Het Hof van de Leeuw

About the composition

The composition was written for the Het Hof van de Leeuw (The Court of the Lion) by Margit Lukács and Persijn Broersen.

The animated film is constructed in the distinctive style of Lukács & Broersen. Fragments of the Binnenhof under renovation form the backdrop for a virtual reality that creates an overwhelming environment through moving images and sound. With theatrical camera movements, the viewer is guided into a lush and fertile Binnenhof, referencing, among other things, the Pleasure Garden of Prince Maurits, which symbolized the God-given prosperity of the Netherlands. Lukács & Broersen allow this garden to be explored by a lion engaged in an internal struggle—whether all the land should be cultivated or if it should be done in moderation. The alluring, dreamlike abundance is abruptly disrupted by rising waters, with the whale seemingly offering an escape.

The Court of the Lion is a fable filled with historical references, such as the depiction of the coat of arms of Holland, where a climbing lion guards an enclosed garden. For the contemporary music and libretto, Lukács & Broersen collaborated with Bram Kortekaas to adapt the redemption vision from Goethe’s Faust. In this vision of reclaiming land from the sea, Faust dreams of true freedom in the eternal struggle against water. The artists also drew inspiration for the libretto from statements made by the stateless Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt in 1650. He believed that a true republic should not be governed by the whims of a single individual but should be founded on "the foundations of immortal assemblies and colleges" and on the principles of freedom and equality as the cornerstones of democracy.

Lukács: "For us, nature is not a passive backdrop but a mirror of human desires, beliefs, and ideologies. Landscapes, seemingly objective representations of reality, are in fact constructed narratives that reflect social and political forces. The Dutch word for landscape carries the notion of creation in it. What specifically attracted us to this project was the opportunity to reinterpret the Binnenhof as a landscape of power, politics, and symbolism.”

Broersen: "As artists, we have the freedom to play with fiction in a way that politicians cannot afford.”