudden collapse, out of the blue.
A ‘thunderclap’ is followed by a version of Procurans Odium in a two-part time signature.
Nightmare. In hospital, she has a terrible nightmare in which she finds herself unable to move.
A variation on the Procurans Odium theme, with fragments of restless fast passages and surreal sounds.
Awakening in a Nightmare. Suddenly awakening in the middle of night, she finds she still can’t control her movements. In the midst of her panic and still hardly traceable, however, a seed is sown for her determination to continue living and make the utmost of her life.
In the midst of the nightmare music, the Stabilitas theme is announced.
Despair. She can’t see a way out of her nightmare.
A variant of the beginning returns, with a variation on the Procurans Odium theme, now transformed into a version in three-part time signature, in the midst of confusion and chaos.
Grief.
The Stabilitas theme is here alternated with the three-movement version of the Procurans Odium theme.
Fury.
Again a variation on the Procurans Odium theme, now again in two-part time signature and alternating with the well-known Gregorian Dies Irae theme.
Catharsis. Out of nowhere comes a vision in which nurse Angelica sees a fire. She feels invited to commit all her negative feelings to it, and starts doing so. These feelings slowly start to melt away.
Not only the two-part version of the Procurans Odium theme is engulfed in purifying flames, but also all kinds of motives from the previous parts, connected with negative feelings, are exposed to the elements.
Acceptance.
She is now beginning to be able to accept the injustice that has been done to her.
The Stabilitas melody is alternated with the three-part version of the Procurans Odium melody. Of the flame motive, only a quiet and comforting triplet movement remains here and there.

Eduard de Boer, 23 – 11 – 2021

Odysee:

Youtube:

Toward Freedom, Symphonic Poem in Twelve Stanzas, Op. 100. Version for accordion ensemble, percussion and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum

The composition consists of twelve movements (stanzas) that flow into one another without breaks. Here follows a description of each of these movements:

II. Announcement: Crossing a Borderline[13]
Scroll down for the lyrics. Needless to say that the title is also meant in the sense of ‘going too far’.

III. Growing Protest ^[14]
Next to the O Canada motive, bits of Beethoven’s Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme start to appear.

IV. Framing and Shaming[15]
The Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme is ridiculed, while the O Canada motive is wrapped in a cloak of cheap seduction.

VII. ‘Material Aid’[18]
The Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Mensche warden Brüder motives, all together in a tender triple counterpoint.

Writing this composition has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Dutch Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten (Fund for Podium Arts), for which I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

Eduard de Boer, October 6, 2022

Lyrics:

To Stanza II:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens.^[1] Therefore:
Truck drivers, in order to be permitted to reenter the country from abroad, will be required to submit proof of being fully vaccinated.^[2]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.^[3]

To Stanza VI:
The illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms are not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.[4] Therefore:
As of today, a bank or other financial service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account of anyone financially supporting the demonstrators, without a court order. And if you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges.[5]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.

To Stanza VIII:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens. Therefore:
Anyone bringing material support, such as fuel as a protection against the freezing cold[6], to the demonstrators will be subject to arrest.[7]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.
To Stanza XII:
Finally,
Humanity
Shall shed its shackles and shall be free[8]. / Has shed its shackles and is now free.[9]

Humanity
Henceforth shall be
As one in its resolve to guarantee
Freedom for each and ev’ryone, you and me.

There is are also a version for orchestra with choir, an abridged one for orchestra alone, and and a version for two pianos and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum.

YouTube:

Toward Freedom, Symphonic Poem in Twelve Stanzas, Op. 100. Version for Orchestra (without Choir)

This is an abridged version for a composition with the same title for orchestra and and choir. It has been inspired by the Freedom Convoy in Canada, early 2022, and this version consists of eight movements that flow into one another without breaks. Here follows a description of each of these movements:

I. Introduction: Under the Yoke
A depiction of a bleak atmosphere of suppression, under the guise of ‘prioritizing the health and safety of citizens’. Central theme is a melody derived from ‘O, Canada’, Canada’s national anthem.
II. Growing Protest
Next to the O Canada motive, bits of Beethoven’s Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme start to appear.
III. Framing and Shaming
The Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme is ridiculed, while the O Canada motive is wrapped in a cloak of cheap seduction.
IV. Charity
A merging of Beethoven’s melody with the O Canada motive symbolizes the people’s willingness to help by donating. Halfway this ‘stanza’ the Vita Aeterna motive, symbolizing positive karma, appears for the first time.
V. March with Empty Jerry Cans
When the government had descended to the level of making things like carrying jerry cans filled with fuel punishable by law, people started walking the streets with empty jerry cans, thereby making use of one of the mightiest weapons that humanity has at its disposal: humor. Beethoven’s theme, in the shape that he used in the scherzo from the finale of his ninth symphony, is now in counterpoint with the O Canada motive, now reshaped into the global anthem melody that will conclude the composition.
VI. Brute Force
Time and time again, history has shown that the one thing that totalitarian systems can’t stand is humor. So, now the government descends to the level of brute force and it violently crushes the Freedom Convoy movement. It doing so, the noble O Canada motive is besmirched.
VII. Despondency
This ‘stanza’ can be subdivided into three parts: a depiction of a desolate battlefield after a battle, an expression of grief, and finally a return to the somber atmosphere of the opening stanza.
VIII. Finale: Ode an die Freiheit (Ode to Freedom)
To keep a tyrannical system in place, people must be convinced that the system is there for their own good. This means that by descending to a level of brute violence, a totalitarian regime in fact signs its own death warrant, in the long run. Time and again, history has shown this, and the globalists know it. This stanza starts off with a lonely fugue theme, getting stronger and more lively as time goes by, and then being joined by the Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Menschen werden Brüder themes respectively. The movement culminates first into a jubilant merging of the Alle Menschen werden Brüder and the O Canada themes, and finally into the global anthem, the melody of which had already appeared in the ninth movement. 10:04 Encore ad libitum. ‘Material Aid’ The Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Menschen werden Brüder motives, all together in a tender triple counterpoint.

Writing this composition has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Dutch Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten (Fund for Podium Arts), for which I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

Eduard de Boer, October 6, 2022

There is are also a slightly longer version for orchestra with choir, one for accordion ensemble, percussion and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum, and one for two pianos and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum.

YouTube:

Toward Freedom, Symphonic Poem in Twelve Stanzas, Op. 100. Version for Orchestra with Choir

The composition consists of twelve movements (stanzas) that flow into one another without breaks. Here follows a description of each of these movements:

II. Announcement: Crossing a Borderline[13]
Scroll down for the lyrics. Needless to say that the title is also meant in the sense of ‘going too far’.

III. Growing Protest ^[14]
Next to the O Canada motive, bits of Beethoven’s Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme start to appear.

IV. Framing and Shaming[15]
The Alle Menschen werden Brüder theme is ridiculed, while the O Canada motive is wrapped in a cloak of cheap seduction.

VI. Announcement: Freezing of Accounts[17]
See lyrics below. The discrepancy between the intention to ‘prioritize the health and safety of citizens’ and the new legislation now becomes apparent.

VII. ‘Material Aid’[18]
The Vita Aeterna, the O Canada and the Alle Menschen werden Brüder motives, all together in a tender triple counterpoint.

