Sea of Hope

Sea of Hope is an optimistic work about new land arisen from the former Zuiderzee (the Netherlands). In the introduction, the sea is conveyed in all its glory and ferocity, through a melody that keeps you wondering whether it makes you happy or sad. Then, finally, there is a glimmer of hope, when the water is dammed up and the land partly reclaimed (by conversion into polder land). The town of Dronten, for instance, develops into a place where one day two people meet up and fall in love. This love is reflected in the slow, passionate middle movement. New life in the town is celebrated joyfully: the zest for life clearly shines through this part of the work, followed byoptimism and celebration in the closing bars.