A-mag – Amsterdam Magazine: Vol 2, No. 2 by amsterdam&partners

AMSTERDAM MAGAZINE

SIGHTS & SOUNDS ART & FASHION DANCING & DINING COMPLETE LISTINGS MAR & APR 2014

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FLOWER POWER

THE OPENING OF THE KEUKENHOF, THE WORLD’S LARGEST FLOWER SHOW, IS TESTIMONY TO HOLLAND’S BLOOMING FLOWER CULTURE.

Vol 2 NO 2 €2.95

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AMSTERDAM MAGAZINE

VOL 2 N 2 MAR & APR 2014 0

P.17 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

It takes an outside perspective to really get to know yourself. A friend who has moved to Paris once pointed out to me the existence of a ‘flower culture’ in Holland. What it is, exactly, is still unclear to me, but the fact that I religiously buy a bouquet of flowers every fortnight from ‘my’ flower guy and arrange it in a vase the size of a wheelie bin; the fact even that a heterosexual man like myself would buy flowers from another heterosexual guy and not feel the least bit embarrassed as he suggests those large lilies is testimony to the existence of this culture. The culture seems to have started – like almost everything in Amsterdam – in the 17th century. After having lived for ages in a damp, dark, brownish-grey world, the Dutch sailed forth, discovered colourful cloth and spices – and indeed flowers – and brought them home in massive quantities. Such was the craving for colour that the price of certain tulips rose to mind-blowing heights: at one time a bulb’s value seems to have equalled that of a grand canal house. As a visitor you can witness this cult in all kinds of places. In the countless tiny flower shops in the city; the famed flower market on the Singel canal; or in a big way in the vast stretches of bulb fields southwest of Amsterdam; the enormous flower auction in Aalsmeer; or in the Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower show that will open on 20 March. (For details, see our cover story and the A-mini-mag on flowers, which is included with this issue or can be obtained at Visitor Information Centres). But the best starting point for experiencing our flower culture is probably the Rijksmuseum, where it is embodied in the elaborate floral still lifes. The flowers in these paintings are typically half in decay. Which seems to have been ‘read’ by contemporaries as a Calvinist memento mori. Which reminds me that I need to change my bouquet of lilies today…

The first ever King’s Day, plus our critics’ picks of the best exhibitions, concerts and events.

Bart van Oosterhout editor-in-chief A-mag.

P.31 EAT, DRINK & CHIC

STAY IN TOUCH:

CONTENTS P.04 WHAT’S NEW?

City confidential: exciting new Amsterdam initiatives, events and venues – including your Top 5 must-do things this issue.

P.08 UP CLOSE The city in focus: contemporary flower power in Amsterdam and beyond.

Neighbourhood watch: The Nine Streets; the hottest new shops, the tastiest food trends and our selection of the best restaurants and cafés, old and new.

P.60 CLOSING Amsterdam ABC, your city need-to-know; get out of town with our excursion tips; once upon a time in Amsterdam; top tips from visitors on the way out; colophon.

P.45 THE A-LIST Agendas at the ready: from clubbing to gallery hopping, The A-List is your one-stop, at-a-glance guide to the city’s very best music, theatre (language no problem!), sporting, family and gay & lesbian events and venues.

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©MARIE-CHARLOTTE PEZÉ

LET THERE BE FLOWERS

mar & apr 2014

OPENING

What’s new? (in town)

‘WAS IN GLASGOW EARLIER TODAY, NOW IN AMSTERDAM. IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CITY. I LOVE THE ARCHITECTURE.’

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All the latest cultural news plus the fresh new initiatives, events and venues making Amsterdam the place to be.

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CNN’S ANDERSON COOPER PROVIDES A TWEET OF TWO CITIES.

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text Toby Main

BRUSH WITH FASHION WILD THING Last year’s De Nieuwe Wildernis (The New Wilderness) was the biggest nature film ever made in the Netherlands. Filmed entirely in the Oostvaardersplassen, home to Europe’s largest population of wild horses and red deer, the documentary shows the circle of life in all its intricacy and glory by using cutting-edge camera techniques. On 19 April, a special Ziggo Dome screening of this incredible movie is accompanied by a live soundtrack performed by the musicians of the Metropole Orkest, under the direction of Oscar-winning conductor Ernst van Tiel. www.ziggodome.nl

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The latest edition of MercedesBenz Fashion Week Amsterdam saw Dutch designers deriving no end of inspiration from the city’s artistic institutions. The catwalk show from Francisco van Benthum, the menswear maverick who graduated from Arnhem’s ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the late 1990s, was apparently prompted by visits to the recent blockbuster exhibition at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum of modern art (Kazimir Malevich and the Russian Avant-Garde), with Van Benthum sending models down the runway in a collection that echoed Malevich’s constructivist aesthetic. A Friday night at the Van Gogh Museum, meanwhile, was dedicated to the inspiration that designers Mattijs van Bergen and Borre Akkersdijk both derive from the work of a certain Dutch one-eared wonder. www.franciscovanbenthum.com www.mattijsvanbergen.com www.byborre.com

VANITY PROJECT One of Amsterdam’s snarkiest and most secretive bloggers – the self-confessed ‘Shallow Man’, whose stated name Simon Woolcot may also be a fiction – can no longer be accused of being completely ‘spineless’ now that his book, The Amsterdam Confessions of a Shallow Man, has seen publication. The tome documents a British expat’s exploits in dating and male grooming as well as his thoughts on strip clubs and fine dining. www.amsterdamshallowman.com

‘ON AVERAGE, ONE CAR A WEEK IS ACCIDENTALLY DRIVEN INTO AMSTERDAM’S CANALS.’

