Dutch National Opera

The foundation of a new opera season, according to director Sophie de Lint? Shared artistic curiosity and many conversations with creators. “Together we search for something that is more than the sum of its parts.”

Anyone reading through the new season brochure may notice it: alongside international artists, there are many creators from the Netherlands. Is that coincidence or a deliberate choice? “Both. We don’t work with artists because of where they come from, but because of their artistry”, says Sophie de Lint. “There are such extraordinary artists in the Netherlands. We try to follow as closely as possible what is happening here, from the work of emerging talents to that of established creators, including those from other disciplines. We begin conversations with makers we would like to collaborate with, and that becomes the starting point of a creative exchange. That exchange takes time. It often takes years before audiences see the result.”

Cross-pollination

The seeds of the production Cherry Town were planted in the early days of De Lint’s tenure at Dutch National Opera, when she met Swedish-Dutch theatre maker Jakop Ahlbom. “A colleague took me to one of his performances. It felt as though I was drawn into a surreal world: mysterious, poetic, with subtle humour. I was fascinated by Jakop’s virtuoso deployment of all the elements theatre has to offer, and I was curious how he might bring his craftsmanship and imagination into opera. It took some time to find the right opera, one that would allow him to fully unleash his artistic magic on stage. But when we began talking about Shostakovich’s operetta Cherry Town, everything fell into place: Jakop’s background in visual theatre and mime, the collaboration with ISH Dance Collective, the music. You can feel it when the moment is right.”

What appeals to her in this new production is the cross-disciplinary exchange. “At Dutch National Opera, we don’t want to confine disciplines to separate boxes. It becomes exciting when different artistic languages strengthen one another. But that only works if everyone is given the time to truly understand each other’s world.”

Artistic dialogues

Such an exchange between artistic worlds also forms the basis of the new collaboration with choreographer and director Nanine Linning. “She had long expressed the wish to work in opera. When we invited her to direct Samy Moussa’s Antigone in 2024, we saw, among other things, how skilfully she worked with our chorus.”

That called for a continuation. “The new production of Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust brings many elements together: a large chorus, soloists, Nanine’s dancers from Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conductor and Berlioz specialist Stéphane Denève, and visual artist Levi van Veluw, with whom Nanine was eager to collaborate.”

The collaboration with stage director Nina Spijkers also grew out of an ongoing artistic dialogue. “Nina is a daring director who excels at working with performers, and she loves to engage with classical titles. She also has an instinctive feel for music. When you meet an artist like that, something begins to stir. What could opera be for her, and she for opera?”

Sophie de Lint

“We don’t want to confine disciplines to separate boxes”

That search resulted in Hedda Gabler, a new chamber opera by composer Vasco Mendonça. “We had been in conversation with Vasco for some time about adapting a literary work into opera. Nina has a deep affinity for Henrik Ibsen’s work. We realised that his play Hedda Gabler lends itself perfectly to operatic adaptation. It has an exceptionally strong structure and a protagonist who is as powerful as she is unsettling.”

Matchmaking between artists

This shows how several long-running conversations with different artists converge in a single project. “By bringing together the right personalities, something new can emerge. That kind of matchmaking between artists is one of the most inspiring aspects of my work.”

The artists’ history with the company also plays a role. “Opera director Lotte de Beer is a wonderful example. She began here as a young talent, founded her own company, created some major productions for Dutch National Opera, works internationally, and now returns for Der fliegende Holländer. She approaches the title alongside one of today’s leading opera conductors, Susanna Mälkki, who makes her debut with us and with the Netherlands Philharmonic.”

When artistic chemistry proves successful, Dutch National Opera is keen to continue it, as with maestro Enrique Mazzola and director Jetske Mijnssen, who will take on the bel canto classic Norma. “It is wonderful to bring them together again after the Tudor Trilogy. Jetske’s sharp instinct for the psychological layers of characters and Enrique’s bel canto expertise create the golden combination this repertoire requires: musical brilliance and emotional depth. It is all the more fitting that the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra joins them again to continue its musical journey with Enrique.”

Partnerships

An international outlook is equally important when shaping a season. “I travel extensively, not only to see the work of directors, but also to hear singers and conductors in different repertoire. That is how you discover exciting combinations”, says De Lint. “It is an exhilarating life. I do it in collaboration with my team. Together we assemble the vast and complex puzzle that is a season. Ultimately, a season always arises from a dynamic interplay of artistic ambitions, availability, repertoire choices and partnerships.”

