Otto M. Schwarz

The Heart and The Crown

The river Maas and the town of Ohé en Laak in the Dutch province of Limburg are inextricably linked with one another. Thousands of years have passed with wars and other dramatic events. One story is about Josina Walburgis von Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort, who was forced by her father to enter the Thorn convent. However, when she met Count Herman Frederik Hendrik van den Bergh it was love at fi rst sight, and the two were secretly married… How will it end? This programmatic epic piece is full of beautiful expressive musical pictures, lots of brass and rhythmical sections.