Controlling the Swing
– a composition about love-hate, commissioned by the Holland Festival. Controlling the Swing is about contrasts. Seemingly incompatible musical tonalities such as those of Indonesia and Europe come together in one composition
Love and hate are ultimately two extremes of the same phenomenon and that’s why they can flow into each other. Controlling the Swing begins as a confrontation between traditional and contemporary music, acoustic sounds and electronic noise, wood and metal, timeless wide horizons and nervous improvisations, but in the course of the composition the styles, sounds and moods that at first seemed incompatible, melt into one. In love and in hate energy is compressed and seeks an outlet. Controlling the Swing will reflect that energy with a lot of changes in dynamic, tempo and rhythm.
One of the leading poets of today is Rudi Fofid (Ambon-Stad). He received the Maarif Award 2016, an important Indonesian peace prize, for his contribution to reconciliation between Muslims and Christians after the civil war in the Moluccas (1999 – 2011). Rudi Fofid will write seven poems, which will form the starting point for Brouwer’s compositions and serve as song texts.The texts are in Indonesian/English/Haruku.