VIII. Announcement: Arrests[19]
See lyrics below. The discrepancy between the intention to ‘prioritize the health and safety of citizens’ and the new legislation now takes on surreal proportions.

Writing this composition has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Dutch Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten (Fund for Podium Arts), for which I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

Eduard de Boer, October 6, 2022

Lyrics:

To Stanza II:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens.^[1] Therefore:
Truck drivers, in order to be permitted to reenter the country from abroad, will be required to submit proof of being fully vaccinated.^[2]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.^[3]

To Stanza VI:
The illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms are not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.[4] Therefore:
As of today, a bank or other financial service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account of anyone financially supporting the demonstrators, without a court order. And if you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges.[5]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.

To Stanza VIII:
The Government’s response to the pandemic will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its citizens. Therefore:
Anyone bringing material support, such as fuel as a protection against the freezing cold[6], to the demonstrators will be subject to arrest.[7]
The Government will continue to consider further targeted measures, to keep its citizens safe.
To Stanza XII:
Finally,
Humanity
Shall shed its shackles and shall be free[8]. / Has shed its shackles and is now free.[9]

Humanity
Henceforth shall be
As one in its resolve to guarantee
Freedom for each and ev’ryone, you and me.

There is are also a version for singers, accordion ensemble and percussion, an abridged one for orchestra alone , and a version for two pianos and vocal ensemble or choir ad libitum.

YouTube:

In this video, I give an explanation about the composition and in particular about the finale:

Illustration on cover: Golden Chain Breaking

Illustration on cover: Golden Chain Breaking (https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/golden-chain-realistic-composition-breaking-segments-golden-chain-blank-background-vector-illustration_23306590.htm#query=broken%20chain&position=34&from_view=keyword&track=ais&uuid=7c5a8074-aeff-4165-9a72-4beb76197373) Image by macrovector on Freepik

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren (The Method of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether), Opera in Three Acts after a Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe, Op. 99

Libretto by Franz K. Custos

Deze opera is gebaseerd op het korte verhaal The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether van Edgar Allan Poe. In dit verhaal slagen de patiënten van een tehuis voor geestelijk gehandicapten er in de macht over te nemen door hun verzorgers gevangen te zetten. Hun overwinning is evenwel van korte duur: als zuster Angelica in het ziekenhuis belandt nadat haar een ‘reddend vaccin’ is toegediend, keren de ‘order-followers’ van het verhaal zich tegen de bezetters en worden deze overmeesterd en aan de politie uitgeleverd. De opera eindigt met een evaluatie van hoe het zozeer mis heeft kunnen gaan en geeft een mogelijke weg aan naar vergeving van de schuldigen.

Eduard de Boer, 7 december 2021

This opera is based on the short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, the patients of a home for the mentally handicapped manage to take over power by imprisoning their carers. However, their victory is short-lived: when nurse Angelica ends up in hospital after having been administered a ‘saving vaccine’, the ‘order-followers’ of the story turn against the occupiers and these are overpowered and handed over to the police. The opera ends with an evaluation of how things could have gone so wrong and it outlines a possible road toward forgiveness of the wrongdoers.

Eduard de Boer, 7 December 2021

Plaats van handeling: Huize Maison des Égards, een tehuis voor mensen met een psychische zorgvraag

PERSONEN:

Verzorgend personeel:
Doctor Barbara Peck, arts en directrice van Huize Maison des Égards: mezzosopraan
Professor doctor Julius Veeren, arts en wetenschapper: bariton
Angelica, zuster: hoge sopraan
Ivan, broeder: tenor
Boas**, broeder: bariton
Romeo***, broeder: bas
Koor A: Overige zorgmedewerkers*
Mensen met een psychische kwetsbaarheid: Willem Gajes, rijke megalomaan met invloedrijke vrienden in de outside world: tenor
Ab Normaal, kwakzalver en uitvinder: bariton
Hago, bondgenoot van Willem Gajes: karaktertenor
Sigrun, idem: alt
Koor B: Overige mensen met een psychische kwetsbaarheid / Achtergrondkoor bij de extra radio-uitzendingen*
Overige rollen:
Een politieagent: bas
Enkele politieagenten: stomme rollen
Ambulancepersoneel: stomme rollen

*) Vanaf Nr. 26 aan het eind van de tweede akte worden beide koren samengevoegd.

Place of performance: Maison des Égards, a home for people with a mental care need

PERSONS:

Caregivers:
Doctor Barbara Peck, physician and manageress of Maison des Égards: mezzo-soprano
Professor doctor Julius Veeren, physician and scientist: baritone
Angelica, nurse: high soprano
Ivan, brother: tenor
Boas**, brother: baritone
Romeo ***, brother: bass
Choir A: Other care workers*
People with a mental vulnerability:
Willem Gajes (Bill Scum), wealthy megalomaniac with influential friends in the outside world: tenor
Ab Normal, quack and inventor: baritone
Hago, ally of Willem Gajes: character tenor
Sigrun, idem: alto
Choir B: Other people with a mental vulnerability / Background choir as part of the emergency radio broadcasts*
Additional roles:
A policeman: bass
Some policemen: mute roles
Ambulance staff: mute roles

*) From No. 26 at the end of the second act onwards, both choirs are merged.

**) Afgeleid van het woord BOA, een afkorting van ‘Buitengewoon Opsporingsambtenaar’: iemand die is bevoegd tot de opsporing en beboeting van overtreders van bepaalde specifieke strafbare feiten. In Nederland werd in 2020 en 2021 het aantal Boa’s bevoegd met toezicht op handhaving van Coronamaatregelen zoals social distancing, het dragen van mondmaskers, het naleven van de avondklok, etc. etc. sterk uitgebreid.

**) Derived from the word BOA, an abbreviation of ‘Buitengewoon Opsporingsambtenaar’ (Special Tracking Down Officer): someone who is authorised to track down and fine violators of certain specific offences. In the Netherlands, in 2020 and 2021, the number of Boa’s authorised to enforce compliance with Coronas measures such as social distancing, wearing of mouth masks, observing curfew, etc. was greatly increased.