‘I WAS IN AMSTERDAM AND GOT A LITTLE CRAZY, DROPPING MY PANTS AT A TATTOO PARLOUR AND WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND SAW THIS REALLY FUNNY DRAGON.’

A CAUTIONARY TWEET FROM THE ELVES BEHIND THE BBC’S QI PROGRAMME.

ANGELINA JOLIE ON GETTING INKED IN THE TATTOO CAPITAL OF EUROPE.

NAME YOUR PRICE

TABLE FOR ONE A quirky Amsterdam pop-up restaurant is the first in the world to challenge the social stigma around dining alone. The restaurant, which at the time of going to press had events scheduled for 17, 18 and 19 April, is the brainchild of international lawyer-turned‘social designer’ Marina van Goor, who plots her projects from her family home. All of the tables and crockery at Eenmaal (which has a double meaning in Dutch: ‘once’ and ‘one meal’) are built for solitary dining, and the project is inspired by Van Goor’s occasional desire to get away from it all: ‘Sometimes I really have the desire to be by myself, to be disconnected for a moment.’ The mother of three also claims to find philosophical inspiration in the following quote from Jean-Paul Sartre: ‘If you’re alone and feeling lonely, you’re in a bad company.’ www.facebook.com/popupeenmaal

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‘Come as you are, pay as you feel’ is the telling slogan of Trust, a new café in the everfashionable De Pijp district. London may have hit the hipster headlines early this year with Ziferblat, supposedly the world’s first pay-per-minute café with complimentary refreshments and Wi-Fi but, not to be outdone, Amsterdam has upped the ante once more. In a move reminiscent of the band Radiohead, who deployed a similar tactic with their experimental 2007 album In Rainbows, Trust invites diners to pay only what they think the experience merits. For Amsterdam food blogger Cecily Layzell (www.eat-amsterdam. com), that was precisely €6 for ‘a cappuccino and a slice of dark, moist chocolate cake’. Ironically, it was the icing on the cake (‘grainy’) that stopped Layzell from paying more. www.facebook.com/trust amsterdam

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FOXY AND FAT Amsterdam’s urban foxes are on average a whopping 1.5 kilos heavier than in recent years, according to research by the city’s department of planning. Spokesperson Geert Timmermans attributed the increase in weight to an outbreak of myxomatosis in the city’s rabbit population throughout 2012 and 2013. The disease makes bunnies lethargic and therefore sitting targets for predators.

THIRD BASE The Netherlands’ capital was among the top three most searched-for travel destinations of last year in the UK, according to a spokesperson for Google. The 2013 ‘Google Zeitgeist’ list was topped by Rome and New York, with Amsterdam in third position. Not bad at all when you consider the springtime hullabaloo that accompanied the appointment of the new Pope in Vatican City. The top trending ‘What is…?’ question, meanwhile, was ‘What is twerking?’.

mar & apr 2014

OPENING WHAT’S NEW?

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‘THIS IS WORSE THAN THE TULIP MANIA. AT LEAST THEN YOU GOT A TULIP [AT THE END], NOW YOU GET NOTHING.’

‘WORTH A GOOD NOSE AROUND WHILE ANXIOUSLY HOPING THE HEAVY VAULT DOORS STAY OPEN UNTIL YOU’RE DONE.’

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THE UK’S GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER HAILS AMSTERDAM’S STADSARCHIEF AS ONE OF THE TEN BEST FREE MUSEUMS IN EUROPE.

FORMER DUTCH CENTRAL BANK PRESIDENT NOUT WELLINK ON THE FOLLY OF VIRTUAL CURRENCIES SUCH AS THE BITCOIN.

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CONCRETE

JEFF WALL, OVERPASS 2001

For those who find moviegoing too solitary an affair, the Hot Tub Movie Club has the answer. Like watching a film in the bath with four or six intimate friends, the concept was imported from London, where it’s been a huge success. Located in the culture park Westergasfabriek, there are 21 tubs (containing a whopping 21,000 litres of water), each holding either five or seven film fans. The regular package for €35 gets you a standard hot tub and a bottle of Cava; the €85 VIP package sees you upgraded to Jacuzzi and Champagne. But whatever’s happening onscreen, we predict that afterwards – when revellers hit the dance floor in their swimwear – is when the real action will happen… 6-9 March Machine Gebouw www.facebook.com/hottub movieclub.nl

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TOP 5 to do

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If you only do one thing in Amsterdam, make it one of our top picks of must-do events, exhibitions, museums, music and more this issue.

