Program “Should Not Have a Name”

Everyone has a name, but sometimes people’s names are forgotten over time. Names of victims of a repressive regime, but also those of victims of oppression and violence seem to disappear into oblivion.

In A new song by Lucas Wiegerink, the main message is: “Be the music of the unheard. Be a part of the whole.” A call to break away from individualism, to step out of anonymity and, together, to become a song without words: you are allowed to be there, no matter what. In any situation.

The French composer Thierry Machuel collected texts from prisoners in the prison of Clervaux and gave them sound. The common thread in all the pieces is oblivion. Forgetting the names of the prisoners, forgetting the life they had, forgetting the people around them. The prisoners have lost their freedom through their own actions, but not their humanity. These are very compelling texts and the music can be called correspondingly intense.

In Singing aboard ship by Veljo Tormis, the fate of boys who are called to go to war, on board warships, is sung. The women stay behind on the mainland and hear the singing of their husbands coming to them over the waves. They respond with tears. It is better for soldiers not to have a sweetheart, then they can go where they have to and they do not have to carry the names of their loved ones.

The Six Dickinson Miniatures by Raymond Schroyens are short choral works based on texts by Emily Dickinson. These texts deal in a very poetic, sometimes philosophical way with the essence of life, love and death. The texts can be interpreted in several ways. Very illustrative for this program is the last part I died for beauty in which two personalities meet each other in the grave and discover that the reason why they both died – one for beauty, the other for truth – makes them brothers. The last sentences of this poem describe how after talking together the moss came to their lips and made their names disappear. This shows that beauty and truth are two extremely vulnerable entities.

The Iranian composer Aftab Darvishi composed a special choral work based on a text by Vera Brittain. Vera was a nurse during the First World War and wrote a poignant poem about the loss of her fiancé. We do not know his name, he has been left in the oblivion of history… The choral work not only lets the singers sing but also whistle, speak and whisper. The effects support the atmosphere that the text evokes.

The piece Malala Speaks also mentions the names of victims of a regime, in this case the Taliban regime in Pakistan. The text comes from a speech by the brave Malala Yousafzai who fights for the rights of young women. The piece is an indictment of the Taliban’s attempt to silence them. But, as Malala says: I am not a lone voice. I am Malala. I am Shazia. I am Kainat Soomro. I am Mezon.

The piece I forgive by Jordanian-Pakistani composer Shireen Abu-khader is one from a collection of music from the so-called Levant region. This region includes the countries Israel, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and part of Turkey. This music is hardly heard and the piece I forgive is based on a letter that someone left behind before committing suicide. The subtitle for this piece is: A tribute to the silenced women. In that sense it fits in seamlessly with the previously mentioned work Malala Speaks. The Beatitudes by Philip Stopford is based on what are called ‘the beatitudes’. They are comforting words from the Bible, spoken by Jesus. Blessed are all who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. This piece with its warm harmonies and comforting lyrics closes the concert with a hopeful message to all the nameless, to everyone who faces persecution or oppression: you are blessed and your reward will be great.

Programme

• A new song (Lucas Wiegerink)
• Singing Aboard Ship (Veljo Tormis)
• Paroles contre l’obli (Thierry Machuel)
• Six Dickinson Miniatures (Raymond Schroyens)
• Malala Speaks (Marion von Tilzer)
• I forgive (Shireen Abu-khader)
• And the world stopped (Aftab Darvishi)
• The Beatitudes (Philip Stopford)