***) Romeo’s zijn undercoveragenten in burger die zich bij ongeregeldheden tussen de menigte bewegen en ingrijpen waar nodig. Aanvankelijk bedoeld om hiermee de angel uit een groep relschoppers te halen, werden ze al gauw, en in hoge mate in 2020 en 2021, juist gebruikt om bij vreedzame demonstraties geweld uit te lokken en daarmee de politie een excuus te geven om op te treden tegen demonstranten. Een selectie uit op het internet beschikbare video’s:

‘De hooligans bleken van de politie te zijn (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_QaUb6F0A

Politiegeweld Romeo’s #1 – Den Haag 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moida_-ynN0

Politiegeweld Romeo’s #2 – Den Haag 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_eALYI9CM

Politiegeweld Romeo’s #3 – Den Haag 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXC5kFceDGI&t=170s

***) Romeos are plain-clothes undercover officers who move among the crowd during riots and intervene where necessary. Initially intended to take the sting out of a group of troublemakers, they were soon, and to a great extent in 2020 and 2021, used to provoke violence at peaceful demonstrations and thus give the police an excuse to act against protesters. A selection from videos available on the internet:

‘The hooligans turned out to be from the police’ (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_QaUb6F0A

Police violence Romeos #1 – The Hague 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moida_-ynN0

Police violence Romeos #2 – The Hague 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_eALYI9CM

Police violence Romeos #3 – The Hague 20-08-2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXC5kFceDGI&t=170s

Links to the material of the opera De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren

Score:

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – 1e Akte – Partituur met Voorwerk

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – 2e Akte – Partituur met Voorwerk

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – 3e Akte – Partituur met Voorwerk

Vocal Score:

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – Pu met Voorwerk

Libretto:

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – Libretto Ne, En

Scenario:

De Methode van Doctor Peck en Professor Veeren – Scenario Ne, En

Here the music can be heard while simultaneously the vocal score can be read:
YouTube playlist:

Sta op en Schitter (Arise and Shine), op. 97 nr. 4. For high voice and piano

Text: Catharina Visser
Dedicated to those who have been afflicted by what happened in 2020

In 2019 I wrote the instrumental composition for chamber orchestra Sta op en Schitter (Arise and Shine) for a tour in Georgia by the Ricciotti Ensemble, partly inspired by the beautiful poem of the same name by Catharina Visser. The events of 2020 prompted me to use this music to set the poem itself to music. May the song uplift the listener, in a time like this.

Sta op en schitter
want lang was de nacht en bitter
de strijd met oude fantomen
maar nu is het morgen
nu wordt het tijd om blinkende dromen
waar te maken – weet je geborgen
in een nieuw licht

Kleiner zijn wij dan wij zijn
zoveel gaven laten rusten
zoveel liefde niet gedeeld
zoveel warmte ingehouden
zoveel tederheid verspeeld

zoveel angst en zorg verzwegen
zoveel aandacht niet beloond
zoveel zwijgen niet begrepen
zoveel eerbied niet getoond

Vat moed en schitter
en richt je op wat komen gaat
want je hart wordt witter
en de dag verwacht
je eigen, herboren gelaat

Groter zijn wij dan wij zijn
wat verhindert ons te leven
wat weerhoudt ons van de dans
zoveel rijkdom om te delen
zoveel innerlijke glans

zoveel dromen nog te dromen
zoveel onvermoede kracht
die de geest in ons doet stromen
ons doet uitgaan in de nacht

Liever zijn wij dan wij zijn
laten wij de rotsen breken
in het steenland van de trots
mededogen welt in beken
uit de altijd milde bron

echte aandacht voor de ander
schouwen in ‘t verborgen licht
handen reiken, ruimte scheppen
als de vrede is ontwricht

Wij zijn wijzer dan wij zijn
wijsheid is ons diepste gaan
is het weten van de eenheid
in de glimlach van de schepping
is het licht van ons bestaan

Bron: DABARbericht 4-2003, Heeswijk

Arise and shine
since the night was long and bitter
the battle with old phantoms
but now it is tomorrow
now it is time to make shining dreams
come true – you can feel secure
in a new light

Smaller are we than we are
so many gifts left in abeyance
so much love not shared
so much warmth restrained
so much tenderness wasted

so much fear and care concealed
so much attention not rewarded
so much silence not understood
so much respect not shown

Take courage and shine
and focus on what is to come
because your heart is getting whiter
and the day is awaiting
your own reborn face

We are bigger than we are
what prevents us from living
what keeps us from dancing
so much wealth to share
so much inner brilliance

so many dreams still to dream
so much unexpected power
that makes the spirit flow in us
makes us go out at night

We are nicer than we are
let’s break the rocks
in the stony land of pride
compassion welts in brooks
from the always mild source

real attention for the other
looking into the hidden light
reaching out, creating space
when peace has been disrupted

We are wiser than we are
wisdom is our most profound path
is being aware of unity
in the smile of creation
is the light of our existence

Translation: Eduard de Boer

YouTube:

Einsamkeit (Loneliness), version for medium voice and piano, op. 97 nr. 3

Text by Mask Force Bern (2020)
Dedicated to those for whom ‘we have been doing all this’, so far

‘Voor hen doen we het allemaal’ (It is for them that we are doing all this), the Dutch prime minister said in March 2020, referring to the elderly, society’s most vulnerable people, when he announced the stern government measures that he said needed to be taken, justified by the corona pandemic situation.

A number of months earlier, my then 89-old father in law had been taken into the care home in our little village, so my wife and the rest of our family could visit him or bring him to our home as often as we liked. As a result of the government measures however, this was no longer possible. Living only 500 meters away from us, he was not allowed any visit whatsoever, ‘for his protection’. Only when he was on his deathbed, nine weeks later, first my wife and then also his other family members were allowed in his room again.

This is one of the reasons why the text, written for the manifestations of the Mask Force Bern, that popped up in various countries in November of the same year, strongly appealed to me. I decided to rearrange it in such a way that it would be suitable as a song text and then set it to music. May this song contribute to the same noble cause as the Mask Force Bern manifestations: to make the world a better place.

Einsamkeit

Ganz alleine sterben lassen
ist erst Nächstenliebe.
Wahre Freiheit findet statt
in der Isolation.

Impfung, das ist Nächstenliebe.
Nähe vermeide man für immer.
Opfert alles der Hygiene.
Bleib allein in deinem Zimmer.

Trennt euch von den Gefährdern!
Schützt die Ungeborenen!
Verzichtet auf ihre Zeugung!
Schütze deine Allerliebsten.
Lass sie gar allein.
Sei auf immer gehorsam,
sei auf immer gehorsam.

Kontaminierung vermeiden.
Absolute Keimfreiheit,
absolute Keimfreiheit.
Körperkontakt schafft Leiden.
Sicher ist nur Einsamkeit.

Maskenpflicht für Neugebor‘ne.
Unser Atem tötet.
Wirklich sicher bist Du nur
in der Isolation.

Impfgegner sind zu entrechten.
Fügt euch der Normalität.
Maskenleugner soll man ächten.
Das ist Solidarität.

Verratet eure Nachbarschaft!
Regelbrecher an die Wand!
Gefährder in die Einzelhaft!
Selber denken gefährdet
das Allgemeinwohl.
Sei auf immer gehorsam,
Sei auf immer gehorsam.

Kontaminierung vermeiden.
Absolute Keimfreiheit,
Absolute Keimfreiheit.
Kontaminierung vermeiden.
Absolute Keimfreiheit,
Absolute Keimfreiheit.
Körperkontakt schafft Leiden.
Sicher ist nur Einsamkeit.
Sicher ist nur Einsamkeit.
Nur Einsamkeit.
Einsamkeit.

Loneliness

To let die all alone
is real charity.
True freedom takes place
in isolation.

Vaccination, that is charity.
Avoid closeness forever.
Sacrifice everything to hygiene.
Remain alone in your room.

Separate yourselves from those who seek danger!
Protect the unborn!
Renounce their procreation!
Protect your most loved ones.
Leave them alone.
Be always obedient,
be obedient for ever.

Avoid contamination.
Absolute sterility,
absolute sterility.
Physical contact creates suffering.
Only solitude is safe.

