In Memoriam Robert Wilson (1941–2025)
With great sadness, Dutch National Opera has learned of the passing of director and visual artist Robert (Bob) Wilson at the age of 83. Wilson is regarded as one of the most influential theatre-makers of recent decades. His work is characterised by extreme precision, a slow, rhythmic pace, poetic visual compositions, and a mesmerising use of light.
Together with composer Philip Glass, Wilson created the Einstein on the Beach (1976) — a nearly five-hour-long opera without a traditional plot, featuring repetitive, hypnotic music and texts. The opera would go on to become one of the most revolutionary works of the twentieth century.
Robert Wilson also left his mark on Dutch National Opera. In 1986, the company presented the CIVIL warS – Act V, The Rome Section, the fifth part of an ambitious large-scale opera project Wilson had developed with six different composers. His aim was to stage the CIVIL warS in its entirety during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but the project proved too immense to realise. The fifth act was composed by Wilson’s close collaborator Philip Glass.
In 1989, Wilson directed the world premiere of De materie (Matter) by Louis Andriessen at Dutch National Opera — a production that opened the Holland Festival. In this work, Andriessen and Wilson explored the relationship between spirit and matter, individual and society, both musically and visually.
From 2002 onward, Wilson’s production of Madama Butterfly became part of Dutch National Opera’s repertoire. This production, which Wilson originally created in 1993 for the Opéra national de Paris, was praised by the press for its visual power and restrained dramatic style. “There are attempts to make Puccini’s music tangible. Hands trace a violin melody. Feet respond to a musical modulation,” wrote critic Roland de Beer in de Volkskrant. The production was revived in 2007 and 2019.
In 2013, Wilson and Glass reunited to restage their original 1976 production of Einstein on the Beach for the last time. This cult production was also presented by Dutch National Opera and received widespread acclaim from both press and audiences.
As part of the guest programming of the former Muziektheater, international tours of Wilson’s work also made their way to our main stage independently. These included, among others, The Black Rider (1991), POEtry (2001), The Temptation of Saint Anthony (2005), and Die Dreigroschenoper (2009). Images from Wilson’s productions will remain etched in the memories of many — both audiences and staff of Dutch National Opera.
