Kraftwerk

The theme of this work is the history of the town of Grafenrheinfeld (Bavaria, Germany) in the twentieth century. This town is now mainly associated with its nuclear plant. The German word for this is Kraftwerk, which can be divided into the words Kraft (power) and Werk (work). In this composition, it is a metaphor for the ‘work’ that can be realized through ‘power’ in a negative way (war) and in a positive way (reconstruction). Musically speaking, power also plays an important role in this work, as opposed to vulnerability: the sense of loss and the insecurity about the lost identity.

Grafenrheinfeld lies in old Franconia. Jacob de Haan composed a melody based on the text of the Lied der Franken, which is well-known in this region and forms an important theme in this work.

The introduction reflects the period before the Second World War: a time in which power is starting to win from the sense of humanity. This section is closed with powerful sounds and fragments of the nostalgic theme of the Lied der Franken, of which the text is from the Romantic Period. 

Then a martial rhythmic motif appears – echoing the war – alternated by melodic and harmonic sounds that refer to the untroubled past. After the swelling noise of an air-raid warning, the dramatic climax echoes the nightly hail of bombs at the end of the war, when a large part of Grafenrheinfeld is destroyed. Then follows the short and fierce Allegro con Fuoco, referring to the burning buildings, the desperation, and the fear. Subsequently the Largo follows, on the one hand expressing sadness, pain and grief, and on the other hand expressing the search for a new identity. That is at last found in the text of the Lied der Franken: the love of nature and the home country. 

The final song is introduced by a powerful instrumental version in minor, in which the yearning for identity still resounds, mixed with sadness. Then the new Lied der Franken can be heard as a whole, partly played and sung by the musicians (or by a four-part mixed choir). The reconstruction of a new identity, a new town, and a new future has arrived. The again powerful end of Kraftwerk mirrors a new confidence and an existence in a peaceful town which is a nice place to be.