Classical music
The Netherlands, like its German neighbor, is a country that loves classical music. However, unlike Germany, the Netherlands has made only a minor contribution to musical history. This does not mean that the country does not have quality ensembles or halls, quite the contrary. And it means even less that the Netherlands has not had interesting or talented composers throughout the ages. Although largely unknown outside their borders, here are a few names that have had a profound impact on Dutch musical composition.
In the 17th century, a major figure in the country was Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), a composer who straddled the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, and who was always highly regarded for the rhythmic complexity of his compositions.
At the same time, the carillonneur, organist, flutist and composer Jacob van Eyck (1590-1657) was one of the most famous Dutch musicians of his time.
In the 18th century, in the midst of the Baroque era, Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799) was the only Dutch composer to be known outside the Netherlands. In the following century, Johannes Verhulst (1816-1891) became famous in a style close to Robert Schumann. Very influential in his time, he remains one of the most appreciated composers in the country.
At the junction between the 19th and 20th centuries, we find Henriette Bosmans (1895-1952), a pianist and composer who was renowned during her lifetime but who never made it to posterity (her eventful life as well as her work deserve to be studied) and Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921). A friend of Mahler, Strauss and Schoenberg, Diepenbrock created a musical language of his own, nourished by 16th century polyphony and Wagnerian and Debussy influences.
In the twentieth century, we meet what is commonly considered one of the major personalities of modern Dutch music: Willem Pijper (1894-1947). Initially influenced by late German Romanticism and in particular Mahler, Pijper turned to atonal music after the Great War. Avant-garde without losing any of his emotional strength, Pijper was a true seminal figure. He was also a seminal figure for the other great name in Dutch composition: Louis Andriessen (1939-2021). A great avant-gardist, he deconstructed the musical language of his time and established himself as a pioneer of serialism in the Netherlands - with Series in 1958, and Nocturnen in 1959 - before becoming one of the main standard bearers of the minimalist movement. One of his close friends and disciples is none other than Michel van der Aa, a composer who is very much in the spotlight for his stagings and his themes related to the ego, the human and the machine, etc.
If the fame of the composers rarely exceeds the Dutch borders, those of the conductors, on the other hand, cross the whole globe. The most famous of them was of course the great Bernard Haitink (1929-2021). An absolute master of the Romantic symphonic repertoire, he conducted the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra for twenty-seven years, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (alongside Pierre Boulez). Excellent in Beethoven, Brahms or Mahler, he remains a reference for many young conductors and music lovers. Jaap van Zweden is another remarkable, though more discreet, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, where he brings to bear the subtlety and precision of his conducting. Jaap van Zweden was the first conductor to lead the two Dutch piano prodigies, brothers Lucas & Arthur Jussen, in 2006, when they were only 10 and 13 years old. This is all the more impressive since the scene was in the Concertgebouw, the temple of classical music. For many music lovers, the Concertgebouw is the best hall in the world and has built up an international reputation for its neoclassical beauty, perfect acoustics and exceptional programming. Above all, it is the home of the Royal Netherlands Orchestra, one of the most prestigious in the world, renowned for its dazzling performances and whose list of conductors is dizzying: Haitink, Chailly, Jansons or Daniele Gatti... Classical music lovers agree: you haven't really visited Amsterdam if you haven't heard anything at the Concertgebouw. Lovers of opera, on the other hand, can find some wonders in the program of the Muziektheater. The only opera house in the Netherlands, this gigantic complex (1,600 seats) with perfect acoustics is one of those buildings that locals love to hate. The reason? Its austere architecture by the "pragmatic modernist" Wilhelm Holzbauer. The Muziektheater is the home of DNO (De Nederlandse Opera), a company that, under the impetus of Pierre Audi - its daring artistic director for thirty years - has taken on an international dimension. The three pillars of the DNO's staging are a contemporary reinterpretation of the classics, an openness to other arts and a strong emphasis on innovation. In mid-August, music lovers would be remiss if they missed the GrachtenFestival ("Festival of the Canals"), which every year at the same time features classical music in some 250 concerts and celebrations throughout the city - including on boats and canal banks - often for a small price (sometimes for nothing). One of the sweetest ways to enjoy the capital. But the latter does not have a monopoly on the classic. The Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, which is somewhat overshadowed by its cousin in Amsterdam, is also of excellent quality. This is confirmed by the prestigious list of conductors - James Conlon, Jeffrey Tate, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin... - and by the quality of the recordings. The ensemble performs at De Doelen, a vast musical complex that has become a must-see over the years.Jazz
