'69: Did We Change?
Programme
About the Programme
Originally, I wanted to present a programme featuring all sorts of ideas surrounding the number 69. I would gladly have placed three motets by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy on Chordiality Core’s music stands. But as I delved into the year 1969, my original concept, which was more playful and somewhat irreverent, transformed into a narrative I now wish to share with Chordiality Core.
Gripped by the intense and remarkable events of 1969, we have crafted a programme that primarily reveals what people were fighting for in that year. In 1969, Czech student Jan Palach set himself on fire; the Stonewall riots broke out in New York; humans set foot on the Moon; the Woodstock festival took place; and John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their love-in at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam. The hippie culture was also at its peak.
Hippies stood against capitalism and materialism. They believed society was overly focused on money, possessions and technology. They sought a life in harmony with nature (flower power) and with society at large, and therefore opposed violence. Hippies embraced the here and now, explored Eastern religions (meditation, trance), experimented with drugs (to expand the mind) and celebrated love in its freest form.
The hippie movement had a certain innocence about it. “Make love, not war” carries a beauty that, sadly, remains unachievable. A similar innocence might be attributed to the aged Simeon, when he first sees the baby Jesus in the Temple. In “Lord, now lettest Thou” by F. Mendelssohn he sings that, now the heathen shall see the light, he may depart in peace.
We ascend to heavenly realms through the words of 15th-century Indian poet-mystic Kabir, set so movingly to music by Ton de Leeuw in Regarde en Silence. Read in the light of the next piece in our programme, it is striking how Kabir’s 15th-century text includes phrases such as: “Brother, this vessel full of love is my body. It was made to love,” and “All is created by God, and love is His body. Calm your soul and behold all this beauty in silence.”
The struggle for LGBTQ+ acceptance and equality is still highly relevant today. The young Canadian composer Stuart Beatch took texts from the 1958 Wolfenden trial and set them to music in his four-part composition I am like many. It may seem quite a leap from Ton de Leeuw’s mystical hymns to Beatch’s Prelude, but the mystical tone continues, especially with the words “God is the potter; when His clay is damp, He gives every man, in birth, a different stamp,” a line borrowed from Lord Byron. Echoing the tone of Kabir, the music gradually grows darker, culminating in the raw emotion of a letter from an anonymous gay man: “I do not pretend that I am good, but I am like many.” That one truly struck a chord, I must say.
Ultimately, whatever faith you follow, or none at all, people need love. Simon Wawer set words from the Song of Songs to exquisite melodies and harmonies in O How Beautiful, written for his beloved Kölner Kantorei, in which he also sings.
Opening with a hum reminiscent of an African-American work song, one choir begins Warning to the Rich by Thomas Jennefelt. The other choir enters like a vengeful spirit, circling the wealthy and warning them that exploitation and greed will ultimately lead to ruin. Throughout the piece, one choir gives voice to warning, the other to greed.
Was greed also the reason to go to the Moon? Or was it purely for scientific progress? Did the Moon, by becoming tangible, lose its mystique and poetic power? British soul singer-songwriter Laura Mvula proves with her song Sing to the Moon, which she so beautifully arranged for the BBC Singers, that the Moon’s light can still draw us from life’s shadows. We need the night in order to begin a new day.
We conclude this programme with another Opus 69 from the Romantic period: Bleib bei uns by J. G. Rheinberger. The words spoken by the two men on the road to Emmaus, who suddenly encounter the crucified Jesus, can be interpreted in many ways after all that we have heard. It is now up to you, the audience, to interpret these words as an encouragement, or as a sigh that we still have a long road ahead.
Patrick Pranger – Artistic Director and Conductor
Artists
Patrick Pranger – Conductor
After studying voice at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, Patrick Pranger went on to study choral conducting at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. There, he studied under Jos Vermunt and Jos van Veldhoven. Currently, Patrick is the artistic director of Chordiality, conductor of VE Sonante Vocale, and, since 2024, the new artistic director of the male vocal ensemble The Gents.
