The Baltic Way - Jan de Haan

THE BALTIC WAY - Jan de Haan
Commissioned by Palangos Orkestras for the Premier Section of the European Youth Brass Band Championships 2020 - Palanga, Lithuania Dedicated to Remigius Vilys
The Baltic Way-also known as The Baltic Chain-was a demonstration staged in the Baltic states by its inhabitants in 1989 in a call for independence from the Soviet Union. On August 23, 1989, approximately two million participants linked hands from Vilnius through Riga to Tallinn, forming a human chain some six hundred kilometres long. It became the longest human chain ever createdand turned out to be the final overture to much sought-after independence. This historic event became the source of inspiration for this composition.
The introduction of the first movement, ‘Struggle for Independence’, is based on a nocturne for piano by the renowned Lithuanian composer and painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911), thematic material from which has been incorporated throughout the whole composition. The melancholic beginning is followed by a powerful theme that reflects the resolve of the Baltic people. The sudden aggressive, dissonant chords, and a dominant and-in rhythmic terms-contrary bass drum announce that the resistance is not going smoothly. Just for a moment, we hear the anthem of the Soviet Union in the lower brass, but this is relentlessly pushed to the background by the rest of the band playing the Lithuanian national anthem, ‘Tautiška giesmė’ (Lithuania, our homeland). The second movement, ‘Decades of Suffering’, echoes life under the yoke of the Soviet Union. In the pursuit of independence, a peaceful protest is planned in which a human chain is formed across the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This ‘Chain of Freedom’ is depicted in the final movement of the work.