Oosten: Mare Liberum Haags Toonkunstkoor (The Hague Concert Choir)

• 1 Naturlai iure communia 07:40
• 2 Tres causae iustae 04:51
• 3 a. Subditis vis armata 00:42
• 4 b. Dulce Et Decorum Est 03:29
• 5 c. In Flanders Fields 04:06
• 6 d. Innocentes 02:47
• 7 e. O Captain! My Captain! 03:41
• 8 f. Sancta Veritas Pacis fugit longe 04:48
• 9 Fideliter et sine iniuria in pace 03:34
• 10 a. Ad Pacem 05:31
• 11 b. Page Viget 04:16
• Total Runtime 45:25

Info for Oosten: Mare Liberum

“Mare Liberum”, by The Hague composer Roel van Oosten, was commissioned by the Haags Toonkunstkoor and premiered in 2009 to commemorate the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the treatise of the same name by Hugo Grotius, in 1609. Grotius’ Mare Liberum (The Free Sea) contains important initial principles of international law.

In his treatise Grotius formulated the principle that the sea is international territory and all nations should be free to use it for seafaring trade. He considered it inconceivable that nations could possess the sea, as they possess land. On balance the message of Hugo Grotius is that the sea is common to all, because being (almost) limitless, like the air, it cannot become a possession of any nation. It remains a relevant thought today since, over past decades, it has led to agreements laid down in treaties about Antarctica, the Moon and Space, which, like the sea, are a res communis (an international public good).

Hugo Grotius, born in 1583, was an intellectual prodigy. At the age of 15 he was permitted to accompany a mission from the Netherlands to the King of France and he later became a renowned jurist and philosopher on the subjects of war and peace, as well as the sea. He also wrote about religious matters, choosing, in connection with the latter, to align himself with the thinking of the liberal theologist Arminius. As a consequence of this alignment he was sentenced to life in prison, however, in 1621, he escaped hidden inside his book chest and fled to Paris. There, in 1625, he wrote his best-known book “De Jure Belli ac Pacis” (On the Law of War and Peace) which is regarded as a foundational work of international law. In 1645, returning from Stockholm following a visit to Queen Christina of Sweden, he was shipwrecked and was washed ashore near Rostock, Germany, where he died several weeks later.

The Music Hugo Grotius most likely had no thoughts of music while writing his juridical texts and it is a major challenge for a composer to set this sort of work to music. The sacred character of the texts (being in Latin, at that time the universal juridical language) demands music that does justice to the objectivity and abstract nature of the words. Roel van Oosten opted for a “sound picture” that, as a rule, is extremely regular and rhythmic, and sometimes reminiscent of minimalist music techniques, if somewhat freely applied. He faithfully follows the cadence of the text in the oratorio. The abstract question of a free sea is translated into the fundamental questions about war and peace, something that is extremely relevant even today.

Estefanía Perdomo, soprano
Frans Fiselier, baritone
The Hague Toonkunst Choir
The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra
Daan Admiraal, conductor

The Haags Toonkunstkoor
(The Hague Concert Choir) was formed in 1829. Since then, it has built up a strong reputation for its high quality performances, accompanied by eminent Dutch orchestras in some of the Netherlands’ major concert halls and churches.

The 105-member choir boasts a broad musical repertoire that includes significant choral works by classical composers as well as contemporary pieces. Recent concerts include: St. Matthew’s Passion by J.S. Bach (2007 in The Hague and Budapest/Miskolc Hungary), Requiem and Coronation Mass by W.A. Mozart, A German Requiem by J. Brahms, Carmina Burana by C. Orff, Five Mystical Songs by R. Vaughan Williams and The Music Makers by E. Elgar.

The choir members contribute to the choir’s regular operational costs through their subscriptions. In addition, separate external financing is sought for each concert to complement the revenues of ticket sales. In particular, this financing is intended to cover the costs of the soloists, the orchestra, the concert venue and the PR-material. Further financial assistence is provided by the City of The Hague as well as private foundations.

Moreover, some 30 companies support the choir as ‘Friends of the Haags Toonkunstkoor’. These include Shell, KPMG, Fortis and Weleda. ‘Friends’ can sponsor the choir for a number of years, or for an individual concert. They can also buy series of tickets for a specific concert (e.g. for their employees and/or clients) or place an advertisement in the concert-booklet.

Booklet for Oosten: Mare Liberum