Jan van der Roost - 1834 Machera Impressions

The twofold title of this concert work is directly connected with the band who commissioned it. The "Harmonie Municipale Grevenmacher" - from the town of the same name, by the river Moselle in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - was founded in the year 1834. The name Machera is derived from the word machara, which in turn orioginated from maceries (old wall). Later Machera has evolved into Machern, Grafenmachern, and finally Grevenmacher. In 2009, this music society - the third oldes still in existence in the country - celebrated its 175th anniversary. And after all these years the society still flourishes! The dynamic committee fully supports and inspires the musical leader of the band, Claude Weiland, as well as his 60-strong ensemble. This well-functioning team took the initiative to ask Jan Van der Roost to write an anniversary composition, inspired, on the one hand, by the rural character of Grevenmacher and its surroundings, and on the other hand, by the dynamics, creativity and joie de vivre the band exudes. All of this resulted in a twofold work with alternating peace and exitement, virtuous and melodic features, orchestral splendour and soberly orchestrated passages.