BALEA (extended) | Patrick van der Linden · Haags Toonkunstkoor, Bataafs & Valerius Symfonieorkesten

SECTIONS: 00:00 Presentation 00:21 A ship is in port. The sound of its horn heralds its departure. The atmosphere is slow, heavy and noisy 01:49 The wind gently rises 02:34 The ship goes out to sea and faces massive waves 03:05 The ship manages to steady itself and travels fearless towards its destination 04:08 Dusk falls. A beautiful sunset fills the horizon 05:29 When the sun sets, a mysterious fog moves in 07:14 The ship begins to rock due to an incoming storm that is building in intensity 07:43 The crew fights to survive the horrendous storm 08:32 The sky finally clears at the same time as the first rays of dawn appear on the horizon 10:33 The song of a whale sounds in the distance 13:01 Applause & acknowledgments The first performance of the symphonic poem Balea was in Lutherse Kerk (Den Haag) on June 2025 by HSSO Valerius. I have extended the piece and added a choral part and a larger orchestra for a concert on the 21st of June of 2026 in Grote Kerk by Haags Toonkunstkoor, HSSO Valerius and Bataafs Symfonie Orkest. The tune and lyrics I have used for the choral part are based on a traditional basque lullaby called "Itsasoa laino dago". These are the lyrics: (Original) Itsasoa laino dago, Baionako barraraino. Nik zu zaitut maitiago txoriak bere umiak baino. Nik zu zaitut maitiago arraintxoek ura baino. (Translation into English) The sea is foggy, all the way to Bayonne. I love you more than birds (love) their young. I love you more than little fish (love) the water. I come from a family of fishermen and net-makers, who owned a fishing boat. My childhood was filled with seafaring stories my mother told me before bed. Even today, during family meals or from the balcony overlooking the port, I listen fascinated to tales of the sea. Like when grandma Adela guided the boat to San Sebastian to watch a popular rowing competition, or when one night uncle José Mari fell into the sea near the town of Getaria and it was a miracle that they could find him in the middle of the storm and saved his life. Through these family stories, full of wonder and danger, I imagine sensations and landscapes experienced from a boat. I feel a deep love for the sea; it calms me, gives me life, and deeply inspires me. I am also aware of its incredible capacity to host ecosystems and balance life on Earth. That is why I fight for its protection these days when pollution and the extinction of species are increasingly worrying. The title “Balea” (whale in Basque) is a tribute to this marine creature that fascinates and connects me with the greatness and wisdom of the sea. This concert was recorded in Grote Kerk, The Hague (Netherlands), on the 21st of June 2026. Conductor: Patrick van der Linden Associate conductor: Arne Visser Concertmaster: Xander Wassenaar Recording and mixing engineer: Tymon Kolubiński Recording assistant: Oliwia Jemielita Video: Fernando Vicente Video assistants: Milos De Wit, Olesya Lakshtanova, Mariana Silva & Yasamin Zeinalizadeh Narrator: Petra van de Leur