1 KING’S DAY Mark 26 April in your diary with a bright orange highlighter: Amsterdam’s first King’s Day promises to be a historic, patriotic party like no other. 26 April All around town

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TELLY TUBBIES

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2 TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS

As Holland’s famous bulb region springs into bloom, explore historical and contem-

porary flower power at the ‘garden of Europe’, the Keukenhof Flower Gardens. 20 March-18 May Stationsweg 166A, Lisse www.keukenhof.nl

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3 JEFF WALL: TABLEAUX, PICTURES, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1996-2013 The Stedelijk Museum celebrates a Canadian heavyweight photographer who uses a cast and crew to create picture-perfect images. Until 3 August Stedelijk Museum Museumplein 10 www.stedelijk.nl

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4 GET FIRED UP FOR GRILLED MEATS

The global trend for all that sizzles and smokes has finally reached critical mass in Amsterdam, with the opening of several bespoke BBQ restaurants (including Bar Brouw, pictured) – and we couldn’t be more excited. Bar Brouw Ten Katestraat 16 http://barbrouw.nl

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5 FAIRYTALES Two equally remarkable but very different productions take flight in harmony at the city’s National Opera & Ballet. 1-16 March Dutch National Opera & Ballet Waterlooplein 22 www.operaballet.nl

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‘DE WALLEN – AMSTERDAM’S CENTRAL RED LIGHT DISTRICT – IS A SORT OF ALTERNATEUNIVERSE DISNEYLAND, NOISY AND WITH A CERTAIN RAGGED CHEER.’

HISTORIAN RUSSELL SHORTO OFFERS A COMPARISON THAT UNCLE WALT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LESS THAN THRILLED ABOUT…

PRETTY WOMEN Where else than Amsterdam’s Red Light District to open the world’s first prostitution museum? Previously the purview of paying customers only, the appropriately named Red Light Secrets museum takes you behind De Wallen’s famed red-lit windows to give you a glimpse not only of the prostitute’s parlour but the prostitute’s perspective. Literally. You can sit in the window of this former brothel to see what life is like on the other side of the curtained glass, all part of the museum’s mission to de-stigmatise the world’s oldest profession and those who practice it. ‘It’s work done by normal women,’ says former prostitute, dominatrix and museum advisor Ilonka Stakelborough. ‘For us, it’s a normal job.’ Prostitution was legalised in the Netherlands in 2000, but human trafficking continues and there’s a room devoted to the topic. On the lighter side, there’s a bondage room (follow the soundtrack of cracking whips) and the churchlike confessional, where visitors can not only read prostitute’s secrets but share their own. And while photos are strictly forbidden around active red light windows, here selfies are welcome – everyday, in keeping with the neighbourhood, until midnight. Lauren Comiteau Oudezijds Achterburgwal 60 www.redlightsecrets.com

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ROYAL FLUSH A new public toilet in the swanky Magna Plaza shopping centre has been crowned the best in the Netherlands – partly because of its spectacular views of Amsterdam’s Dam Palace, which bring a whole new meaning to being on the throne. Bog aficionados of the website Schoonmaakjournaal (‘Cleaning Journal’) also praised the quirky murals and sympathetic music in the facility, which is privately owned by Vendor. 

TINY DANCER Amsterdam is sending promising teenaged ballerina Daniëlle Muliar to train with Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet company, with the help of thousands of euros raised on a crowdfunding site. There was much jubilation last year when 13-year-old Daniëlle became the first Dutch citizen in the 240-year history of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy to be accepted for a prestigious fiveyear training contract. Then the financial realities hit home. Roused by national media attention, donations flooded in to a World of Crowdfunding page that will help Daniëlle fulfil her cherished dream. www.worldofcrowdfunding.com/ daniellemuliar

PART I UP CLOSE

flower power

FLOWER POWER

As Holland’s famous bulb region springs into bloom, explore historical and contemporary flower power in Amsterdam and beyond.

VINCENT VAN GOGH, ALMOND BLOSSOM, 1890

SEE IT: CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL Playing roulette with the weather is part and parcel of living in the Netherlands, but throw global warming into the mix and the short and unpredictable cherry blossom flowering season becomes even more of a pot-luck affair. As such, dates for Amstelveen’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival – which owes its existence to the Japanese tradition of celebrating the fleeting splendour of the flowers – are inevitably sketchy. If you’re lucky enough to be here when spring finally springs, head to the beautiful Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest)  to see the 400 cherry trees awash with pink and white blossom. If you miss the spectacle (it maxes out at 14 days), check out Van Gogh’s equally stunning vision – albeit of almond blossom instead of cherry – at the museum bearing his name – also home to his iconic ‘Sunflowers’ (sadly on loan to London’s National Gallery until 27 April). Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7 www.vangoghmuseum.nl

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This is a nation whose modern history can be traced, almost down to the petal, to that most stately of perennials, the tulip. text Lauren Comiteau highlights Megan Roberts

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME…

embrandt has one bearing his name. So do Madonna and Ronaldo. Vincent van Gogh and his great grandnephew, the murdered filmmaker Theo van Gogh, have also been honoured. Even Nickelodeon’s square-trousered Sponge Bob has one. A rose by any other name may still smell as sweet, but in the Netherlands, it’s the tulip that gets all the glory. And the promotional cachet. When thenCrown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima landed on the shores of New York in 2009 to celebrate 400 years of political and economic union between Old Amsterdam and new, it wasn’t a shiny wheel of aged Gouda cheese they carried in their luggage. The royal couple presented the city with 120,000 specially-cultivated tulip bulbs, christened by the princess herself Tulipa Henry Hudson in honour of the explorer who brought Manhattan and the river that flanks its western shore into Dutch sights. The royal couple was hardly reinventing the wheel in this choice of a present – flowers are the go-to Dutch offering for all occasions – but that they chose as their goodwill ambassador this pointed orange tulip underscores the diminutive bloom’s mammoth importance to a nation whose modern history can be traced, almost down to the petal, to this most stately of perennials.

