'Touching was the choice of poetry, song, and music, which greatly broadens the experience of grief.' 

'Beautiful performance, showing the impact such a disappearance of a son has on a mother and the entire family — all wrapped in a beautifully modest theatrical form.' 

'Art is such a powerful way to portray something so cruel and make it bearable for others. 
Many thanks.' 

'Magnificent performance with a phenomenal Isabelle Huppert!' 

'It remains important to present exceptional and leading situations by international artists to a Dutch audience. A healing oxygen infusion for our own culture.' 

'I was impressed by the chemistry between actress and director. Both top-notch.' 

'This performance exceeded all expectations — I found it spectacular and thoroughly enjoyed it.' 

'Beautiful VR opera, where I was momentarily taken out of everyday reality and sent on a journey. After it ended, I needed a moment to recover from the impressive experience!' 

'I was blown away!' 

'Brotherhood is long, uncomfortable, sometimes awful, but very important.' 

'Incredible imagery was created. I'm not often this impressed by a performance.' 

'Excellent performance: creative, intelligent, generous, daring, uncomfortable and yet lovable. Thank you for programming this production that really makes a difference.' 

'Fantastic performance! Such a beautiful connection between these artists! Thank you!' 

'The performance was very surprising. I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.' 

'What (technical) perfection and what an outstanding quality of singers and dancers. I was deeply impressed.' 

'With the Holland Festival we always see surprising performances, and this time also the Concertgebouw as we've never seen it before.' 

'I noticed how many people in the audience were emotionally moved — that doesn’t happen often these days in that way.' 

'Drone music really is healing and I loved it and the performers.' 

'Blown away by the fantastic choreography, with mystical lighting and sound — fantastic.' 

'Everything was perfect: lighting, sound, visuals, stage design.' 

'A stunning performance, from the first to the last minute. Breathtaking.' 

'Exceptional orchestra, remarkable composition, and superb execution. Typically HF.' 

'Such beautiful instruments from all over the world. Extraordinary!' 

'Keep up the good work!' 

'Much respect for Takao Kawaguchi and the Japanese art forms!' 

'Intriguing, familiar yet innovative, playful and profound — it takes a moment to surrender to it.' 

'Beautiful performance, lovely singing voices and overwhelmingly beautiful choral singing, ingenious set design. So much to take in. Topical and relevant.' 

'The set and its use were magnificent. The visuals were stunning.' 

'I'm glad to see that HF is once again offering exceptional performances!' 

'I thought the soundscape was amazing' 

'A beautiful, understated presentation by Geumhyung Jeong — endowed with dancerly elegance — of the requirements of bodily movements and the possibilities of simulating them.' 

'The performance Rothko was fantastic!!!' 

'This was the best theatre performance I’ve ever seen. Impressive! What a fantastic production!' 

'Exciting performance! This is why I love going to the Holland Festival.' 

'The concert by Abel Selaocoe and the world premiere of Kate Moore were unbelievably beautiful — phe-no-me-nal!!!' 

'I thought the performance when we were trees was fantastic!! Amazing music and performer, beautifully executed by Resonanz — truly enjoyed it!!' 

'It was beautiful!!!' 

'Don’t believe the critics — it was a beautiful performance with fantastic dance.' 

'Joyful with the audience. Fantastic dance.' 

'This performance will stay with me and is definitely one of the highlights of this season.' 

'I thoroughly enjoyed these queer dancers and their dance. It touched me all over my body — very sensual.' 

'I thought the performance Cean Amour was fantastic.' 

'Beautiful!' 

'Likeminds was a fantastic place to be and to experience dance in the theatre. The aspect of development — and through that, the gift of surprise and wonder — was an incredible gift. It has enriched my life.' 

'Otemba was a particularly successful performance. Above all, a very unique voice and superb playing by the New European Ensemble.' 

'I found it an interesting performance featuring a type of music and sound colours that were unfamiliar to me.' 

'Very beautiful and intriguing performance.' 

'I thought the performance was so amazing that I’m going to see it again in October.' 

'The performance unexpectedly became a multidimensional, continuous story — not a single dull moment. Beautiful, moving, and hopeful in our terrible world.' 

'Loved the performance The Seasons. We’re going again in October!' 

'The concert by Craig Taborn and ensemble was truly impressive. Such exploratory sounds, and such a strong musical connection.' 

