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reinbert the lion

How a Martian looks at opera

by Henri Drost
11 June 201229 March 2022
5 min read
For members only, MUSIC, OPERA, SPECIALS

Or: the familiar becomes utterly alien here. Or: embracing meaninglessness as the first principle. One hundred years after his birth, John Cage takes centre stage in HF weekend.

Ever since Reinbert de Leeuw played it in the fastest talk show on Dutch television, John Cage's 4'33" has been a well-known composition in our country. For exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds, the musician does not play a single note and the audience hears nothing but the ambient sounds.

#HF11 Weather barbed, lovely and humorous notes at mini-festival Xenakis 1234

by Henri Drost
5 June 201129 March 2022
3 min read
For members only, Holland Festival, MUSIC, OPERA, SPECIALS

With the battle between Titans and gods on Mount Olympus, Xenakis opens 1234, a mini-festival in the great Holland Festival. In four concerts, spread over two days, it features Iannis Xenakis central. There is also an extensive exhibition dedicated to the Greek composer, who was a mathematician and architect by birth.