While Henry Hudson was busy making the Dutch East India Company rich, the Netherlands’ Golden Age was manifesting itself back home in scientific discovery, art and commerce, of which the tulip was part and parcel. Introduced to Europe via Turkey, the tulip – its name likely a bastardisation of the similarly shaped turban – arrived on the Dutch scene in the late 16th century to more fanfare than even Steve Jobs was ever able to muster. ‘We’re in the Netherlands, where it’s cold and grey and dark most of the year,’ says anthropologist and writer Andrew Gebhardt. ‘All of a sudden, bright tulips, lemons and olives arrive from Southern Europe and it just blows people’s minds.’ CAPTURED ON CANVAS The country’s fascination with the tulip heralded the rise of a new wealthy leisure class, where blooms could be cultivated for pleasure and preserved in oil on canvas. ‘Still life paintings captured the wonder of these new objects, turning them into commodities,’ says Gebhardt. ‘They functioned as early advertisements.’ The world’s first consumer culture was born. Strolling the halls of the refurbished Rijksmuseum, you don’t have to look further than Jacob Marrel’s tulip watercolours, Hans Bollongier’s potted arrangements or the specially designed vases made to display one expensive tulip at a time to understand flower

PART I UP CLOSE

BAS MEEUWS, UNTITLED (#90)

SEE IT: ON CANVAS For a visual representation of Golden Age Tulip Mania, check out the floral still lifes in the Rijksmuseum and contemplate that these grand paintings were more affordable than the fresh flowers they depicted. Indeed, the artists themselves painted from flower catalogues – never from life – since they couldn’t afford fresh flowers either. Which explains the impossible mixes from different seasons pictured together: tulips, anemones, roses, carnations and irises often sit side by side in full bloom. For a more contemporary – but no less beautiful – interpretation, Dutch artist Bas Meeuws re-creates such Old Master still lifes using contemporary photography and editing techniques, all captured in his book Photographic Flower Pieces (www.bekkingblitz.com). Rijksmuseum Museumstraat 1 www.rijksmuseum.nl

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flower power

11 power’s hold on the 17th-century artistic and fiscal imagination. It’s an obsession that continues to this day: witness a January planting spree that saw Rijks director Wim Pijbes get down and dirty with the head of the Keukenhof Flower Gardens to plant some 2,000 17th-century tulip bulbs in the museum’s garden – which you can enjoy this spring. ‘For the Dutchman, the 17th century is a magical century,’ says Dutch artist Bas Meeuws, who recreates classic floral still lifes using digital photography and modern editing techniques. ‘It’s when the Dutch conquered the world… People didn’t have many flowers and they were magical and expensive. To me, they stand for the richness and luxury of the period… I work in the same tradition [as the Dutch masters], but I’m doing it another way.’ On the shelves of quirky Amsterdam design shop &k, classical still lifes are available to the masses courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, which last year handed &k’s designers access to its covetable catalogue and asked them to commemorate the museum’s grand re-opening – on plastic. ‘It was a good project for us to make them on melamine,’ says &k designer Berdien Righolt of the popular picnic plates that feature some of the museum’s most enduring floral still lifes. ‘To sell them in our shops, they must have the &k feeling – Dutch design with a modern twist.’ At design studio Droog, meanwhile, for the same occasion designers created a temporary tattoo inspired by the 17th-century painting ‘Still Life With Flowers and Glass Vase’ by Jan Davidszn

de Heem. For just €3.95, you can wear an Old Master on your back or arm for a day or two (Staalstraat 7A; www.droog.com) . There are other twists in the Dutch love affair with the tulip. Centuries before the words ‘dot’ and ‘com’ were ever strung together, the price of tulips allegedly reached canal-house proportions and led, says popular myth, to the bursting of the world’s first speculative bubble in 1637. While the financial reality of what’s dubbed ‘Tulip Mania’ may be overblown, according to anthropologist Gebhardt, its cultural significance is hard to overstate. ‘Tulips were a stand-in, a symbol for a new market economy,’ he says. ‘When the bubble, such as it was, burst, people realised this new system wasn’t trustworthy and mocked and resisted it… But the Dutch economy continued to grow and so did the tulip market.’ THE WALL STREET OF FLOWERS How this small nation with little natural light is today the world’s leading supplier of fresh blooms is another flower in the cap of Dutch business acumen. Many chalk it up to the success of the world’s largest flower auction in the town of Aalsmeer – less than an hour from Amsterdam – which started as a grower’s cooperative in 1911 to correct a market imbalance which favoured buyers, and coined another economic term: the Dutch auction. ‘We are the Wall Street of flowers,’ says Marion ten Pas of FloraHolland. ‘Everyone looks to the Netherlands for the price of flowers like they look to

SEE IT: AMSTERDAM TULIP DAYS

BUY IT: &K PICNIC PLATES

Inspired by June’s annual Open Garden Days – when private canal-side residences open up their historic gardens for an ever-voyeuristic public – Amsterdam Tulip Days sees hundreds of tulips, many rare or historic specimens, in full bloom around the Canal Ring. A €12.50 ticket grants you access to all the participating secret gardens, hidden behind the imposing facades of some of the city’s most swell patrician canal houses.

To celebrate the reopening of the Rijksmuseum after an unprecedented ten-year renovation, quirky Dutch-design houseware specialists &k were commissioned to reproduce priceless masterpieces on their signature Melamine picnic plates – surely too beautiful to eat off. Pick up your Old Master for €5.25.