'It was a magical evening with Craig Taborn and his specially formed Dutch ensemble.' 

'Beautiful result after just 3 days of rehearsing together!!' 

'Moved by the beauty and quality of the dance — and certainly also the music. The performance exceeded my expectations.' 

'This year we were able to bring our 14-year-old granddaughter with us to other Dances. A fabulous experience for all three of us.' 

'Best performance we’ve ever seen. The dancers were fantastic, and the choreography and orchestra blew us away. Thank you!!!!!!!' 

'We were captivated for two hours — beautiful dancers, fantastic singing.' 

'What a stunningly beautiful, moving, and heartfelt performance Ring of Our Time was. Thoroughly enjoyed and deeply enriched.' 

'It was one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen.' 

'Second Body made a deep impression and will stay with me. The most beautiful of this season.' 

'It was a beautiful concert.' 

'One of the most beautiful concerts of the past year!' 

'Hani is my favourite Kurdish singer — I'm glad I got to see her at the Muziekgebouw.' 

'Merci once again for all the surprise, the beauty & the adventure.' 

'Loved everything about this piece. The choreography was so clever. The live orchestra was a real treat. The dancers could manage the steps no matter what level they were on. The costumes and lighting worked together. The music was amazing with peaks and valleys and again the choreography that worked with it. Just really accomplished in all aspects.'

'So good that these kinds of more experimental performances can still be experienced in the Netherlands at all.' 

'Unprecedentedly powerful and poetic performance — mind-blowing!' 

'Study for Life was truly an experience I will continue to cherish. An example of how different artistic disciplines can share the same heartbeat and breath. Spiritual and deeply human. An ode to the movement of people, light, sound, nature...' 

'Excellent workshop! My compliments to Vitor. Great initiative to program workshops alongside performances.' 

'We enjoyed it. Special to get acquainted and open yourself up to everything. Truly a gift. We are impressed.' 

'KEEP IT UP!!!!! We also saw Study for Life in Amsterdam. Yet again a wonderful experience.' 

'The Brotherhood is at times long and painful, but necessarily so (...) It’s the contradictions, the conflicts, the consequences she aims to expose and question — and as an audience member, you’re more than willing to be part of that.' 

– Karin Veraart, Theaterkrant 

'The Brotherhood is an unrestrained and compelling performance.' 
– Hein Janssen, Volkskrant ★★★★ 

'Bold and fearless women took control of many Amsterdam theatres — with impressive performances as the result.' 
– Max Arian, Groene Amsterdammer 

'Both Visits have a mysterious undertone, with an elusive narrative or a sequence of images and movements. They seem to delve into dark, human emotions through alienating scenes, interspersed with moments of connection.' 
– Mina Etemad, Volkskrant 

'The “unfinished” paintings were more than worth seeing.' 
– Jan Pieter Ekker, Het Parool 

'The best thing about the leap ‘north’ that Holland Festival takes here is that the audience is different, the atmosphere more rough-edged, and the sense of elevation emerges in an entirely different way.' 
– Wijbrand Schaap, Cultureelpersbureau 

'Don’t give language too much weight — that seems to be what director Romeo Castellucci wants to tell his audience, right from the opening moments of his production Bérénice. Surrender to not understanding. After all, it’s only language.' 
– Shira Keller, NRC ★★★★ 

'Castellucci doesn’t serve us anything easy. The puzzle of symbolism; not a glimmer of light; we’re left breathless, as if we’ve descended deep into the underworld.' 
– Myrel Morskate, Trouw ★★★★ 

'To witness Bérénice is to encounter a piece that doesn’t comfort or console, but exposes the machinery of devotion, collapse, and control, at once intimate and civic, lush and annihilating.' 
– Contemporary Performance Network 

'Director Kirill Serebrennikov successfully relocates the tsarist tale to a near-future Russia.' 
– Maartje Stokkers, Volkskrant ★★★★ 

'With this Boris Godunov you can’t help but wonder: “Does Putin ever struggle with his conscience?”' 
– Peter van der Lint, Trouw ★★★★ 

'Vasily Petrenko, a seasoned opera man. Leading the Concertgebouworkest from the pit, he draws out refinement and sophisticated interplay — truly a pleasure to listen to.' 
– Frederik Berntsen, Het Parool 

'One Ocean is a perfectly choreographed performance with music, dance, and video, driven by momentum and vibrant colour. The title refers to the idea that the world’s oceans are connected — and with them, the people living around them. Musicians, dancers, and video artists from islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans pay tribute to their region of origin.' 

