Angstzweet

Angstzweet (Cold Sweat) is set against the backdrop of the colonial wars 1946-1949 in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The piece is inspired by the history of my father, who had to serve in the army during that time. I picture him lying under a mosquito net in that mysterious country.

An innocent boy born in a small village in Holland, who was forced to go to a distant country by boat. Sent to “liberate” a country full of mysterious people and unintelligible languages, ravaged in a hostile environment by tropical heat and fear.

I picture him at night falling asleep while listening to a Western gramophone player with in the background the sound of a gamelan ensemble. In his dream the two cultures become intertwined, a nightmare of huge proportions. To wake up in the same nightmare …

The work is written for ensemble Gending on behalf of the Fund for Creation of Music.

“Angstzweet the making of”. Een film gemaakt door Jan van den Berg in het kader van het project “Utrecht aan zee”