Thirty years ago, our festival began as Indische Winternacht, in the context of the then 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. Indonesian poets, musicians, and other artists were guests at that first edition. Then the festival went on to be called Winternachten and now Writers Unlimited, but all these years the cultural and literary connection with Indonesia has remained an important part of our festival.

On this first grand festival night of our 30th anniversary and of the commemoration of 80 years of Indonesian independence, we bring a world premiere by Orkest De Ereprijs: a spectacular tribute to the Indonesian poet Sitor Situmorang (1924-2014). He was a welcome guest at the festival from the very beginning: in 1997, and in 2005 and 2007. Writer Marjolijn van Heemstra opens the concert with a short introduction.

Orkest De Ereprijs plays seven new compositions based on poetry by Sitor Situmorang in The Tale of Two Continents. Soloists are soprano Bernadeta Astari and tenor Georgi Sztojanov. Robin Block, who has family ties in Indonesia, had recitations of two of his own poems - chosen for their kinship with the work of Sitor Situmorang -, accompanied by new works from and performed by Indonesian composer and cellist Alfian Emir Adytia, who lives in the Netherlands.

The poems by Situmorang chosen by the composers have been published in his bilingual poetry collection Lembah Kekal/Eeuwige Vallei (Jakarta, 2004) and the collection To Love, To Wander with English translations of his poems.

Sitor Situmorang, one of Indonesia's greatest poets, was born on 2 October 1924 in Harianboho at the borders of Lake Toba, Indonesia and died on 20 December 2014 in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. He lived through tumultuous times of change: his early youth was rooted in traditional Batak culture, he came of age in colonial times and Japanese occupation, engaged in the strive for freedom as a young journalist, became Soekarno’s advisor on cultural affairs, was a political prisoner under Suharto and finally witnessed the beginning of democracy in the late nineties.

Orkest De Ereprijs is based in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn, the last hometown of Sitor as well. The orchestra has nurtured strong ties with the world of contemporary music in Indonesia through contacts of Sitor, notably by his widow who stimulated the application of Indonesian young composers to its yearly Young Composers Meeting.

The commemoration of Sitor therefore built on this connection: seven young Indonesian composers, former participants of the YCM wrote compositions to a poem by Sitor for the Apeldoorn orchestra and Indonesian soprano based in the Netherlands Bernadeta Astari or tenor Georgi Sztojanov. The composers were Septian Dwi Cahyo, Nursalim Yadi Anugerah, Wilson Leywantono, Hilmi Ridha Marhadika, Yayi Wira Pamungkas, Irene Tanuwidjaja and Gavin Wiyanto.

The orchestra performed, conducted by Mikel Fernández, in its permanent line-up of 14 musicians with two flutes, clarinet/bass clarinet, two saxophones, trumpet, two trombones, horn, tuba, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano and percussion (classical, modern, drums).