Resilience (wind band)

In 1920, Canadian Lieutenant Colonel Henry Beckles Willson published a booklet entitled Ypres, Holy Ground of British Arms. He describes the idyllic city as it looked before the war and also gives an accurate account of the three 'battles of Ypres'. He also criticizes (even then!) the way in which tradespeople from other cities opened cafés and taverns in Ypres to make a profit from war tourism.

In the foreword to the booklet, Henry Beckles Willson makes an impassioned plea for preserving the ruins of Ypres as a kind of open-air museum and memorial. The bombed city would thus be a witness to the war, a reminder for future generations of the crazy years 1914-1918. However, the Ypres population showed itself to be resilient (hence the title Resilience) and decided to restore the medieval city as much as possible.

The story of the work

This composition plays with the possibility that Ypres could effectively have become a large open-air memorial. During the opening bars of the work, Ypres is completely in ruins. The rapid alternation between dreary, dark passages and more exciting fragments points to the tension between those who want to preserve the ruins and the population who want to resume normal life. A slow middle section refers to the scenario in which the city would effectively be reduced to a memorial. After this musical reflection, the Ypres people's zest for life takes over in an exciting movement. As a finale, the fast and slow themes are placed on top of each other. Ypres as it is today: a vibrant city that also attaches great importance to the commemoration of the past.

Awards

• Laureate composition competition West Flanders 2015
• Winning composition Red Note Festival composition competition Illinois 2019

Listening example

World creation during concert “Ypres As We Remember”, Royal Windband Ypriana Ypres (31/04/2015)

Recording Wind Orchestra Schelle – Blauwe Zaal De Singel “Cocktail Maison” ( 25/05/2017)

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