Holland Festival, the largest international performing arts festival of the Netherlands and one of the oldest festivals of Europe, will celebrate its 77-year anniversary this year. From 6 through 29 June the festival will feature over 180 performances, showcasing theatre, dance, music, musical theatre, opera and multidisciplinary forms, as well as crossovers with visual art, digital art, photography and film. Ground-breaking pieces from artists from all over the world are shown at 21 locations in Amsterdam, including Royal Theatre Carré, de Gashouder, Muziekgebouw and Het Concertgebouw.
Focus on Brazil
The festival programme came about in part with the input and inspiration of this year’s associate artist: Brazilian theatre and filmmaker Christiane Jatahy, whose recurring subject is Brazilian society in all its complexity. She presents her own work, including a Hamlet adaption and Depois do silêncio, a mix of theatre, film and music that shows how the history of slavery continues to affect Brazil’s present.
In addition, the festival invites, in consultation with Jatahy, Brazilian artists who give us a glimpse of what is currently happening in Brazil and the rest of the world, in the arts as well as other areas. There will be a unique performance by cult classic and living legend Arthur Verocai, who effortlessly combines bossanova, samba, jazz, psychedelica and funk, in collaboration with Metropole Orchestra. One of the most important and daring dance companies of Brazil, Grupo Cena 11, will come to the Netherlands for the first time with the energetic performance Eu não sou só eu em mim (‘I am not only me in myself’). Also on show is Limite, a Brazilian silent film from 1931 that has inspired generations of filmmakers. Metá Metá, a trio who combine jazz, rock, samba and African influences, will perform a new live score for this film classic.
Other highlights
Georg Friedrich Haas will bring the monumental 11.000 Saiten, a work for ensemble and 50 pianos. Tiago Rodrigues will present Dans la mesure de l’impossible, a piece based on conversations with humanitarian aid workers. Forced Entertainment will celebrate its 40-year anniversary and make its festival debut with Signal to Noise, a piece that calls for vigilance without losing sight of the absurdity of life. Trajal Harrell will return to the festival with his large-scale choreography The Romeo, with a kaleidoscopic range of costumes, music and dance styles. The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Ted Huffman and Philip Venables is a musical theatre piece which shows a queer version of world history. And a stunning combination of stories and music from Armenia, contemporary jazz and visual arts will be presented in The Bird of a Thousand Voices by Tigran Hamasyan and Ruben van Leer.
Holland Festival
6-29 June, Amsterdam
Info & tickets: www.hollandfestival.nl