As a guest conductor, he has collaborated on several occasions with ensembles including the Residentie Bach Ensembles, Vocaal Ensemble COQU, Bachkoor BWV Zeeland, Bach Cantorij Baarn and the professional Bachkoor Holland. He is a frequent guest lecturer at CODARTS Rotterdam and the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Patrick remains active as a singer. He has performed under the direction of conductors such as Peter Dijkstra, Jan Willem de Vriend and Paul McCreesh, and has sung in operas led by Kenneth Montgomery, Richard Egarr and Valery Gergiev. He has also sung with choirs such as the World Youth Choir, Bachkoor Holland and the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and is the bass in the soloist quartet CLARUS.
Chordiality – Choir
Vocal Ensemble Chordiality is a chamber choir based in The Hague, with a passion for expressive choral music and distinctive performances. Under the direction of artistic leader and conductor Patrick Pranger, Chordiality presents programmes ranging from classical to contemporary repertoire. The ensemble frequently collaborates with other artists and disciplines, such as visual art, text and theatre, but purely vocal concerts also form an important part of their diverse offering. Each project explores the boundaries of musical expression and offers a unique experience for both the audience and the performers.
Sopranos
Annika Kruithof
Gina van Ling
Liesbeth van Bostelen
Paula van Delden
Renate Jacobs
Vanessa Kirpensteijn
Altos
Cynthia Liem
Froukje Henstra
Geert Koskamp
Paula Breuning
Ruth Lammers
Tenors
Jules Guldenmond
Paul van den Berg
Sander de Kievit
Sander van der Ven
Basses
André Nolden
Jouke Osinga
Julian Hartman
Maarten van Tol
Sam Sandfort
Lelie Danesh – Spoken Word Artist
Lelie Danesh (born 2003, Iranian-Dutch) writes, performs poetry and directs from a place of hope for estrangement, disguise and courage. Through her work, she seeks to dissect language and split it open anew. She has previously performed on stages such as the Poetry International Festival, Volmondig and Mensen Zeggen Dingen. She is currently part of the Writers’ Studio at Theatre Bellevue and the DAWN collective for emerging stage-writing talent.
MartinJan Gaasbeek – Visual Artist
MartinJan Gaasbeek, trained in Image and Media at the Utrecht School of the Arts, has built a diverse career since the 1990s in both animation and theatre lighting. In his early years, he worked for renowned animation studios such as Toonder Studios, De Beeldenstorm, Eye Images and ImageArk, where he developed his passion for 2D and 3D animation. Although his focus later shifted to lighting design, he remained active in the world of animation and visual media.
MartinJan combines his experience as a lighting designer with his expertise in animation, allowing him to develop a unique approach to projection in theatre. For him, projection is essentially an extension of light – the creation of a complete stage experience where light and visuals merge to set the atmosphere.
Although MartinJan is highly skilled technically and works with a wide range of tools and techniques, he also sees himself as an artist and designer. For him, it is not just about executing a technically perfect production, but about creating a visual experience that evokes emotion and enhances the story. His creative approach and keen eye for detail ensure that technology and art blend effortlessly in his work, as he constantly seeks new ways to use light, imagery and projection in innovative and meaningful ways.
Vox Rosa – Choir
The Hague Gay Men’s Choir Vox Rosa was founded in 1985 and is the longest-standing gay men’s choir in the Netherlands. We sing a three- or four-part repertoire. Over the years, a beautiful mix of genres has emerged, ranging from classical to pop, and from moving pieces to cheerful sing-alongs.
In our performances, we make it clear both visually and vocally that we are a gay choir. Through our street performances and visits to care homes, we aim to contribute to LGBTQ+ visibility and equality with our music. Our participation in the Various Voices gay choir festival takes us to a different European city every four years. In 2026, together with over 100 choirs, we will add a splash of pink to Brussels.
Like all choirs, we are always looking for new members. Would you enjoy singing with us? Feel free to join a rehearsal without any obligation. We rehearse on Monday evenings from 19:30 to 21:45 at Theatre De Vaillant, Hobbemastraat 120 in The Hague. Visit www.voxrosa.nl to find out how to get in touch with us.
Lyrics
Nunc Dimittis (op. 69, no.1) – Felix Mendelssohn
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
according to Thy word.
For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
And the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.
Cinq Hymnes – Ton de Leeuw
II Regarde
Ô frère, regarde,
le Seigneur est dans ce vase,
qu'est mon corps.
Les ombres du soir
tombent épaisses et profondes.
Ouvre ta fenêtre au couchant
et perds toi dans le ciel de l'amour.
