Read the personal story of Davo van Peursen about the work ‘Blessing’ by Maxim Shalygin
I have a wonderful family consisting of my beloved wife and three children aged 26, 23, and 14. In October 2017, we were blessed to welcome two foster girls into our home who then were 3 and 2 years old. These little angels had been through many difficulties, so my wife and I went through official channels, including court proceedings, to ensure their safety and well-being. We gave them unwavering support during their stay with us for over three and a half years. Although they were able to return to their mother’s care two years ago, they still hold a special place in our hearts, and we meet with them weekly.
I’m the manager of Donemus Publishing, where Maxim has been published for some years. In January 2018, Maxim and I had some drinks. He heard about me taking care of these two foster girls. He admired that and wanted to express that to us by saying he would write us a composition. After a few weeks of thinking about this plan, Maxim composed a piece for Tenor and String quartet, with lyrics chosen by me from a poem by Isaac Watts. The lyrics reflect our positive outlook on life and how we feel blessed every day, even during difficult times. This composition was performed for the first time during our 25th wedding anniversary in June 2018 and was later recorded in its original version in October of the same year. Since then, the piece has been performed in New York, Amsterdam, and Kyiv, among other places. There are now versions for Sax Quartet and one for Choir.
My wife and I are eagerly looking forward to the orchestral version of the piece, which we see as “our composition.” We are grateful to have been able to invest in this new arrangement, and we look forward to its premiere in Munich, which will take place five years after the original premiere, just days after our 30th wedding anniversary. In January, I celebrated ten years of leading Donemus Publishing, a time that has been challenging due to the end of subsidies and the COVID-19 pandemic. Donemus survived well and is now flourishing through the wonderful works of great composers. To celebrate this milestone, my board gave me a small but meaningful present: train tickets and a one-night hotel stay for my wife and me to attend the premiere in Munich.
THURSDAY, 29 JUNE 2023:Â Muncher Symphoniker under Ukrainian conductor and singer Viktoria Vitrenko.
We bless the Lord, the just, the good,
Who fills our hearts with joy and food:
Who pours his blessings from the skies,
And loads our days with rich supplies.
He sends the sun his circuit round,
To cheer the fruits, to warm the ground;
He bids the clouds with plenteous rain
Refresh the thirsty earth again.
And his right hand his saints shall raise
From the deep earth, or deeper seas,
And bring them to his courts above;
There shall they taste his special love.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention