Jan Bosveld

Boreas

In Greek mythology, Boreas is the God of the North Wind.
When thinking of the north wind we particularly think of the bleak wind coming from the freezing cold north, but in Homers' work we see a more varied picture.
As shown in the following two stories, Boreas often does play the role of a storm wind that blows forth heavy dark clouds while whipping up the dark waves of the tempestuous sea to mountainous heights.
When the stake of the fallen Patroclos refuses to burn, Achilles begs for some wind.
When Iris, the swift messenger of the Gods, asks the winds for assistance, they raise themselves up with tremendous roaring and rush to Troy.
Upon theirarrival they blow the divine fire of Patroclos' stake far up into the sky.
When Troy was destroyed, the Greeks returned home. After many wanderings, Odysseus, however, ends up with the beautiful nymph, Calypso, who keeps him as a prisoner. As ordered by Zeus, Calypso frees him and sends him off on a handmade wooden raft.
At sea, Odysseus is threatened by the aggressive sea god, Poseidon, who stirs up the winds and thrashes the waves with his trident. The goddess, Athena, stems the violence of all the winds except for the north wind, and thus it is Boreas, who sends Odysseus to the land of the hospitable Phaiakes.

Jan Bosveld composed Boreas for OLTO, a music association in Loenen, The Netherlands, for which he had served as conductor for many years.
Turbulent movement in both tempo and dynamics characterize this composition. The result is a whirling piece that races by in a positive manner.