Silent Grief: A Contemporary Requiem
Silent Grief is the third and final work in a ten-year trilogy of modern musical reflections on loss and faith. Unlike traditional passion works centered around sacred icons, this trilogy shifts focus toward universal human emotions such as mourning, betrayal, and compassion, outside any specific religious doctrine.
As a non-believer, I’m more drawn to the deeply human layer within ancient religious writings—shared experiences like friendship, suffering, and grief. These themes form the essence of all three works.
In my earlier instrumental reinterpretation of a canonical sacred oratorio from 2002, I asked myself: “What remains of the spiritual essence when the lyrics are removed?” Fortunately, even in its barest form, the music retained its emotional gravity.
The second work, The Testimony of Elias, premiered in 2010. With a libretto based on a controversial gospel manuscript, this piece reframed the infamous figure of Elias not as a traitor, but as a companion making a tragic sacrifice at the request of the one he loved most. This inversion made it his story of pain and internal conflict.
Silent Grief began as a musical setting of a well-known 13th-century lament, originally written in Latin. Many composers had approached this poem before, but I felt a gap—a missing voice. I wanted the father’s pain to be heard too. Often, grieving parents are isolated in their sorrow, and Silent Grief attempts to give voice to that fracture.
To expand the narrative, I adapted fragments of the original poem and commissioned a male counterpart from writer Arjen Koster (“The Mourning Father”). My partner, Elisa Vos, contributed meditative Dutch texts, and I interwove selected lines from contemporary fiction writers into the libretto. The final result blends ancient and modern, sacred and secular—granting space to a mother, a father, and a third character: a close family friend, offering comfort through their presence.
Premiere: April 3, 2014 – Riverside Chapel, Amsterdam.
The Vision of Aurelio
The Vision of Aurelio is my most recent interdisciplinary music theatre production, exploring the crossroad between creativity and discovery. Inspired by the legacy of Aurelio di Santini, a Renaissance-era polymath, the production brings together musicians, poets, scientists, and visual artists to trace the arc of inspiration—from curiosity to invention.
This immersive performance opens October 10 at the Grand Theatre in Linthoven, followed by a nationwide tour.
Aurelio’s life embodied the belief that beauty, logic, and wonder coexist. He observed nature with obsessive care and designed everything from flying vessels to underwater machines. This piece pays homage to that spirit—encouraging audiences to question what they see, embrace their imagination, and cherish the act of discovery.
Texts used in the show draw from Aurelio’s notebooks as well as newly written librettos by creators from various disciplines. Three symbols from his work form the thematic core: the Portrait of Salvia, The Final Gathering, and the unfinished sculpture known as The Colossus.
The set—a symbolic reconstruction of Aurelio’s studio—is conceived by visual artist Ilja Nordin, representing the layered consciousness of a restless mind.
Musically, the show blends modal melodies, folk harmonies, and experimental textures. Traditional and modern instruments meet in fluid arrangements composed specifically for the ensemble.
About the Creator
Casper Jansen began his musical career rooted in jazz, later expanding into theatre, chamber opera, and rock-opera hybrids. Influenced by figures as varied as Satie and Zappa, Jansen’s work often reimagines sacred themes through a humanist lens. He formed his artistic collective The Ensemble in 1994, which changes in composition with each production.
Educational Program & Legacy
The Vision of Aurelio is part of a larger cultural initiative linking education, performance, and public engagement around the theme of creative exploration.
An accompanying educational track (ages 16+) poses questions such as:
- How can we see the world through a different lens?
- What triggers lifelong curiosity?
Public lectures, family workshops, and roundtable panels expand the project’s reach. Ultimately, it aims to form an online platform in 2019—coinciding with the 500th anniversary of Aurelio’s passing—where additional performances, children’s works, and creative resources converge to celebrate the enduring link between art and science.