In 2006 Brabant will be celebrating it’s 900th anniversary. On May 13th 1106 the count Van Leuven was appointed duke of Brabant. This was the birth of the duchy of Brabant. For centuries this duchy situated in the heart of the Netherlands was the primary of the seventeen provinces in the Lowlands. Brabant formed with it’s capital cities Brussels Leuven Antwerp and ‘s-Hertogenbosch the focal point for politics culture and economy. The revolution against Spain (1566-1648) caused a fracture between the North and South. The old duchy was divided into a Dutch and Belgian part. Even though each had their own historical background the bond forged in the past was partially keptalive. To this day we still have a duke of Brabant. Brabantia Aeterna takes you on a musical journey through 900 years of Brabant history. A fascinating journey portraying war and peace love and grief prosperity and adversity development and deterioration. Listen to how monks chanted bells tolled and churches were built. Or take the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with their bustling markets builders of cities or the bleating of countless sheep across the heather. The plague tribulations soldiers and political bickering in the following centuries. Hear how the industrialisation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries provided prosperity for the region and how to this day the following saying still applies: ‘the road to Brabant leads to a warmer world’ Brabantia Aeterna was commissioned by the Brabantse Bond van Muziekverenigingen (Brabant Music Society) in honour of its fifth anniversary.

An Astrological Composition. Astrology is based on the principle that each sort of time has its own quality. In order to determine the quality of a particular moment an astrologer looks at the position of the planets in the solar sustemat that moment. Each planet has specific types of energies and its location provides unique information for a certain moment on Earth. Thus: its position in the sky tells something about what happens on Earth. In this composition the typesof energies of four planets are musically translated. The four planet were not randomly chosen. There are two pairs whose influence and energy are opposite. Venus and Mars. Venus represents the feminine principle: harmony beauty art and the ability to make relationships and to keep the peace. Venus connects and communicates in order to maintain the balance. Mars represent the masculine principle: winning impulsiveness enthusiasm and sexual energy for procreation.He creates war enabling the strongest to triumph. Mars is musically depicted in a stirring march in which enthusiasm characterises the masculine character. Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn represents concentration and withdrawal: the strongnotion of responsibility seriousness self-discipline and melancholy. Saturn is the hermit who will conquer his fears and worries in minimal conditions and by self-chastisement. This contemplative character is depicted in the music as if it isalmost standing still which also reflects the given character of this planet. Jupiter represents growth and expansion: the positive self-confidence the good Samaritan the healer. Jupiter is the philosopher who will make the world a betterplace sees future possibilities and searches for eternal values. He is the prophet who sometimes rants and raves his doctrine and proclamations resulting musically in a whirling and upbeat finale. not looking back at what has been but searchingfor new challenges. 'Heaven and Earth' was commisioned by the Music Lending and Information Centre (MUI) a department of the library for the province of Gelderland in Arnhem The Netherlands.Een astrologische compositie. Astrologie is gebaseerd op het principe dat elke tijd zijn eigen kwaliteit heeft. ''Tijd voor koffie'' of ''het was je tijd nog niet'' als bijvoorbeeld een baan aan je neus voorbij is gegaan. Om de kwaliteit van een moment te lezen kijkt deastroloog naar de stand van de planeten in ons zonnestelsel op dat tijdstip. Elke planeet heeft specifieke energieën en de plaats aan de hemel geeft unieke informatie over een bepaald moment op aarde. Oftewel: de stand aan de hemel (Ouranos) verteltiets over wat er op aarde (Gaia) gebeurt. In deze compositie worden de energieën van vier planeten muzikaal vertaald. De vier planeten zijn niet lukraak gekozen. Het zijn twee paren die qua invloed en energie tegenovergesteldzijn. Venus en Mars.

Written as a commission by the Stichting de Inrichting foundation of Wijk bij Duurstede (the Netherlands) Rob Goorhuis Requiem voor de mens (Requiem for Man) on lyrics by André van Zwieten was composed in the year 2001. This work for choir andwind-band greatly impressed the audience whilst its composer remained obsessed by its war theme. When he subsequently heard that the Rundfunk Blasorchester from the German town of Leipzig -a place not far from Colditz - was to dedicate a CDto his work Rob Goorhuis got the idea to process some of the themes from his Requiem for Man into an instrumental composition about the famous Colditz castle. a place still bearing the scars of war. From 1933 to 1934 the castle was aSchutzhaftlager. During the Second World War it was used as a prison for senior officers. From this prison many escapes were undertaken which even resulted in the castle being nicknamed The Escape School. In the seventies a television-seriesabout this period made the castle very well-known with the public at large.The despondent tone of the opening theme underscores the sadness caused by wars and violence. Nevertheless the works ending is hopeful and triumphant. Peace iscelebrated but with the hope for a lasting peace sadly remaining a topical issue to the present moment.

A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme in the woodwinds begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town and people should know about it.There followsa rhythmic turbulent passage: in the course of history Peer has not been spared the ravages of war arson occupation epidemic and other evils. In contrast a slow pastoral lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town.This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when via a surprising almost chaotic transitional passage we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations.

Asteroids and comets have played an important role throughout the history of life on earth. It is quite probable that the dinosaurs have been exterminated by an asteroid's impact in the Gulf of Mexico. Huge tidal waves and fire storms wiped out all life. This is the year 2067 according to the Christian calendar. A collision has just taken place in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and caused an asteroid to enter the earth's power of gravitation. It is instoppably approaching the blue planet. As its peoples have been fighting each other continuously they missed the building of a global defence system against dangers coming from space. A scanner records the asteroid andimmediately sends a message to the President of the Anglo-American Union. The probability that the asteroid will hit the earth is judged 50% by the experts. Plans are made to shoot the celestial body with rockets live with hydrogen bombs or laser guns in order to throw it off its track but they fail. The asteroid's size seems to threaten the existence of mankind. Those in the know stare at the night sky in bewilderment. But for the time being there is still peace on earth....