Masks compulsory for new-borns.
Our breath is lethal.
You are only really safe
in isolation.

Opponents of vaccination must be stripped of their rights.
Submit to normality.
Mask deniers are to be outlawed.
That is solidarity.

Betray your neighbourhood!
Rule breakers against the wall!
Those seeking danger are to be put in solitary confinement!
Thinking for yourself endangers
the common good.
Be obedient forever,
Be obedient at all times.

Avoid contamination.
Absolute sterility,
Absolute sterility.
Avoid contamination.
Absolute sterility,
Absolute sterility.
Physical contact creates suffering.
Only solitude is safe.
Only solitude is safe.
Only solitude.
Solitude.

Youtube:

The sheet music of this Lied can be viewed and downloaded here (high voice) and here (medium voice), free of charge.

There is also a version for high voice and piano.

Einsamkeit (Loneliness), version for high voice and piano, op. 97 nr. 3

Text by Mask Force Bern (2020)
Dedicated to those for whom ‘we have been doing all this’, so far

Einsamkeit

Ganz alleine sterben lassen
ist erst Nächstenliebe.
Wahre Freiheit findet statt
in der Isolation.

Impfung, das ist Nächstenliebe.
Nähe vermeide man für immer.
Opfert alles der Hygiene.
Bleib allein in deinem Zimmer.

Trennt euch von den Gefährdern!
Schützt die Ungeborenen!
Verzichtet auf ihre Zeugung!
Schütze deine Allerliebsten.
Lass sie gar allein.
Sei auf immer gehorsam,
sei auf immer gehorsam.

Kontaminierung vermeiden.
Absolute Keimfreiheit,
absolute Keimfreiheit.
Körperkontakt schafft Leiden.
Sicher ist nur Einsamkeit.

Maskenpflicht für Neugebor‘ne.
Unser Atem tötet.
Wirklich sicher bist Du nur
in der Isolation.

Impfgegner sind zu entrechten.
Fügt euch der Normalität.
Maskenleugner soll man ächten.
Das ist Solidarität.

Verratet eure Nachbarschaft!
Regelbrecher an die Wand!
Gefährder in die Einzelhaft!
Selber denken gefährdet
das Allgemeinwohl.
Sei auf immer gehorsam,
Sei auf immer gehorsam.

Loneliness

To let die all alone
is real charity.
True freedom takes place
in isolation.

Vaccination, that is charity.
Avoid closeness forever.
Sacrifice everything to hygiene.
Remain alone in your room.

Separate yourselves from those who seek danger!
Protect the unborn!
Renounce their procreation!
Protect your most loved ones.
Leave them alone.
Be always obedient,
be obedient for ever.

Avoid contamination.
Absolute sterility,
absolute sterility.
Physical contact creates suffering.
Only solitude is safe.

Masks compulsory for new-borns.
Our breath is lethal.
You are only really safe
in isolation.

Opponents of vaccination must be stripped of their rights.
Submit to normality.
Mask deniers are to be outlawed.
That is solidarity.

Youtube:

The sheet music of this Lied can be viewed and downloaded here (high voice) and here (medium voice), free of charge.

There is also a version for medium voice and piano.

An Ardent Love Affair, Cantata for tenor, baritone, choir ad libitum and piano, op. 97, inspired by ‘Scenario LOCK STEP, a world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback’, by the Rockefeller Foundation (2010)

The full introduction & the full text of the cantata can be read here. And, in order to be able to follow the text with the musc, the score can be viewed here.

Soon after, in early 2020, the coronavirus started to influence everyone’s lives, I came across a report, entitled Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, written in 2010 and jointly produced by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Business Network. It can be viewed and downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/pdfy-tNG7MjZUicS-wiJb/mode/2up.

A quote from the introductory letter by Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation: We believe that scenario planning has great potential for use in philanthropy to identify unique interventions, simulate and rehearse important decisions that could have profound implications (…). Most important, by providing a methodological structure, (…) scenario planning allows us to achieve impact more effectively.[1] And in his introductory letter, Peter Schwartz, Cofounder and Chairman of the Global Business Network, adds: This is only the start of an important conversation that will continue to shape the potential of technology and international development going forward.[2]

One of the scenarios in this report is called LOCK STEP, a world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback.[3] It is an absolutely amazing scenario, in that it not only predicts the outbreak of a worldwide pandemic at some point in the near future, it also predicts a number of the government measures, taken to combat the pandemic, that are currently in effect and that have profoundly impacted the world in ways that no-one would have believed could be possible before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic:

… from the mandatory wearing of face masks to body-temperature checks at the entries to communal spaces like train stations and supermarkets.[4]

Even more surprisingly, the scenario makes valuable predictions that have at this moment in time not yet come to fruition, but indications are that they may well do so soon:

Even after the pandemic faded, this more authoritarian control and oversight of citizens and their activities stuck and even intensified. In order to protect themselves from the spread of increasingly global problems — from pandemics and transnational terrorism to environmental crises[5] and rising poverty — leaders around the world took a firmer grip on power. (…) Citizens willingly gave up some of their sovereignty — and their privacy — to more paternalistic states in exchange for greater safety and stability (…) and national leaders had more latitude to impose order in the ways they saw fit. In developed countries, this heightened oversight took many forms: biometric IDs for all citizens, for example, and tighter regulation of key industries whose stability was deemed vital to national interests.[6]

Impressed as I was by the imaginative predictive power of the scenario’s writers, I decided to compose a cantata about the Lock Step report, as a tribute; a cantata for tenor and baritone, in its original version accompanied by only a piano, as nearly all orchestras and ensembles are currently not allowed to play. I therefore contacted the American poet Michael R. Burch, who in 2016 had been so kind as to write the poems for my song cycle Children of Gaza. Michael liked the idea and kindly provided me with the necessary lyrics for the cantata, all inspired by texts from the Lock Step report. These lyrics proved so inspiring that it only took me a little over a week to set them to music. Having finished the version with piano, I decided to continue and write a version with orchestra as well.

In the Lock Step scenario, China is praised as the country that, better than other countries, succeeds in stopping the spread of the virus:

The Chinese government’s quick imposition and enforcement of mandatory quarantine for all citizens, as well as its instant and near-hermetic sealing off of all borders, saved millions of lives, stopping the spread of the virus far earlier than in other countries and enabling a swifter post-pandemic recovery.[7]

For me, it seemed only natural to quote from the Chinese national anthem when China is mentioned in the lyrics. While searching for the sheet music on the internet, I discovered that also part of this anthem’s remarkable lyrics would fit very well in the composition[8]:

So I added an ad libitum choir to the cantata’s closing section, a chorus that can be added but can also be left out.

I hope that this humble tribute will help spread awareness about how truly astonishing the insights as described in the Lock Step report, written back n 2010, have proved to be, from the perspective of the current global situation. Michael Burch and I would like to dedicate our joint composition to the victims of what Michael Free, at the time vice president of the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), calls collateral damage: the extent of the problem that you can create by solving another problem.[9]

[1] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 4
[2] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 7
[3] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 18
[4] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 19[5] Cf for instance https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/emissions-fell-during-lockdown-keep-that-way/
[6] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 19
[7] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 18
[8] Cf https://lyricstranslate.com/en/guo-ge-%E5%9B%BD%E6%AD%8C-china-national-anthem-china-national-anthem.html
[9] Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, page 28

Illustration on cover: How will coronavirus change the world by Veronchikchik

There is also a version with orchestra, op. 97 bis.

