What drives someone to undertake a journey — longing, or guilt?
Miserere is a musical exploration of ancient rituals, inner conflict, and the timeless human search for redemption. Step into the world of the medieval pilgrim — and discover how closely it mirrors our own.

When was the last time you acted with full conviction — truly believing it was right — only to look back with regret?

The composition Miserere, written on commission, explores that question through the lens of pilgrimage.
In the Middle Ages, a pilgrimage was more than a journey to a sacred place. It was a spiritual act of purification — for the soul, or at least the conscience.

Even today, that longing for clarity still resonates. After all, who doesn’t wish for a pure life and a clear conscience?

However, worldly temptations often get in the way: vanity, fame, wealth, pride, and desire.

Back then, a pilgrimage wasn’t always voluntary. In fact, it could be imposed as a form of penance.
Those who didn’t choose the path could be sentenced to walk it. As the morality play Elckerlijc puts it: “Mi es bevolen dat ic moet reysen” (“It is commanded to me that I must journey”).

Today, by contrast, we are driven more by influencers and polished travel marketing. For example, some modern pilgrims seek only the appearance of a journey: A comfortable ride, a selfie at the destination, and home again. As a result, the actual transformation becomes optional.

Miserere draws inspiration from medieval sources and reimagines fragments from the Libre Vermell de Montserrat — a 14th-century manuscript of pilgrim songs and dances, here adapted in modernized Middle Dutch.

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Concerts

Featuring Philzuid and Studium Chorale led by principal conductor Duncan Ward
Chorus Master – Hans Leenders

Friday 19 September 2025 – order tickets
Festival Musica Sacra
Theater a/h Vrijthof
Maastricht

Saturday 20 September 2025 – order tickets
Muziekgebouw Eindhoven
Eindhoven

Sunday 21 September 2025 – order tickets
Theater aan de Parade
Den Bosch