3 & 4 May Starts: Museum Van Loon, Keizersgracht 672 www.tulpendagenamsterdam.nl

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Jacob Obrechtstraat 19a Haarlemmerstraat 8 www.klevering.nl

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AMSTERDAM TULIP DAYS SEES HUNDREDS OF TULIPS, MANY RARE OR HISTORIC SPECIMENS, IN FULL BLOOM AROUND THE CANAL RING.

flower power

PART I UP CLOSE

Breathtakingly bold,  beautiful stripes of colour   flame across the  landscape. BUY IT: CONTEMPO-

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RARY TULIP VASES

Wall Street for the prices of stocks.’ In a space roughly the size of Monaco, some 40 million cut flowers are traded daily in a few hours, with the morning’s purchase likely sitting on a New York mantelpiece by evening. Schiphol Airport is said to have been built close to Aalsmeer with its highly perishable flowers in mind. THE FLOWER AS MUSE Firmly planted in Dutch culture – and on every Amsterdammer’s weekly shopping list – the flower still serves as muse, equally at home at the Stedelijk Museum in the form of Dutch design superstar Marcel Wanders’ ‘Egg Vase’ or on the arms of fashionistas as Linde van der Poel’s ‘Tulip’ bag. There was even a time, during the German occupation at the end of World War II, when it served as sustenance, with the starving population consuming tulip bulbs whenever they could find them. As for Princess Maxima, she’s now Queen. Shortly after arriving from her native Argentina, she got her own tulip, the red and orange La Reina Maxima. A trademark conflict led to it being re-christened the Prinses Catharina-Amalia after her daughter and heir to the throne. But as you’re wandering down one of the Jordaan’s many flowered-named streets – Bloemstraat (Flower Street) or Rozengracht (Roses Canal) – take heart: Maxima got her tulip before ever marrying into the royal family, so there may be hope yet…

SEE IT: AMSTERDAM TULIP MUSEUM While ‘museum’ may be an overly grand appellation for this compact celebration of the cult of the tulip, your €6 is nonetheless well spent here. Interactive, multilingual exhibitions detail the flower’s rich history, and in the gift shop you can buy everything but the kitchen sink branded with the Netherlands’ unofficial flower, as well as seasonal bulbs.

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Prinsengracht 116 www.amsterdamtulipmuseum.com

Holland’s exceptional pool of design talent has repeatedly revisited and reinterpreted the classic tulip vase. See the 17th-century originals – both towering and menorah style, designed to highlight each individual (and phenomenally expensive) bloom – in the Rijksmuseum, then see Dutch design wunderkind Marcel Wanders’ re-imagining across the Museumplein at the Stedelijk. Or head to design store Moooi to purchase your own. Stedelijk Museum Museumplein 10 www.stedelijk.nl Moooi, Westerstraat 187 www.moooi.com

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SEE IT: KEUKENHOF GARDENS & BEYOND If there was a scrabble for the window seats on your flight into Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, here’s why: as the aircraft flies low over western Holland, those who bagged the prime seats will see breathtakingly bold, beautiful stripes of colour flaming across the landscape. After the crocuses, it’s the turn of the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, an impressive display that begins at the end of March and continues into May. In late summer, the gladiolas, dahlias, carnations and asters stage a second, spectacular show of colour. This is Holland’s ‘bulb strip’, and its undeniable centrepiece has to be the Keukenhof Gardens, the world’s largest flower gardens. For eight weeks only – from 20 March to 18 May – the Keukenhof will burst into a kaleidoscope of colours as the gently rolling grounds are carpeted with blooming flowers, planted in extraordinary patterns and swaths of contrasting colour. From the days when the humble tulip cost a small fortune, Holland’s love affair with the flower continues: a staggering 7 million have been planted across the 32-hectare park, set to be admired by 800,000 international visitors. Keukenhof Stationsweg 166A, Lisse www.keukenhof.nl

‘RED TREES’ 140 X 190, CAROLIEN WISSING, ATELIER ZAMENHOFSTRAAT

TASTE IT: DE KAS De Kas has delighted diners for over a decade with its unfailing farm-to-table food so fresh it’s grown mere metres away. The set three-course menu is based on the day’s harvest from the onsite nursery and herb garden, with dishes inspired by the cuisines of the rural Mediterranean. The name, which means ‘the greenhouse’ in Dutch, refers to the restaurant’s location in a former municipal nursery, which was transformed by famed Dutch designer Piet Boon. Don’t be surprised to find edible flowers – from calendula to pansies – adorning your salad or dessert. If you prefer your dinner in a glass, head to the A Bar at the Intercontinental Amstel hotel for a deliciously evocative Flower Market cocktail (lemon vodka, Lillet, elderflower liqueur, orange bitters, fresh lime juice and soda). De Kas, Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3 www.restaurantdekas.nl A Bar, Professor Tulpplein 1 http://amsterdam.intercon tinental.com/a-bar

WEAR IT: BY-LIN TULIP BAG Wear your Tulip Mania on your arm, with one of Dutch designer Linde van der Poel’s covetable flower-inspired leather creations (www.by-lin.com). Meticulously constructed to combine visual impact with functionality, each bag is hand crafted by artisans of the finest leather. Whether you choose the ‘Tulip’ or opt for the equally charming ‘Rose’ or ‘Sunflower’ designs, you’ll be hard pushed to decide whether you should put your wallet in it or display it in a glass case. Get yours at Amsterdam’s quirky Museum of Bags and Purses. Tassenmuseum Hendrikje Herengracht 573 www.tassenmuseum.nl

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PART I

flower power

UP CLOSE

‘EVERYONE LOOKS TO THE NETHERLANDS FOR THE PRICE OF FLOWERS LIKE THEY LOOK TO WALL STREET FOR THE PRICES OF STOCKS.’