Youtube (electronic soundfile) of the version with orchestra (with subtitles):

An Ardent Love Affair, Cantata for tenor, baritone, choir ad libitum and orchestra, op. 97 bis, inspired by ‘Scenario LOCK STEP, a world of tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback’, by the Rockefeller Foundation (2010)

The full introduction & the full text of the cantata can be read here. And, in order to be able to follow the text with the musc, the score of the version with piano can be viewed here.

… from the mandatory wearing of face masks to body-temperature checks at the entries to communal spaces like train stations and supermarkets.[4]

Even more surprisingly, the scenario makes valuable predictions that have at this moment in time not yet come to fruition, but indications are that they may well do so soon:

In the Lock Step scenario, China is praised as the country that, better than other countries, succeeds in stopping the spread of the virus:

So I added an ad libitum choir to the cantata’s closing section, a chorus that can be added but can also be left out.

Illustration on cover: How will coronavirus change the world by Veronchikchik

There is also a version with piano, op. 97.

Youtube (electronic soundfile, with subtitles):

Записки сумасшедшего (Diary of a Madman), opera in one act after Gogol (unfinished)

Libretto by the composer
Total duration of the finished excerpts: ca. 23 minutes
Estimation of the total duration of the finished opera: ca. 70 – 75 minutes
Cover picture: Illustration of the novel “Diary of a Madman”) by Ilya Repin

It has for many years been a dream of mine to turn Gogol’s short story Diary of a Madman into a one-act opera for only one singer and orchestra; an opera which will in this respect be comparable to Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and Schönberg Erwartung.

Gogol’s story depicts a low-level clerk’s gradual descent into madness, eventually leading to his confinement in a mental asylum. Starting with a journal entry dated as The Year 2000, 43rd of April, the second half of the work chronicles the worsening of his condition, starting with the moment that he arrives to the conclusion that he is the new king of Spain. The story ends with his total breakdown, due to the brutal way he is being treated in the asylum.

What makes the story so well suited for opera in general is the gradual unfolding of the drama towards its inescapable climax. Furthermore, Gogol’s own words can directly be turned into a libretto, as it is possible to abridge Gogol’s text by ca. 60% while still retaining nearly every step of the worsening of the protagonist’s mental condition.

And besides all this there is something that makes the story extremely interesting to be turned into a 21^st century opera. We now have an incredible amount of musical idioms and atmospheres at our disposal that can be used to depict everything ranging from the harmonious and tonal to the disharmonious and atonal. This implies that the madman’s gradually increasing mental instability can be musically underlined by music that is becoming more and more atonal and dissonant during the course of the opera; the gradual increase in dissonance being alternated by moments where a general mood of sad solitude is musically depicted, illustrating the madman’s troubled soul. Gogol’s Diary of a Madman is just waiting to be transformed into precisely such an opera. In my estimation, this is nothing short of a golden idea, the realisation of which, if carried out well, cannot fail to have a considerable impact.

Thanks to having been offered an amount of money to make a start, I have been able to draft a concept libretto, consisting of 19 diary entries or scenes, and to set a number of these to music. This score consists of the beginning of the opera, followed by scenes 2, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11. From the very start of the music, the music reflects a certain degree of mental instability. In scenes 9 – 11, it can be heard that this instability has increased: the music has become either atonal or still tonal, but in a rather ‘unhinged’ way. Scene 12 is the abovementioned Year 2000, 43rd of April entry, where the madman has come to the conclusion that he is Spain’s new king. From this moment on, the music will be yet more disharmonious than before, and very eerie; to give a bit of an idea: somewhat like Rodion Shchedrin’s music for the ballet The Seagull. The last scene, however, depicting the hero’s total breakdown, will be very emotional and tragic.

There are two songs of mine that play an important part in this opera. The first one is a song called Der Wahnsinn (The Madness), taken from my song cycle Lieder und Tänze der Nacht (Songs and Dances of the Night), which can be found on Youtube. The other is called Lyubovnaya Pyesnya (Love Song), on a poem by Nikolai Nikolev. The beginning of this last poem is quoted in Gogol’s story, and I set it to music just before embarking on the music for the opera itself, as to have the necessary themes connected with the protagonist’s love for the director’s daughter.

In the music composed so far, I haven’t made much use of brass and percussion. I saved that for later on: there will be a lot of – mostly muted – brass and mysterious sounding percussion in the second half of the opera, from the 43^rd of April on….

CAST

Сумасшедший / Madman: Tenor

LIST OF PLAYERS

Piccolo I = Flute III
Flutes I, II
Oboe I
Oboe II = English Horn
Eb Clarinet = Clarinet II in Bb
Clarinet I in Bb
Bass Clarinet in Bb = Clarinet III in Bb
Bassoons I, II

Trumpet I, II
Horns I, II in F
Trombones I, II
Tuba

Harp
Keyboard

Percussion I: Timpani, Woodblock
Percussion II: Woodblock, Bass Drum, Marimba

Violins I
Violins II
Violas
Violoncellos
Double Basses (half of which going down to low C)

The Final Liberation of Man, for Mixed Chorus and Symphony Orchestra (2020)

A composition, based on the last song of my Fünf Lieder nach Texten Franz Kafkas (Five Songs after Texts by Franz Kafka), ‘Nach dem Gewitter’ (‘After the Thunderstorm’), to celebrate the eventual positive outcome of the 2020 pandemic situation and to keep up high spirits. Here is the melody with text:

An electronic recording of the composition can be heard here. And a longer version can be heard here. I often listen to this longer version during my 20 minute morning run.

Bells of Paradise, Ballet after a Japanese Fairy Tale, op. 95

Continue reading Bells of Paradise, Ballet after a Japanese Fairy Tale, op. 95

Bright Side Overture, for fanfare orchestra, op. 92

In opdracht van en geschreven voor het Orkest Koninklijke Marechaussee ter gelegenheid van zijn 70-jarig jubileum op 12 april 2020
Opgedragen aan het Orkest Koninklijke Marechaussee en Peter Kleine Schaars

Ik voel me zeer vereerd met de uitnodiging van dirigent Peter kleine Schaars om voor zijn orkest Koninklijke Marechaussee een stuk te componeren ter gelegenheid van hun 70-jarig jubileum. Zijn suggestie om er een bekend trompetsignaal in te verwerken heb ik met veel plezier gevolgd.

Het resultaat is geworden een ouverture, geschreven in de zogeheten sonatevorm, met in de expositie drie onderling verwante thema’s, waarvan de eerste twee snel en de laatste langzaam. De thema’s worden afgewisseld met het trompetsignaal Bereden wapens. Dit signaal speelt ook in de doorwerking een belangrijke rol en verschijnt in de reprise uiteindelijk in contrapunt met het langzame thema.

Ik hoop dat het instuderen, het uitvoeren en het beluisteren van deze compositie net zoveel plezier mag brengen als ik heb gehad met het schrijven ervan.

