Black Gold

Black Gold was commissioned by the Musikverein 1891 “Harmonie” Saarwellingen e.V. (Germany) to mark its 130th anniversary. This composition pictures the history of the mining industry in the town of Saarwellingen and its surrounding region, where the life of the miners as well as their families revolved around coal, or black gold, for centuries on end. The piece is based on motifs from the famous song “Glück auf, Glück auf, der Steiger kommt...” (“Good luck, good luck, the mining foreman comes”), a veritable anthem for miners the world over.