The Dutch contemporary composer Douwe Eisenga, who lives in Middelburg, was recently in the top 100 of Radio 4 with the piece For Mattia. In January he was a guest with the same piece in Mathijs van Nieuwkerk’s TV show. In 2003 Douwe Eisenga wrote Requiem 1953 (for alto, choir and orchestra) on the occasion of the 50th commemoration of the flood disaster of 1 February 1953. Especially for the 70th anniversary in 2023, he was commissioned by the Zeeuws Concertkoor and Vocaal Ensemble Cantare to make an arrangement of The Flood – Requiem 1953 for a smaller orchestra. This new version will premiere in January/February 2023.

The lyrics of this impressive work are based on the poetry of the Canadian poet Christopher Levenson, who stayed in Zeeland in 1953. You will also hear texts from the Latin funeral mass used and a poem by the Russian writer Vasily Zhukovsky. The Flood – Requiem 1953 sounds for the dead and the survivors of the disaster. In addition, it is also a musical warning for the future, part of the awareness of the sea level rise due to changes in the climate.