Eduard de Boer, oktober 2019

Youtube:

Angelus Koraalvariaties (Angelus Choral Variations), for fanfare orchestra, op. 91

In deze compositie staat het koraal Angelus van Georg Joseph (ca. 1630 – ca. 1668) centraal. Het werk bestaat uit een inleiding, waarin de zowel dit koraalthema wordt geëxposeerd als ook een thema dat aan het eind van het stuk als fugathema dient. Hierna volgen een viertal variaties en tenslotte een finale in de vorm van een fuga.

In de 19^e eeuw schreef dominee Henry Twells (1823 – 1900) een passende tekst bij Georg Joseph’s melodie, een tekst die hij baseerde op Lukas 4, de verzen 40 en 41:

Toen de zon onderging, brachten allen die zieken hadden, door allerlei kwalen gekweld, deze zieken bij Hem; en Hij legde ieder van hen de handen op en genas hen.
Ook gingen er van velen demonen uit, die schreeuwden en zeiden: U bent de Christus, de Zoon van God! Maar Hij bestrafte hen en liet hun niet toe te spreken, omdat zij wisten dat Hij de Christus was.

Lukas 4 begint met het beroemde verhaal van de verzoeking in de woestijn. Jezus weerstaat de verleiding van de duivel en gaat daarna in virtute Spiritus, gesterkt door de kracht van de Geest, terug naar Galilea, waar hij begint met prediken en met zijn wonderbaarlijke genezingen.

Let There Be Light Again, A Stairway to Heaven, for brass, percussion and unison chorus ad libitum, op. 94

The famous words Let There Be Light Again are taken from the so-called Speech of the Unknown Man, on July 4, 1776, during an assembly dedicated to signing the Declaration of Independence, which would declare America to be a free country and no longer a colony of Great Britain. In the words of an eye-witness:

In the old State House in Philadelphia, a group of men were gathered for the momentous task of severing the tie between the old country and the new. It was a grave moment, and not a few of those present feared that their lives would be the forfeit for their audacity. In the midst of the debate a fierce voice rang out. The debaters stopped and turned to look upon the stranger. Who was this man who had suddenly appeared in their midst and had transfixed them with his oratory? They had never seen him before, none knew when he had entered; but his tall form and pale face filled them with awe. His voice ringing with a holy zeal, the stranger stirred them to their very souls. His closing words rang. through the building, ’God has given America to be free!’ As the stranger sank into a chair exhausted, a wild enthusiasm burst forth. Name after name was placed upon the parchment: the Declaration of Independence was signed. But where was the man who had precipitated the accomplishment of this immortal task — who had lifted for a moment the veil from the eyes of the assemblage and revealed to them a part at least of the great purpose for which the new nation was conceived? He had disappeared, nor was he ever seen or his identity established.

The electrifying speech stirred the reluctant signers of the Declaration of Independence into action. They all overcame their fear and enthusiastically signed the document. Legend has it that the ‘Unknown Man’ was in fact an apparition of Count of Saint Germain, according to some an spiritually highly advanced so-called ‘ascended master’. Whoever he was, he ended his now famous speech with these words:

God has given the American continent to the free–the toiling millions of the human race–as the last altar of the rights of man on the globe–the home of the oppressed, forevermore!

When conductor Lute Hoekstra asked me to write a composition having to do with America for the Dutch Regimentsfanfare ’Garde Grenadiers en Jagers’ (Regiment Fanfare Gard Grenadiers and Hunters), I found inspiration in this wonderful story. I imagined a composition akin to Edward Elgar’s great Pomp and Circumstance March Nr. 1, with its famous Trio section tune, to which Arthur C. Benson added the lyrics of Land of Hope and Glory. I slightly altered the closing words of the Speech of the Unknown Man, as to add meter and rhyme:

Let there be light again.
Let there be a New World, when
God has given America to the free.
As an altar of the rights
For which man fought many fights,
God has given America to thee.

Forevermore,
Forevermore,
God wants His people to be free,
Forevermore,
Forevermore,
God has given America to thee,
To be free!

To these words I composed a tune for the B section of my composition. As is also the case in Elgar’s March, my composition has a lively A section. In this part, the opening of George Gershwin’s song A Gateway to Paradise is quoted, next to the Let there be light again motive.

In the closing section of the score, a Unison Chorus part has been added, which can either be sung, by a choir and / or by the audience, but which can also be left out.

Youtube:

Tombeau voor Hans Kox, op. 87 nr. 3. Version for two pianos

This short tribute to my former composition teacher Hans Kox, which I composed for and played during his funeral service, connects the opening bars of his opera The Portrait of Dorian Gray with motifs of two medieval songs from the Carmina Burana Codex, namely Celum non Animum and Procurans Odium. The central theme of both songs is stabilitas, the Latin word for steadfastness, cannot be taken off its course, not even by negativity from outside. This was a central theme in Hans’ life, and to his steadfastness we owe the above-mentioned exquisite opera and all his other music.

The piece was originally composed for piano solo. I wrote this version a bit later.

Tombeau voor Hans Kox, op. 87 nr. 3. Version for piano solo

There is also a version for two pianos.

Die geschlossene Tür. Fünf Lieder für hohe Stimme und Klavier, Op. 93

I. Die Rote Jacke
II. Die geschlossene Tür
III. Meine Mutter in der Küche
IV. Erwachsenenalter
V. Der Kirschbaum

After the death of Mimi Deckers-Dijs (1936 – 2013), a well-known theologian and also my mother-in-law, a large number of poems emerged that she had written in the course of her life. Her husband and her oldest daughter took the initiative to compile an anthology from them and to release them in book form. And I selected a number of her poems with the intention of putting them to music.

This song cycle is the first result of this. The poems are about a traumatic event in early childhood and about the way in which this event affects later life. With penetrating words, Mimi Deckers-Dijs expresses her feelings, both from the perspective of her as a child and from her as an adult.

The poems have been translated into German by me, because in my opinion the expressive power of Mimi’s words fits very well with the German language. In addition, having done so creates a certain distance from the words that Mimi has written but never brought out herself.

Sjaak Deckers, oldest son of Mimi, has made it possible for me to compose this cycle of songs. I would like to thank him very much for this.

Na het overlijden van Mimi Deckers-Dijs (1936 – 2013), een bekende theologe en tevens mijn schoonmoeder, kwam er een groot aantal gedichten boven water, die ze in de loop van haar leven geschreven had. Haar echtgenoot en haar oudste dochter namen het initiatief om er een bloemlezing uit samen te stellen en deze in boekvorm uit te brengen. En zelf koos ik een aantal van haar gedichten uit met de bedoeling deze op muziek te zetten.

Deze liederencyclus is het eerste resultaat hiervan. De gedichten gaan over een traumatische gebeurtenis in de vroege jeugd en over de manier waarop deze gebeurtenis doorwerkt in het latere leven. Met indringende woorden geeft Mimi Deckers-Dijs uitdrukking aan haar gevoelens, zowel vanuit het perspectief van haar als kind als ook van haar als volwassene.