Thanks to the North Sea Jazz Festival, one of the biggest European jazz events held annually since 1976 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands has hosted the world's best jazz musicians over the past forty years. The Dutch jazz scene has been enriched by the contact with these stars and has gradually been filled with good names with a solid reputation. Among them, let's mention Misha Mengelberg, pianist close to Fluxus and collaborator of Derek Bailey and Eric Dolphy, or the drummer Han Bennink, a leading figure in free jazz. Willem Breuker is an essential element in the international development of Dutch jazz. An iconoclastic and avant-garde saxophonist, this prolific composer left his mark on the European avant-garde with his style that embraced both traditional and learned music. He worked for a time with percussionist Pierre Courbois, a pioneer of local free jazz and a leading figure in his field. Today, Dutch jazz is often at the top of the charts, driven by great female voices: Caro Emerald, world star, Fay Claassen, multi-awarded or Denise Jannah, signed to Blue Note - the most prestigious jazz label in the world. Amsterdam is in essence a jazz city. Maybe it's the fog during the day or the neon lights reflecting on the cobblestones at night. But the streets of Amsterdam have a gentle spleen that is very conducive to jazz. It's no coincidence that the capital offers many places to enjoy live jazz. The least intimate but the most impressive is undoubtedly Bimhuis. Opened in 2005 and located in the ultra-contemporary Muziekgebouw complex, this house of all jazz has a soft spot for avant-garde and improvisation. A more classical option to get away from the touristy Leidseplein is to go to the Jazz Café Alto, where you can be sure to hear live jazz (often easy listening). Finally, close to the University is "Engelbewaarder", a small literary café with a view, very cozy, where you can lose yourself in free jazz and heated chatter. In Rotterdam, the best addresses are Jazzcafé Dizzy, a jazz bar and club with the best artists of the moment, and Lantaren Venster, a cinema and jazz concert hall.
Current music
Unsurprisingly, the young Dutch creative scene is booming and many contemporary artists are shining internationally. The most obvious example is Altin Gün, an Amsterdam-based "Anatolian pop" group. Coming from the Turkish diaspora, its members take the great pop and psychedelic rock standards that their parents or grandparents listened to and give them a modern interpretation. But they are far from being the only ones: Jacco Gardner and his baroque pop, Thomas Azier and his mysterious pop, Rimon, the Dutch Jorja Smith, Gaidaa, a rising soul star, Sevdaliza, a total electronic artist worthy of Bjork's heir, or De Ambassade, a post-punk artist in the tradition of the cult The Ex, are only a few examples of the hyperactivity of the local scene.
The Netherlands also has a rather copious hip-hop scene. Here we know Lil' Kleine and Ronnie Flex since their hit Drank & Drugs had amused many French people (the producer of the track is nicknamed "Jack $hirak", which proves that our presidents inspire rappers all over the world). But the country also appreciates Boef, a French-Dutch MC born in Aubervilliers who preferred to establish his career in the Netherlands (and rightly so, he is very successful there), Ali B who composed the official song of the Dutch team for the 2006 World Cup, as well as Sevn Alias, Josylvio and Bizzey who are among the most prominent rappers.
But if there is one area in which the Netherlands excels, it is electronic music. In fact, the first electronic music album ever recorded was by a Dutch pioneer, Dick Raaijmakers (1930-2013), better known (though not well known) as Kid Baltan. In the mid-1950s he composed Song of the Second Moon and Colonel Bogey, two all-electronic nuggets.
Theater and dance
In the common imagination, dance in the Netherlands is a pas de deux between the hyper-contemporary Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague and the very classical Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. If this was once true, it is less and less so. Under the leadership of Ted Brandsen, director since 2012, the Dutch National Ballet takes a very modern look at classical works (about two to three ballets per year). A turn that has paid off, the company is now considered one of the five best in the world. A marvel that has found its home in the Muziektheater, one of the largest and most luxurious theaters in Europe, where one can also enjoy the performances of the National Opera. Before Brandsen, three other great names in Dutch choreography brought the Dutch National Ballet to international prominence in the second half of the 20th century: Toer van Schayk, Rudi van Dantzig and Hans van Manen. Toer van Schayk is a jack-of-all-trades: dancer, choreographer, set designer, but also costume designer, painter and sculptor. As a dancer, his eloquent and profound interpretations have made him one of the most popular soloists in the country. As a choreographer, he has developed a unique dance vocabulary. The second dancer, Rudi van Danzig, combined classical and modern dance to create a new language. This formula seduced the great Rudolf Nureev, with whom he lived an artistic and friendly adventure. Finally, the third, Hans van Manen, is probably the best known of all. This great master of choreography is very often celebrated, including in France. Apart from the Nationale Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam, a very good dance scene in the country is the Theater Rotterdam, where a famous local company performs regularly: Scapino Rotterdam. Also noteworthy, every July, the Julidans festival welcomes companies from all over the world to the capital.