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SEE IT: FLOWER AUCTION FLORAHOLLAND The world’s biggest trade building – so large, workers traverse the site by bike – holds the world’s largest flower auction, in the country that exports 70% of the world’s commercial flower output. Auction houses in the Netherlands even coined an economic term, the Dutch auction. At FloraHolland today, 38 auction clocks let the market determine a bloom’s worth, with prices dropping in place of rising, meaning bidders risk loosing the blooms or else paying too much. You can visit early morning Monday to Friday to see the action.

SEE IT: HORTUS BOTANICUS One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, Amsterdam’s lusciously verdant Hortus Botanicus was established in 1638 as a herbarium for medicinal plants, before later becoming a repository for plants collected by the mighty Dutch East India Company. Of course, it’s in full bloom come springtime: in March catch the early spring flowers – crocuses and snowdrops – and in April it’s the turn of the tulip to take centre stage. Plantage Middenlaan 2A http://dehortus.nl

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Legmeerdijk 313, Aalsmeer www.floraholland.com

SEE IT: PAINTED FLOWERS

BUY IT: FLORISTS Unsurprisingly, it’s not hard – or expensive – to find fresh flowers in Amsterdam: even generic supermarkets stock surprisingly high quality blooms. While many visitors flock to the so-called ‘Floating’ Flower Market on Singel, locals know that it’s both disappointingly solid and lacking in fresh blooms (most stalls stock bulbs for export these days). Instead, head to the city’s numerous general outdoor markets, where you’ll got more blooms for your buck. If budget’s no problem, Menno Kroon (Cornelis Schuytstraat 11; www.mennokroon.nl) is widely considered one of the best florists in the world. In the Nine Streets neighbourhood, meanwhile, Gerda’s Bloemen (Runstraat 16) is a shrine to both seasonality and the exotic orchid. At ’t Lievertje (Spui 7; http://tlievertje. nl) an outdoor stall at the corner of Kalverstraat and Spui, florists will make you a beautiful hand-tied bouquet with change to spare from €20.

Amsterdam’s tiny Pipe Museum is one of the city’s most unique. Covering some 2,500 years of pipe-smoking culture, it represents the life’s work of a serious collector who spent 40 years amassing the world’s most renowned pipe collection. But this spring, the Pipe Museum is under the spell of Tulip Mania like the rest of the city, and presents a special exhibition of floral still lifeadorned porcelain pipes from the 18th and 19th centuries. 5 March-3 May Prinsengracht 488 www.pipemuseum.nl

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March - June — Language no problem — operaballet.nl

Dutch National Ballet presents

FAIRYTALES The Dream & Firebird — 1 – 16 March 2014

Dutch National Opera presents

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Gaetano Donizetti — 14 March – 6 April 2014

Dutch National Opera presents

ARABELLA

Richard Strauss — 11 April – 2 May 2014

Dutch National Ballet presents

Dutch National Opera presents

Dutch National Ballet presents

Four world premieres — 16 April – 7 May 2014

Charles Gounod — 10 – 27 May 2014

Spotlight on the ballerina — 14 – 20 May 2014

Dutch National Opera presents

Dutch National Ballet presents

Mattijn Padding — 3 – 8 June 2014

Giuseppe Verdi — 7 – 30 June 2014

DUTCH DOUBLES

LAIKA

FAUST

FALSTAFF

BALLERINA

THE TEMPEST

Choreographer: Krzysztof Pastor — 18 – 29 June 2014

mar & apr 2014 18 22 27 28 29

ENTERTAINMENT

‘AN ANCIENT MYTH FOR THE CHILDREN, WITH SEXUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL LAYERS THAT APPEAL TO ADULT INTELLIGENCE TODAY.’ See if the New York Times was right, at the Dutch premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s new ballet, Firebird.

‘CROWDED, COLOURFUL AMSTERDAM, WITH ITS LITTLE DOLLS’ HOUSES, WHERE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD SEEMED TO GATHER AND HAGGLE OVER CHICKEN, SWEET POTATOES, OKRA, GARLIC AND FRUITS.’

Soulstress Giovanca shares her first Amsterdam memory.

KING’S DAY HIGHLIGHTS 13 QUESTIONS FILM NIGHTLIFE ESSENTIALS

RICHARD MOSSE: THE ENCLAVE You’d be forgiven for presuming that Irish multimedia artist Richard Mosse sees the world through rose-tinted glasses. In fact, his photographs of the rebel-filled forests of the eastern Congo are created using military surveillance film ‘that turns the world psychedelic cobalt, magenta and puce’. In a thought-provoking rethinking of war photography, Mosse reveals a forgotten war in which at least 5.4 million people have died since 1998 and which, in his own words, ‘yields a wonderland of cruel and indelible beauty’. 21 MARCH-1 JUNE FOAM Keizersgracht 609 www.foam.org

DRAG, 2012 © RICHARD MOSSE. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, NEW YORK