– Neil van der Linden, Place de l'Opera 

'The performer moves among the objects in a way that hovers between dancing, foraging, and playing (...). Kawaguchi’s body creates space, rather than occupying it. He moves in an inimitable way, always in motion. And everything he encounters on that journey becomes part of it: there are no obstacles in his path — they are all elements of the path itself.' 
– Javier López Piñón, Theaterkrant 

'Twelve years ago, Japanese dancer Takao Kawaguchi came up with the idea of copying the filmed dances of Kazuo Ohno live on stage, accompanied by the original sound from the films. It gave the ninety minutes of dance at Amsterdam’s Frascati theatre something truly special.' 
– Wijbrand Schaap, Cultureelpersbureau 

'The most well-known piece of the evening was Fratres by Arvo Pärt. It’s one of Pärt’s first successful compositions and remains immensely popular. The Paraorchestra performed the 1982 version for nine cellos and three violas. Wonderful how that drone sound of the notes A and E buzzed through the hall, with the slow movements of the other cellos and violas layered above, interrupted by the tapping of percussion. And all of it blended with the sound of shuffling feet. It was both immersive and meditative.' 
– Peter van der Lint, Trouw ★★★★ 

'It’s a lot — and unrestrained — and as a spectator you have to work hard to keep up, but it pays off: everything leads to a brilliant finale in which the restaurant becomes a gallery.' 
– Hein Janssen, Volkskrant ★★★★★ 

'Form and content are seamlessly aligned. Forgery in the visual arts finds its counterpart in the theatre’s play with appearance and reality.' 
– Kester Freriks, Theaterkrant 

'It’s the art world in miniature: buyers and museum directors, dealers and artists. There’s speechifying, negotiating, arguing, flirting — all those things that, secretly, are the lifeblood of the art world, Twarkowski seems to say.' 
– Myrel Morskate, Trouw ★★★ 

'For those familiar with it, this is like coming home to the world of Samoan artist Ponifasio. It’s not for everyone and demands focus and concentration, but for those who can offer that, it’s like floating free from time and space — like an astronaut in this wondrous universe.' 
– Francine van der Wiel, NRC ★★★★★ 

'This was total theatre the like of which would be hard to surpass and a performance which, I for one, was glad to have witnessed.'

- Michael Hasted, Arts Talk Magazine

'Chahrour’s tribute to strong mothers is a performance that leaves you speechless.' 
– Francine van der Wiel, NRC ★★★★ 

'Once again, an almost mythical, religious tableau. Restrained, in black and white, with hardly any set or props — only voices bearing witness to quiet sorrow.' 
– Margriet Prinssen, Theaterkrant 

'Told by My Mother is a story about the deep love of mothers for their sons — about sorrow, hope, and the power of music.' 
– Mina Etemad, Volkskrant ★★★★ 

'The Second Body creates an enormous space not only to observe action with full attention, but also to zoom out from the human as the central point of the universe, and to question the fixed frameworks and hierarchies that shape our expectations and frame our perception.' 
– Fransien van der Putt, Theaterkrant 

'I was one of the lucky few who got to wander for a good fifteen minutes through a world inhabited by otherworldly sirens singing beautifully — who eventually gave me a slight bout of vertigo as they carried me past scenes from my gentlest dreams. I saw myself in the mirror, and it was good.' 

– Wijbrand Schaap, Cultureelpersbureau 

'The most important innovation, however, is that in From Dust you’re not a spectator, but a participant — in an environment shaped by yourself.' 
– Jan Pieter Ekker, Het Parool 

'High or low art? Where is the boundary — and who really cares? It’s one of the questions Trajal Harrell poses in the performance Caen Amour, which is (in part) an ode to female performers from dance history (...) Harrell places them side by side, putting their experiments on the same level, blending and merging their styles with his signature catwalk structure, which over the years has absorbed elements of Japanese butoh.' 
– Francine van der Wiel, NRC ★★★ 

'Ryoko Aoki manages (...) to convey an impressive range of emotions in the lowest registers of her voice — from sorrow and longing to frustration and vengefulness.' 
– Loni Verweij, NRC ★★★★ 

