Benoit: Der Krieg

[mikehopf]

On German Radio Kultur on Sunday evening.

One of my favourite composers!


SPECIAL PROGRAM:  Konzert Tivoli
Vredenburg, Utrecht Aufzeichnung vom 25.11.2022

Peter Benoit ,,De Oorlog" (Der Krieg), Oratorium
Libretto: Jan van Beers
Katrien Baerts, Sopran
Mutter – Cécile van de Sant, Mezzosopran
Erster Verwundeter – Frank van Aken, Tenor
Der Mensch/die Gewalt – Bastiaan Everink, Bariton
Geist der Finsternis – Charles Dekeyser, Bass
Zweiter Verwundeter – Lars Terray, Bariton
Spottender Geist – Ivan Thirion, Bariton
Waelrant Kinderkoren
Niederländischer Rundfunkchor
Laurens Collegium Rotterdam

Ensemble Octopus Sinfonieorchester Antwerpen
Leitung: Jac van Steen
Ein monumentales Oratorium schuf der belgische
Komponist Peter Benoit kurz nach Ende des französisch-preußischen Kriegs 1870. Darin beschrieb er den Krieg als Werk der Geister der Finsternis. Das groß besetzte Werk wird äußerst selten aufgeführt. Die pazifistische Botschaft ist von zeitloser Aktualität, die Musik von expressiver Stärke. (2 hrs.)

[Alan Howe]

Could someone record this, please? Thanks, Mike.

[Ilja]

A recording is now in the downloads section. 

And being a Dutchman, I respectfully have to object to seeing the title of Benoit's work listed in German, where the man himself made a point of exclusively writing texts in Dutch/Flemish (even if, admittedly, there was an official translation).

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks Ilja.

[mikehopf]

Thank you Ilya for a real Double Dutch download treat!

BTW did Verhulst write a Mis or a Mass?

[Ilja]

Touché! Verhulst wrote a Missa, in fact. The difference is that he probably didn't mind either way, but Benoit did - a great deal. He saw writing music in Dutch as a way to further the cause of the Flemish language in Belgium at a time when all official business, and art, was conducted in French. So Der Krieg is sort of tolerable, but La Guerre is definitely out.

[eschiss1]

in fact Verhulst's first mass op.20 (there are several others, Opp.50, 52 and 55* and Missa brevis Op.58, and.., with titles like "Missa : vocibus virilibus : tenori e bassi cum organorum conductione") has been recorded- on Chandos- but I have not yet heard it.

Edit: IMSLP has the mass in E Op.50 but not the op.20 uploaded.

*Described as missa vocibus virilibus nos. 1, 2 and 3 - a numbering system not for his missae in full, but for just that collection, one assumes, unless he was tossing Op.20...

[adriano]

Hi Ilja :-)
Just to let you know that your download has three dropouts in the first half of the 3rd part.
I could mend the two first ones quite nicely (still not 100%) - but the third (at approx. 17:505) is very difficult to handle since is a bit longer.
By the way, on YouTube there is also a TV live recording of the 1993 performance of Benoit's same cantata from Antwerp.
There too I had to repair very small things, but successfully...
What a magnificent work! I am a great fan of this composer. I have two other cantantas (De Schelde and Rubens-Cantata) from LPs and a great double CD with Benoit's "Religious Tetralogy" (Label: Antwerp Symphony Orchestra) and the ealier "Discover" CD of Benoit's "Hugh Mass", conducted by Alexander Rahbari. Of course I also habe the Marco Polo-CD of the Flute and Piano Concertos by Benoit :-)