Inferno - BMP1201552 | Music

On 25th May 2011 a huge fire broke out in the Kalmthoutse Heath nature reserve north of Antwerp. Within a very short time more than 600 hectares of heath land went up in flames. The effect on the surrounding environment was huge. The fire left deep scars affecting the residents, those responsible for heath land, and also the members of the fire brigade who for several days risked their lives to fight the fire. The composition Inferno begins majestically and on a huge scale, exactly as the Kalmthoutse Heath is. Soon a theme is introduced into the work in which the magnificent beauty of nature can be heard. We then hear the fires on the heath set to music. Even the fire helicopter can be heard, together with the first discussions that took place after the alarm was raised with the Kalmthoutse fire brigade. One fact remains at the centre of this work, however: the natural beauty and splendour of the heath landscape. This is expressed at the start of the work in a theme that recurs throughout the piece. Towards the end it is finally replaced by a peaceful conclusion, representing the hope for a speedy regeneration of this wonderful nature reserve.