Those partnerships are vital. “Take our unique collaboration with our five partner orchestras, each with its own character and artistic aspirations.” This season also includes collaborations with other ensembles, such as the Netherlands Bach Society. “It had long been a dream to work with them, particularly in this country where Bach is so deeply rooted.”

The opportunity arose with a project by conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón and choreographer Sasha Waltz. “When I heard they were working together on the Johannes-Passion, I knew we had to be part of it, together with the Netherlands Bach Society. It is a project in which everything comes together: the Bach tradition, theatre, dance and singing. Sasha’s staging approaches the Passion as a collective ritual, emphasising shared experiences of loss, compassion and community.”

Vulnerability as a thread

Themes such as vulnerability and loss run through much of the programme. “In truth, almost every opera touches on these themes, but some titles do so more directly. Take Orfeo ed Euridice. Gluck’s masterpiece is so pure, so immediate. It is about grief, holding on and letting go. Director Ted Huffman approaches the work by focusing on that human dimension, translating the ancient myth into a recognisable situation.”

Human fragility is also central to Iolanta. “Tchaikovsky’s final opera is a deeply moving fairy tale. It is about not knowing what you are missing, about protection from harsh truths, about whether you are ready to face the world as it truly is. Evgeny Titov’s direction is both razor-sharp and deeply moving. Returning conductor Kwamé Ryan, who will lead the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, brings a keen sensitivity to Tchaikovsky’s musical language.”

Then there is Red Fox, created by composer Du Yun and director Barrie Kosky for the Opera Forward Festival. “After several major repertoire titles with us, Barrie wanted to create something entirely new. When we introduced him to Du Yun, there was an immediate spark. They connected in conversation about music, theatre and art. Both draw from a wide range of sources, from pop culture to philosophy. The theme they arrived at is deeply intimate: love and life with dementia. They explore it through three stories that span the globe. This way, these intimate and deeply human stories take on grand significance and impact. Opera is an art form that lends itself to that beautifully.”

Returning to Dutch National Opera

Alongside world premieres and new productions, there are revivals, including Salome and Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana. “They are magnificent repertoire titles. In Strauss’ Salome, the intensity of music and drama creates searing tension from the very first notes. And the one-act operas Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana capture raw human emotion in sweeping music. Successful stagings of such works deserve to be revived, so they can reach a wider audience. But even then, it is a matter of finding the right moment, when the ideal constellation of artists can come together.”

Such a moment arose with Salome. “As our former chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti was available with the Netherlands Philharmonic, with whom he shares a special bond, and as we were able to engage the exceptional Strauss interpreter Sara Jakubiak for her role debut as Salome, the timing was perfect.”

The revival of Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana followed a similar line of thinking. “When it became clear that maestro Andrea Battistoni was available during this period, we knew we had someone who could bring the right energy to this diptych. We were also able to assemble an ideal cast. And it feels right that the Chorus of Dutch National Opera plays a central role in both the season’s opening in September and its closing in June.”

Reaching wider audiences

Dutch National Opera continually strives to reach the broadest possible audience. “That is why we invest in streaming our productions digitally, and collaborate with a wide range of partners, including other opera houses, orchestras and companies. We are part of the Dutch cultural ecosystem. We are not an island, and we actively seek partnerships beyond the opera world, not only to learn from and inspire one another, but above all, to enrich the art form and reach as diverse and extensive an audience as possible.”

This season includes renewed collaboration with the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra on the new youth production The 10 + 1 Strings of Captain Ud, in which different musical worlds converge. The touring production Impressions de Pelléas by the Dutch National Opera Studio, in collaboration with Nederlandse Reisopera and Opera Zuid, is another example of connection within the cultural landscape: a shared investment in talent development and audience engagement.

Space for experimentation

Opera takes many forms this season, both on the Main Stage and in Studio Boekman. “We constantly move between scales: from repertoire titles to new works, from youth and family performances to the community opera Uprising, involving various local choirs. Studio Boekman offers space for experimentation and new voices, such as The Monster Trilogy by British composer and jazz saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, and the revival of Lennox, both in collaboration with RIGHTABOUTNOW INC.”

What ultimately gives her the most energy? She pauses. “It is the moment when everything feels aligned. When artists truly connect, when a work touches something in the audience, when you think: this had to happen here and now. That feeling, that shared concentration on something greater than the sum of its parts, is what we seek anew each season.”

Text: Wout van Tongeren