Ils Dorment - Diederik van der Laag - Vocaal Ensemble Irrevocable

Ils Dorment - Diederik van der Laag
Choir: Vocaal Ensemble Irrevocable
Irrevocable has given two very special remembrance concerts in the past on May 4th, the Dutch national remembrance day, centred around the memorial. Because of the pandemic, Irrevocable was unable to continue this tradition this year, but we simply could not let it pass by. We recorded this video over the past few weeks and are very proud to share this video with you.
Many thanks to Imco de Gier for editing everything in such a short time, thank you so much for making this possible!
About 'Ils Dorment'
Ils Dorment is a piece written by Dutch composer Diederik van der Laag for Irrevocable's May 4th concert. Diederik van der Laag first heard Irrevocable in concert on May 4th 2017, in a remembrance concert. He was struck by the idea of taking time to reflect on past conflicts by listening to commemorative music. When he started work on ‘Ils Dorment’, he started by trying to empathise with those who lived through a war, by studying diary fragments in the library. He found many diary fragments of young women and girls and was moved by the oft-overlooked perspective of those ‘left behind’ that this gave - especially the humanity that comes from reading relatable day-to-day experiences, such as falling in love for the first time, alongside horrific tales. In Diederik’s own words, it showed him that for these girls, life went on as usual, but with a shadow, something that is reflected in the mournful soundscapes of Diederik’s writing.
‘Ils Dorment’ is scored for solo quartet and choir. The undulating texture of the writing for the main choir on the text ‘ils dorment’ or ‘they sleep’ throughout the piece reminds the listener of the perpetuity of death. The solo quartet has most of the text - they are telling the story. They represent a family who has lost someone, whereas the rest of the choir are mourning for all the dead and for this family, but for them, the grief is less immediate. Throughout the piece, the solo quartet becomes less and less distinct from the rest of the choir, which represents them learning to live with their grief with the support of the community around them.
www.irrevocable.nl
Facebook: vocalensembleirrevocable
Instagram: irrevocable_vocaalensemble

[@PoetryBirdsFly]

💞🌍🌎🌏💞