De gedichten zijn door mij in het Duits vertaald, omdat de expressieve kracht van Mimi’s woorden naar mijn gevoel heel goed past bij de Duitse taal. Daarnaast schept dit een zekere afstand tot de woorden die Mimi heeft geschreven maar nooit zelf naar buiten bracht.

Sjaak Deckers, oudste zoon van Mimi, heeft het me mogelijk gemaakt deze liederencyclus te componeren. Ik wil hem graag heel hartelijk hiervoor bedanken.

Nach dem Tod von Mimi Deckers-Dijs (1936 – 2013), einer bekannten Theologin und auch meiner Schwiegermutter, tauchte eine Vielzahl von Gedichten auf, welche sie im Laufe ihres Lebens geschrieben hatte. Ihr Ehemann und ihre älteste Tochter ergriffen die Initiative, daraus eine Anthologie zusammenzustellen und in Buchform zu veröffentlichen. Einige ihrer Gedichte habe ich dann ausgewählt, um diese zu vertonen.

Dieser Liederzyklus ist das erste Ergebnis daraus. Die Gedichte handeln von einem traumatischen Ereignis in der frühen Kindheit und davon, wie sich dieses Ereignis auf das spätere Leben ausgewirkt hat. Mit eindringlichen Worten drückt Mimi Deckers-Dijs ihre Gefühle aus, sowohl aus ihrer Perspektive als Kind als auch als Erwachsene.

Die Gedichte wurden von mir ins Deutsche übersetzt, da die Ausdruckskraft von Mimis Worten meiner Meinung nach sehr gut zur deutschen Sprache passt. Außerdem entsteht so eine gewisse Distanz zu den Worten, die Mimi geschrieben, aber nie selber an die Öffentlichkeit brachte.

Sjaak Deckers, der älteste Sohn von Mimi, hat es mir ermöglicht, diesen Liederzyklus zu komponieren. Dafür möchte ich ihm recht herzlich danken.

DE GESLOTEN DEUR

DER GESCHLOSSENE TÜR

THE CLOSED DOOR

I. Het rode jasje

Mama had het gemaakt.
Het roodkapjasje.
Mama maakte alles.
Mama maakte altijd kleren die namen hadden.
Laatst op zondagmorgen,
de Tiroler jurk.
Zij wachtte in haar jurk met papa totdat hij klaar was.
En toen liepen zij samen in de zon naar de kerk.

En toen gebeurde op een dag het vreemde.
Mama was weg. Zomaar weg met een grote meneer.
Zij stond bij de tafel in de kamer en huilde.
Waarom huilde ze. Ze hoefde toch niet weg.
Als die man niet lief voor haar was
kon ze toch blijven?
Ze huilde.

Het rode jasje
leek zo weinig roodkapjes rood.

I. Die rote Jacke

Mama hat sie gemacht.
Die Rotkäppchen-Jacke.
Mama machte alles.
Mama machte immer Kleider, die Namen hatten.
Vor kurzem am Sonntagmorgen,
das Tiroler Kleid.
Sie wartete in ihrem Kleid mit Papa, bis er fertig war.
Und dann gingen sie zusammen in der Sonne zur Kirche.

Und dann passierte eines Tages das Eigenartige.
Mama war weg. Einfach so, mit einem großen Herrn.
Sie stand am Tisch im Zimmer und weinte.

Warum weinte sie? Sie musste doch nicht gehen.
Wenn dieser Mann nicht nett zu ihr wäre, könnte sie doch bleiben?
Sie weinte.

Die rote Jacke
schien so wenig Rotkäppchen-rot.

I. The red jacket

Mama had made it.
The Little Red Riding Hood jacket.
Mommy made everything.
Mama always made clothes that had names.
The other day, on Sunday morning,
the Tyrolean dress.
She waited in her dress with Dad until he was ready.
And then they walked to the church, together in the sun.

And then one day the strange thing happened.
Mama was gone. Just gone, with a big gentleman.
She was standing at the table in the room and crying.
Why was she crying? She didn’t have to leave.
If that man wasn’t kind to her,
she could just stay?
She was crying.

The red jacket
seemed so little Red Riding Hood red.

II. De gesloten deur

zo lang geleden
gisteren
was ik het kind
staande aan de deur die klemde

sneeuwvoetstappen op de mat
de deur ging nooit open

die middag huilde mijn moeder
stond bij de tafel
met haar zwarte hoed op
uit te leggen
dat ze weg moest
weg uit ons huis
weg van mijn vader
weg van mij

ze huilde
en ik zei
dat als ze wilde blijven
dat van mij mocht
dat ik lief zou zijn
liever
liefst

ze ging

de deur naar buiten wilde niet open
ik weet van de sneeuw op de mat
maar of ik schreeuwde
huilde
om mijn moeder riep?

mijn moeder liep weg
en nu nog steeds
ben ik haar godverlaten kind

altijd bang het lieve te verliezen
achter te blijven
voor een gesloten deur.

II. Die geschlossene Tür

so lange her
gestern
war ich das Kind
und stand an der Tür, die klemmte

Schneefußspuren auf der Matte
die Tür öffnete sich nie

an diesem Nachmittag weinte meine Mutter
stand am Tisch
trug ihren schwarzen Hut
und erklärte
dass sie gehen musste
weg von unserem Haus
weg von meinem Vater
weg von mir

sie weinte
und ich sagte
dass, wenn sie bleiben wolle
sie dürfe doch bleiben
dass ich süß sein würde
süßer
am süßesten

sie ging

die Tür nach draußen würde sich nicht öffnen
ich weiß noch über den Schnee auf der Matte
aber ob ich schrie
weinte
um meine Mutter rief?

meine Mutter ging weg
und jetzt noch immer
bin ich ihr gottverlassenes Kind

immer ängstlich, das Liebe zu verlieren
zurück zu bleiben
für eine geschlossene Tür.

II. The closed door

so long ago
yesterday
I was the child
standing at the door that was stuck

snow footsteps on the mat
the door never opened

that afternoon my mother cried
standing at the table
wearing her black hat
and explaining
that she had to leave
away from our house
away from my father
away from me

she was crying
and I said
that if she wanted to stay
she could just stay
that I would be sweet
sweeter
sweetest

she went

the door to the outside would not open
I still know about the snow on the mat
but whether I screamed
wept
cried for my mother?

my mother walked away
and still to this day
I am her godforsaken child

always afraid of losing what is lovely
to be left behind
before a closed door.

