Archive 1982 

The packed 1982 festival opened with The Photographer by Rob Malasch and Philip Glass, based on the life and work of Eadweard Muybridge, the photographer who first succeeded in capturing movement. Legendary names from the dance world such as Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch and the Folkwang Tanzstudio (founded in 1927 by, among others, Kurt Jooss) gave multiple performances. Babar the Elephant was the subject of an opera by Francis Poulenc; there were three Italian Shakespeare productions, and Mozart and Bach were programmed side by side with pioneers of electronic music. 

In 1982 the Holland Festival also included several smaller festivals under its umbrella, such as a Latin American programme, a major programme on Berlin/Amsterdam 1920–1940, and 200 Years of Dutch–American Relations. Altogether there were around 150 (!) performances throughout the Netherlands. This has never been surpassed.