Dutch National Opera
Frieda Belinfante
Dates
3-11 May 2025
Location
Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Studio Boekman & Tour
Running time
1:30, no interval
Tickets
NA
Musical meets opera
Cellist, queer, resistance activist with Jewish roots – and the first woman ever to conduct her own symphony orchestra. In partnership with Stichting Boon en Ster, Dutch National Opera is proud to present a one-woman musical about the life and times of the fascinating Frieda Belinfante (1904-1995).
Performance information
Sung/spoken in Dutch (without surtitles)
Concept and text Sietse Remmers
Concept and composition Frank Irving
Concept and stage direction Sytske van der Ster
Additional compositions, musical coordination Leonard Evers
Costumes Aldo Vreeburg
Design Elian Smits
Set design Okodi - Tess Ellis
Lighting design Coen van der Hoeven
Props Faas Musbach
Dramaturgy Céline Buren
Choreography Aisa Lafour
Frieda Belinfante Esther Lindenbergh
Ensemble
Chekhov Trio Fem Devos, Emma Rhebergen, Anna Litvinenko
Due to an injury, violinist Emma Rhebergen will be replaced by Ruth Mareen
Clarinet Neus Molero i Beneito
Vocals Lente de Vries, Delaja Verduin, Liesl Torfs, Fem Devos, Ruth Mareen, Anna Litvinenko, Anne van Gorp, Myrthe Kuipers
Arrangements by Leonard Evers of excerpts from:
Henriette Bosmans, Cello Concerto No. 2
Robert Schumann, Cello Concerto
Leo Smit, Quintet for Flute, String Trio, and Harp
Maurice Ravel, recorded excerpt of the minuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin, performed by Walter Gieseking (1937)
Maurice Ravel, Piano Trio
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
Coproduction Stichting Boon en Ster
Made possible with financial support from
Dutch National Opera, Fonds 21, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunsten, Fonds Podiumkunsten and Het Cultuurfonds
School performances (12+)
A number of performances will be given especially for schools on 7, 9, 12 and 13 May.
This performance draws upon various sources, including the biography ‘Een schitterend vergeten leven’ by Toni Boumans, several documentaries that have been released, and conversations with surviving family members of Frieda. The performance is based on facts, but certain events and names have been altered.
Order tickets
After its run at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Frieda Belinfante will be performed at a few other venues. Ticket sales for performances at venues other than Dutch National Opera & Ballet can be purchased from the theatre in question.
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Trailer Frieda Belinfante
World War II resistance activist, first female conductor and much, much more
About Frieda Belinfante and how she was forgotten in The Netherlands
Reviews
A monument to a great conductor and resistance hero - impressive is how the performance conveys the growing threat of the 1930s and the wartime years. People suddenly disappearing, the fear of being arrested, [...]
Frieda Belinfante is music theatre with flair, determination, and pace - the informal, student-like character of the setting at Dutch National Opera and a no-nonsense direction ensure that you are captivated and deeply immersed in the characters and the story.
Resistance activist Frieda Belinfante brilliantly portrayed by Esther Lindenbergh
Theater Na de Dam
These performances are part of the national theatre initiative Theater Na de Dam. On the evening of the National Remembrance of the Dead, 4 May, theatremakers and artists across the Netherlands come together to give this day additional significance. Each year, more than a hundred performances take place simultaneously, each reflecting on the Second World War in its own unique way.
Partner programming Studio Boekman