III. Mijn moeder in de keuken

Mijn moeder in de keuken
– wat is ze lief mijn moeder –
ze bezweert me niets te zeggen
aan mijn vader.
Wat niet te zeggen?
vaag in mijn herinnering
een vreemde man
voor mij van geen belang
speelgoed voor grote mensen

Mijn vader die me wakker maakt
– wat is hij lief mijn vader –
hij vraagt
was er bezoek vandaag
ja, zeg ik, vaag
de vreemde man beschrijvend
was ik wakende of weer in slaap

besef ik nu dan mijn verraad
ik had mijn moeder niet begrepen
nu niet
nooit

III. Meine Mutter in der Küche

Meine Mutter in der Küche
– wie süß sie ist meine Mutter –
sie beschwört mir nichts
zu meinem Vater zu sagen.
Was nicht zu sagen?
verschwommen in meiner Erinnerung
ein fremder Mann
für mich ohne Bedeutung
Spielzeug für Erwachsene

Mein Vater, der mich aufweckt
– wie süß er ist mein Vater –
er fragt
gab es heute Besuch
ja, sage ich, vage
den fremden Mann beschreibend
war ich wach oder wieder schlafend

erkenne ich nun meinen Verrat
ich habe meine Mutter nicht verstanden
jetzt nicht
niemals

III. My mother in the kitchen

My mother in the kitchen
– how sweet she is my mother –
she beseeches me to say nothing
to my father.
What not to say?
vague in my memory
a strange man
of no interest to me
toys for grown-ups

My father waking me up
– how sweet he is my father –
he asks
was there a visitor today
yes, I say, vaguely
describing the strange man
was I awake or asleep again

Do I now realize my betrayal
I didn’t understand my mother
not now
never

IV. Volwassenheid

Misschien leven de kinderen
wel stil aan het verdriet voorbij
huilen een wanhopig ogenblik
vergeten dan
en spelen verder
zich verliezende
in schone schijn

in het diepst
van hun ziel
slaan zij de feiten
klaar en helder op

en eindelijk volwassen
jaren later
bouwen zij een kooi
van koperen tralies
groen geworden angst
gepantserde ramen

trachten te vergeten
spelenderwijs te overleven
is slechts kinderen gegeven

volwassen
staat een mens
groot en rechtop voor zijn verdriet

de deur klemt weer
kan men haar openbreken?

IV. Erwachsenenalter

vielleicht leben die Kinder
stille an der Trauer vorbei
weinen einen verzweifelten Moment
vergessen dann
und spielen weiter
sich verlierend
im schönen Schein

im tiefsten
ihrer Seelen
speichern sie die Fakten
klar und eindeutig

und endlich erwachsen
Jahre später
bauen sie einen Käfig
von Kupferstangen
grün gewordener Angst
gepanzerte Fenster

versuchen zu vergessen
spielend zu überleben
ist nur Kinder gegeben

einmal erwachsen
steht ein Mensch
groß und aufrecht vor seinem Kummer

die Tür steckt wieder fest
kann man sie aufbrechen?

IV. Adulthood

Maybe the children live
silently beyond sorrow
they cry for a desperate moment
and then they forget
and continue playing
losing themselves
in beautiful appearance

in the deepest
of their souls
they store the facts
clearly and plainly

and finally grown-up
years later
they build a cage
of copper bars
fear turned green
armoured windows

trying to forget
playfully surviving
is only given to children

once an adult
a human being
stands tall and upright before his grief

the door is stuck again
can it be forced open?

V. De Kersenboom

De kersenboom in onze tuin
pronkt zich de blauwe hemel in
– ontroerend bruidsboeket in mei –

de winter wilde dit jaar
maar niet wijken
en in ons hart ontstond
vertwijfeld vragen
of dit jaar de woestijn
nog zou verdwijnen
het gras weer groen zou worden
en ik vreesde dat de bomen
nooit meer zouden spruiten

en nu ineens dat tere blauw
mei-blauw
niet nader te benoemen
en uit de bermen wijkt de dood
en samen met het groen
begin ook ik opnieuw te leven.

V. Der Kirschbaum

Der Kirschbaum in unserem Garten
protzt in den blauen Himmel hinein
– berührender Hochzeitsstrauß im Mai –

Der Winter wollte dieses Jahr
nicht nachgeben
und in unserem Herz entstand
ein verzweifeltes Fragen
ob dieses Jahr die Wüste
noch verschwinden würde
ob das Gras wieder grün werden würde
und ich fürchtete, dass die Bäume
nie wieder sprießen würden

und jetzt plötzlich dieses zarte Blau
Mai-blau
nicht näher zu deuten
und der Tod weicht von den Seitenstreifen
und zusammen mit dem Grün
fange auch ich an wieder zu leben.

V. The cherry tree

The cherry tree in our garden
is showing off into the blue sky
– a moving wedding bouquet in May –

this year, winter
didn’t want to yield
and in our hearts arose
a desperate questioning
whether this year the wasteland
would disappear
whether the grass would turn green again
and I feared that the trees
would never sprout again

and now suddenly this delicate blue
May-blue
impossible to determine
and death is departing from the berm
and together with the vegetation
I also start living again.

Übersetzung: Eduard de Boer, mit Dank an Ricardo Döniger für seine Hilfe

Translation: Eduard de Boer

YouTube:

Entrada para Banda, op 90 nr. 2 bis

Dedicado a mis queridos amigos José Ángel, Alejandro y Ángel Hernández Azorín.

Youtube:

Entrada en la Banda, para saxofón soprano, 2 saxofones alto y piano, op. 90 nr. 2

Dedicado a mis queridos amigos José Ángel, Alejandro y Ángel Hernández Azorín.

Youtube:

En el Reino del Sueño (In the Realm of Sleep), for alto saxophone, vibraphone, violoncello, contrabass and piano, op. 90 nr. 1

Commissioned for the Senttix project and Mr. Pedro Arcas by the Asociación Amigos de la Música de Yecla, Spain

My friend Ángel Hernandez Azorín came up with a suggestion to compose a piece about sleeping and dreaming, for an unusual combination of instruments: alto saxophone, vibraphone, violoncello, contrabass and piano. This idea resulted in a benign commission from the matrasses factory Ecus in Yecla.

The composition describes a night with sleeping and dreaming, and finally awakening with new energy and vigour. There are three movements:

Durmiendo (Sleeping), for alto saxophone, contrabass and piano. A movement with a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere
Soñando. (Dreaming), for violoncello, vibraphone and piano. About processing occurrences of the past day. At times, the atmosphere is somewhat surreal.
Nueva Aurora (A New Dawn), for all instruments. Having slept well and having benefited from dreaming has brought new vigour and energy for a bright new day.

It has been a great pleasure to write this composition, about a phenomenon we all know so well.

Youtube:

Het is Feest! (It’s a Feast!), for large or amplified children’s choir and piano four hands

Commissioned by and dedicated to Albert Wissink and the Koorschool Midden-Gelderland, for the occasion of their 100-year jubilee
Composed for the day of the children’s choirs of the Koorschool Midden-Gelderland, February 8, 2020

Het is Feest

Het is feest!
Het is feest!
Een feest zoals er zelden is geweest!
De hele stad is opgefleurd,
Met vlaggen en slingers ingekleurd.
Er hangen posters in elke straat,
Met bonte letters van groot formaat,
Waarop iedereen leest:
Het is feest!
Het is feest!

De beiaardier speelt op het klokkenspel
En er is kermis, mét een carrousel.
De ijscoman die is niet wijs:
Hij geeft de kinderen gratis ijs,
Maar hij geniet misschien nog wel het aller, allermeest!
Ja, het is feest!

Op ‘t marktplein speelt een harmonieorkest.
De dirigent doet vreselijk zijn best.
De menigte wordt enthousiast
Bij ‘t klinken van de Koningsmars.
Uit duizend kelen klinkt het, en bepaald niet bedeesd:
Wat een feest!