Centenary 2019

Centenary 2019 is a three-movement suite based on a local folksong and was commissioned by Chr. Fanfare De Lofstem, from the Dutch province of Friesland, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2019. ‘Awakening Village’, the first movement, musically describes the waking up and coming to life of the village. ‘Bintje Monument’ was inspired by a famous sculpture that was placed to honour headmaster Kornelis Lieuwes de Vries (1854-1929) who developed the well-known potato variety called ‘bintje’. The finale, ‘Journey into the Unknown’ refers to the band’s memorable 2011 concert trip to the United States of America, in which the composer combines elements of thefolksong and fragments from ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. The piece consists of a wide range of playful and melodic sequences as well as some galvanizing rhythmical passages.