PART II

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Right royal revelry

king’s day

Mark 26 April in your diary with a bright orange highlighter: Amsterdam’s first King’s Day promises to be a historic, patriotic party like no other. text Toby Main photos Debra Barraud

ypically beating even New Year’s Eve as the celebration of the year across the country, Queen’s Day (Koninginnedag) in Amsterdam last year was a bittersweet affair, as the Dutch people gave their beloved Queen Beatrix a rousing last hurrah to mark her abdication. With the same-day swearing-in of Beatrix’s son, King Willem-Alexander – only the fourth ever Dutch king and the first man to hold the top job since 1890 – the last day of April 2013 represented the last Queen’s Day until one of Willem-Alexander’s three daughters replaces him. Naturally, Amsterdam – site

of both the official abdication and the swearing-in – rose to the occasion, turbocharging its always-spectacular day-and-night street party in honour of the outgoing and incoming monarchs. A glittering Royal Boat Parade saw newly crowned Willem-Alexander and his family serenaded by both superstar DJ Armin van Buuren and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – a symbolic blend of cutting-edge optimism and Golden Age pomp. This year, the name may have changed to King’s Day (Koningsdag), but thanks to some canny family planning from the royal House of Or-

ange-Nassau, the occasion remains perfectly timed for Amsterdammers to throw off the shackles of winter and party with al fresco abandon. That’s because, in accordance with the new monarch’s birthday, King’s Day will henceforth officially be celebrated on 27 April. This year it’s been brought forward by a day, as the event is never celebrated on a Sunday (a nationwide Monday hangover would be just too cruel). After a Friday King’s Night knees-up on the eve of the big day – think boozy gatherings in bars and squares all over the city – the first ever King’s Day happens on Saturday, 26 April 2014.

don’t miss these family fun

pink partying

princely portrait

FAMILY FUN A host of activities are organised across town, including face-painting, games and sports events. The city’s parks are traditionally kid-friendly areas on King’s Day, with Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s grandest, greenest space, reserved for kids to sell anything they (or their parents) want to get rid of – often to the tune of little ones busking on the violin or kazoo for cash. Characterised by a family-friendly vibe, the Bredeweg Festival in Oost is a bustling street fiesta featuring a market, fair and concerts. www.bredewegfestival.nl

PINK PARTYING

Royal celebrations of this kind were first held on 31 August 1885, in honour of the birth of Queen Wilhelmina. After her daughter Juliana took the throne in 1949, Queen’s Day moved to 30 April in accordance with the new queen’s birthday. When Beatrix came to power, she retained the date in honour of her mother. That’s the history lesson over, but what exactly can be expected on this most famous and festive of days? Well, amidst an outpouring of national pride, live music and partying, you’ll experience an atmosphere like no other. You’ll also be treated to a sea of vivid orange as everyone

and their pet is clad headto-toe in honour of the royal family, whose affiliation with the vibrant hue dates back to William of Orange. As a merchant city, Amsterdam loves nothing more than free trade, and the annual vrijmarkt (free market) gives everyone and his mum the chance to shift unwanted bric-a-brac in the streets and parks, creating one of the world’s largest flea markets. Weeks beforehand, you’ll notice the word ‘bezet’ (‘taken’) daubed over stretches of the city’s pavements, as Amsterdammers stake out prime patches for their stalls. Competition is fierce and haggling

is intense, but unfailingly good-natured. By mid-afternoon, the shopping frenzy subsides as Amsterdammers spend newly acquired beer money whilst admiring the brightly decorated boats that pack the narrow canals, their sound systems set to stun. Never has citywide gridlock been so much fun. As day turns into night, revellers will throng a multitude of outdoor party platforms for one last boogie, and then another, and another... The best plan is to simply go with the flow. And to make sure you’re ready for the inevitable kingsized hangover.

Queen’s Day always had something of a delightful double meaning for this town’s LGBT community, but a simple name change isn’t going to deter anyone from being out and proud. While most of the city turns bright orange for the royal celebration, pockets of Amsterdam remain shocking pink, as flamboyant open-air festivities focus around the Homomonument memorial adjacent to the Westerkerk, the super-central Reguliersdwarsstraat (‘gay street’) and the cosy spit-and-sawdust bars on and around the River Amstel near Waterlooplein. Dutch singalongs and a drag show or two are guaranteed.

PRINCELY PORTRAIT With the swearing in of a new monarch comes the inevitable new bust. For the occasion, 34 artists were commissioned to submit a proposal, and nearly 3,000 Amsterdammers helped choose the winner. Marjolein Rothman’s winning steel sculpture combines stateliness and playfulness, and leaves several sections open ‘so the king is not the centre of power’. At just 10mm thick, from the side the true-to-life portrait becomes a sketchy line drawing. Due to be unveiled this spring, it will be placed on the plinth where the bust of Princess Beatrix currently stands in the Council Chamber.

japanese-inspired cuisine wagamama amsterdam

opening hours 12.00 - 22.00

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The trademarks KOOZA and Cirque du Soleil are owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license.

amstelstraat 8 | rembrandtplein max euweplein 10 | leidse plein zuidplein 12 | wtc | station zuid

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DAVID SHINER

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AMSTERDAM TULIP DAYS The tulip is one of the most enduring symbols of the Netherlands and Amsterdam. Now you can once again celebrate the famous flower in Amsterdam Tulip Days. Despite its fame, it takes a bit more effort to track down tulips in Amsterdam today. You’ll find them in abundance at the floating flower market and local flower shops, as well as a few fields surrounding the city. But in the spring of 2014 this famous flower will once again bloom all over Amsterdam. Thanks to garden architect Saskia Albrecht and Museum Van Loon, a variety of colourful and occasionally rare tulips can be seen in the gardens of museums, private homes and other city institutions. This culminates in this special tulip celebration. Participants will also be provided with a map and descriptions of the locations.