Translation
O, my brother, see, the Lord is in this vessel,
which is my body.
Dense and dark falls the evening dusk.
Open your window to the setting sun to
merge into heavenly love.
IV Silence
Kabir dit:
Toutes choses sont créées par Dieu.
L'amour est Son corps.
Sa forme est infinie et insondable.
Il est le souffle, la parole, la pensée.
Il est l'Etre pur. Il est le soleil, la lumière.
Il est immergé dans toute conscience, dans toute joie,
dans toute douleur.
Apaise ton âme
et contemple cette splendeur en silence.
Translation
Kabir says:
Everything is created by God.
His body is love.
Infinite and unfathomable in form.
He is the breath, the word, the thought.
He is the pure Being.
He is the sun, the light.
He is invisibly present in every conscience, in every joy, in every
sorrow.
Come to rest and behold in silence this
beauty.
I Am Like Many – Stuart Beatch
I Prelude
God, like the potter, when his clay is damp,
Gives every man, in birth, a different stamp.
Bear witness: man, whate’er his rank may be.
Who now can say my caste form stain is free?
II In the House of Commons
26 November 1958.
Parliament debates the Wolfenden Report to-day.
The House is torn by the problem it faces;
by the distinction between sin and crime;
by the risk in the remedies it might propose.
It is a foregone conclusion
that the homosexual laws will not be reformed yet,
but that reform must come eventually.
Debate
Is such conduct injurious to society?
‘Tis hard to say why erring mortals think
This fount is pure, and that unfit to drink.
Great nations have fallen and empires been
destroyed because corruption became widespread.
Is it a matter for the private conscience?
And tell us, casuists, were statutes meant
To scourge the wicked or the innocent?
These persons are a mignant canker;
if allowed to grow it would eventually
kill what is known as normal life.
That little spot, which constitutes our isle,
Is not the world! Its censure or its smile
Can never reason’s fabric overthrow.
III The Letter
People have no idea of the life of fear and dread
we live. I want them to look upon this debate
with kindness and sympathy, and think,
‘There, but for the grace of God, go I.’
Love, love it was, that made my eyes delight
To have his person ever in my sight.
I do not pretend that I am good
but I am like many.
How Beautiful – Simon Wawer
Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun!
How beautiful and pleasant you are,
Oh loved one, with all your delights!
You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
Lovely as Jerusalem!
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle!
Come, my beloved;
let us go out into the fields
And lodge in the villages;
let us go out early to the vineyards and see,
whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
Warning to the Rich – Thomas Jennefelt
Come on you wealthy,
weep and cry about the miseries
that are coming upon you.
Your hoarded wealth has decayed
and your clothes have become motheaten:
Your gold and silver are covered with rust and their rust shall be evidence against you.
As fire, that you have stored up for the last days, it will consume your flesh.
See! The pay of the workmen
that mowed your fields,
which you have with held from them
is crying out and the cries of the reapers have entered the ears of the Lord!
You have been living an easy life on the earth, you have given yourselves up to pleasures,
you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
You have condemned,
you have murdered the upright,
without his resisting you.
Be mis´rable and grieve and cry.
Let your enjoyment be turned to dejection
and your laughing to sorrow.
Come on you wealthy!
Sing to the Moon – Laura Mvula
Hey there you, shattered in a thousand pieces
Weeping in the darkest nights
Hey there you, try to stand up on your own two feet
And stumble into the sky
When the lights go out and you're on your own
How you're gonna make it through till the morning sun'
Sing to the moon and the stars will shine
Over you, lead you to the other side
Sing to the moon and the stars will shine
Over you, heaven's gonna turn the tide
Hey there you, looking for a brighter season
Need to lay your burden down
Hey there you, drowning in a helpless feeling
Buried under deeper ground
When the lights go out it's a waiting game
Never gonna see a day when your world will change
Sing to the moon and the stars will shine
Over you, lead you to the other side
Sing to the moon and the stars will shine
Over you, heaven's gonna turn the tide
Abendlied: Bleib bei uns (op. 69, Nr. 3) – Josef Gabriel Rheinberger
Bleib bei uns,
denn es will Abend werden,
und der Tag hat sich geneiget.
Translation
Bide with us,
for evening shadows darken,
and the day will soon be over.
Funding
Our sincere thanks go to all the funding organisations that made this project possible:
