related works
Planctus Cygni I : for soprano, duduk (or alto sax), chamber choir and harp ad lib. / Gerard Beljon
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir and instruments
Scoring:
duduk GK hp(ad lib)
De schalmei : voor vierstemmig gemengd koor, 1988 / tekst: Jan Slauerhoff, Hans Kox
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK4
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
4sopr 4alt 4ten 4bas
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
composition
The cry of the peacocks : for mixed choir, 2005 / poem by Wallace Stevens (1879-1955), Gerard Beljon
Other authors:
Stevens, Wallace
(Text writer/Librettist)
Beljon, Gerard
(Composer)
Description:
Program note (English): [Première: 1 december 2005 - Philharmonie, Haarlem - Nederlands Kamerkoor o.l.v. Klaas Stok] - The poetry of Wallace Stevens (who made a living as a lawyer) has two remarkable sides; on the one hand dark, anxious, philosophical, on the other side a youthful, colorful and strongly rhythmical. These aspects frequently come together in one poem. For composer this poetry offers a number of starting points.In 'The cry of the Peacocks' Stevens' fear for the night, and actually his fear for death is fully expressed. The crying of the peacocks is the core sound for me, which represents that fear. For this reason I have chosen a stanza from the poem as a title for my work. The poem has an anxious, imminent tone typical to the time in which Stevens lived, in which a fear dominated for war and economic crisis. - GERARD BELJON