'Japanese composer Misato Mochizuki has written light, beautiful music to accompany this tragic story, played with great care by the members of the New European Ensemble under Kanako Abe.' 
– Max Arian, Groene Amsterdammer 

'Soprano Bernadeta Astari shows expressively (...) how the past creeps into her mind and begins to dominate her thoughts.' 
– Anita Twaalfhoven, Theaterkrant 

No Change tosses aside your own ideas about how to relate to this kind of theatre. Yet another reason why the contribution of Trajal Harrell as associate artist of this Holland Festival is so refreshing. You wouldn’t easily experience something like this outside of this context. A pity the theatre was only half full. 
– Wijbrand Schaap, Cultureelpersbureau 

'A physical meditation on the passage of time and the human need to continually come to terms with it. Dawson’s dizzying dance language balances on the edge of ecstasy and urgency, yet is cleverly constructed and adds a touch of gravity to an otherwise delightful summer evening of ballet.' 
– Alexander Hiskemuller, Trouw ★★★★ 

'The repetitive music by Caterina Barbieri and the oppressive lighting design by Yves Godin — with smoke and lasers — help create a world that closes in tightly around the performers, where the present overlaps with the past. The future remains a vague cloud, in which the past can resurface again and again.' 
– Wendy Lubberding, Het Parool 

'The opera Ring Of Our Time (...) is another highlight of this year’s Holland Festival. The music theatre piece succeeds in everything that sometimes goes wrong elsewhere. The work originates from World Opera Lab, but bears the imprint of all the musicians, singers, designers, and other creatives who contributed to it.' 
– Wijbrand Schaap, Cultureelpersbureau 

'The excellent instrumentalists effortlessly draw you into the subtle whole they weave, guiding you seamlessly through the four continents from which the various musical cultures originate.' 
– Neil van der Linden, Place de l'Opera 

'They are beautiful, intriguing objects to behold. Dress forms, materials that seem lifted straight from a biology classroom or the healthcare industry, wheels, gears, small motors — all things Jeong uses to represent movement, not to perfect something, but precisely to express imperfection: of technology, of humanity and its relentless attempts; as an embrace of failure, the poignancy of an unexpectedly crashing object.' 
– Karin Veraart, Theaterkrant 

Freie Form is a solo, a duet, a trio — but at times, this piece for two dancers and a singer seems to contain the entire universe, as if choreographer Marc Vanrunxt has managed to capture the metaphysical movements of our world, letting souls drift and touching matter in relation to time. 
– Fransien van der Putt, Theaterkrant 

'The beauty of this performance lies in the tangled web of connections that make up a human life. At times tightly wound, at times unraveling. Occasionally tied off — but more often left open.' 
– Elise van Dam, Het Parool 

'A beautiful through-line emerges: a central theme that shifts from zooming in on the tiniest spring flowers and autumn leaves to zooming out onto the burning stage of world politics.' 
– Kester Freriks, Theaterkrant 

'Pure joy radiates from the stage in Ali Smith’s Four Seasons — it’s infectious.' 
– Hans Smit, Trouw ★★★★★ 

'Soprano Raquel Camarinha sang with radiant clarity and velvety warmth, utterly transporting. As dancers wheeled more carts onto the stage — now carrying the rest of the ensemble — Asko|Schönberg delivered a crackling performance of Lichtbogen. A long, grey-hued tone cracked open into a spectrum of colour, while a dancer held a cart upright to break a beam of light: a breathtaking image.' 
– Joep Stapel, NRC ★★★ 

'Singer Raquel Camarinha, six dancers, and eight musicians enacted a powerful musical ritual, brought to life by an ingenious and visionary lighting design.' 
– Peter van der Lint, Trouw 

'In the sun, she is human — until she once again becomes nothing but a hand. In need. Someone abandoned, or forgotten, someone trying to survive. After twenty minutes, Castellucci tiptoes away, and it’s over. Murillo briefly offers reflections on the phenomenon of begging, yet in all its simplicity, it holds undeniable beauty. Perhaps something that will stay with me after all.' 
– Ron Rijghard, NRC ★★★★ 

'Rhythms growing ever more propulsive, instruments played with increasing wildness, melodic lines climbing to ever higher realms — all over increasingly urgent bass lines.' 
– Basia Con Fuoco