Rob Goorhuis

Colditz Castle

Written as a commission by the Stichting de Inrichting foundation of Wijk bij Duurstede (the Netherlands), Rob Goorhuis' Requiem voor de mens (Requiem for Man) on lyrics by André van Zwieten was composed in the year 2001. This work for choir and wind-band greatly impressed the audience, whilst its composer remained obsessed by its war theme. When he subsequently heard that the Rundfunk Blasorchester from the German town of Leipzig -a place not far from Colditz - was to dedicate a CD to his work, Rob Goorhuis got the idea to process some of the themes from his Requiem for Man into an instrumental composition about the famous Colditz castle. a place still bearing the scars of war. From 1933 to 1934, the castle was a Schutzhaftlager. During the Second World War, it was used as a prison for senior officers. From this prison, many escapes were undertaken, which even resulted in the castle being nicknamed The Escape School. In the seventies, a television-series about this period made the castle very well-known with the public at large. The despondent tone of the opening theme underscores the sadness caused by wars and violence. Nevertheless the work's ending is hopeful and triumphant. Peace is celebrated, but with the hope for a lasting peace sadly remaining a topical issue to the present moment.