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IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL The annual Imagine Film Festival returns, with yet another adventurous and varied programme containing both feature-length and short films. For nine whole days, the newest and most interesting fantastic films will be shown at one of Amsterdam’s most picturesque locations. Whether you’re a diehard horror fan, anime addict or a Sci-Fi enthusiast at heart, the wide range of cinematic offerings of the festival’s 30th edition will cater for everyone’s taste. To make the movie experience complete, there will be Q&As, symposiums, masterclasses and interviews alongside the movie screenings. 9–18 April 2014 EYE Amsterdam, IJpromenade 1 www.imaginefilmfestival.nl

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Enjoy the beauty of spring yearround at the all new Amsterdam Tulip Museum. Conveniently located in the heart of historic Amsterdam, the museum features exhibits and films devoted to the tulip, the unofficial national flower of the Netherlands. From Sultans of the Ottoman Empire and Dutch Merchants of the Golden Age to gardeners today, the tulip has captivated people around the world for centuries. Explore the tulip’s history and discover its remarkable journey. Prinsengracht 116 +31 (0)20 421 0095 www.amsterdamtulipmuseum.com

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

highlights

Birds of a feather

Two equally remarkable but very different productions take flight in harmony at the city’s National Opera & Ballet. text Toby Main photo Erwin Olaf

he fairy-tale atmosphere that characterises winter in Amsterdam refuses to thaw in spring – at least if the Dutch National Ballet’s March programming is anything to go by. In collaboration with New York’s venerable American Ballet Theatre, the company is presenting a box-fresh version of the fairy-tale ballet Firebird, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. For the double-whammy showcase entitled Fairytales, this European premiere will combine with The Dream, a reinterpretation of a highlight from the canon of Sir Frederick Ashton, arguably the greatest English choreographer of the 20th century. Both Ratmansky and Ashton rank amongst the most gifted ‘storytellers’ of the dance world, yet each takes a radically different approach. Whereas Ashton operated squarely within the rigours of the English tradition, which some would say he helped to define, Ratmansky – former artistic director of the Bolshoi – is an expert in the field of Russian ballet and in reinterpreting its dazzling cultural heritage for contemporary audiences. Ashton (1904-1988) based his one-act ballet The Dream on the seminal woodland scenes from the Shakespearean comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, creating the piece to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s birth. It’s timely, then, that it is being revived in the year the playwright would have turned 450. In spite of his somewhat whimsical subject matter, Ashton’s choreography is not just some dance comedy; it’s also a fairy-tale ballet engorged with breathless romanticism and

The balletic canon contains two superlative adaptations of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, hailing from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean: American George Balanchine’s (1962) and Brit Frederick Ashton’s (1964). Both are set to incidental music composed by Mendelssohn for the theatrical play, and both are equally beloved. Ashton’s version, made originally for London’s Royal Ballet, is richer in characterisation and more concerned with traditional storytelling. It has been a staple of the Dutch National Ballet repertoire, last performed in 2004.

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imbued with breathtaking technical majesty, set to the music of Mendelssohn and dubbed ‘an unalloyed masterpiece of poetic drama’ by the New York Times. Ratmansky, meanwhile, has received international acclaim for his bold reinterpretations of Russian ballets and stories. For his Amsterdam premiere, he has selected Firebird, the exotic fairy tale created by his compatriot Michel Fokine in 1910 for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The work has been adapted by many choreographers throughout the 20th century and beyond, and in common with his predecessors, Ratmansky has been inspired by the music of the same name by Igor Stravinsky. Ratmansky adds his own accents to the folk story of Ivan, who fleetingly captures a firebird in a magical garden, mixing tones, styles and emotions to create a nuanced, witty production. At the June 2012 world premiere in New York, the response was largely rapturous, with the New York Times proclaiming it: ‘an ancient myth for the children, with sexual and psychological layers that appeal to adult intelligence today’. 1-16 MARCH DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA & BALLET Amstel 3 www.operaballet.nll

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don’t miss these NINA YUEN Nina Yuen likes to confuse her audience. Magic and nature, her father and her teenage students, artist Joe Andoe and feminist author Simone de Beauvoir all influence the Hawaiian artist’s performative works, in which she blends everyday household rituals and (imagined) memories with historic facts to create an alternative world. Yuen’s video biographies seem convincing enough, but their credibility is deliberately undermined with bad lip-synching and an inconceivably wide range of personal recollections. The works Hermione, Lea and Raymond will have their international premiere.

STILL FROM HERMIONE

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UNTIL 13 APRIL, DE APPEL Prins Hendrikkade 142 www.deappel.nl

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CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – KOOZA The Cirque du Soleil juggernaut rolls into town with a show that sees them revisiting their roots in a tribute to acrobatics and clowning. The usual trappings are all here – breath-taking, gravity-defying stunts, dazzling costumes, terrifying (choreographed?) near-slips – as well as old-fashioned sideshow elements, but the true highlight has to be the ’Wheel of Death’. Two bare-chested daredevils run, jump and climb around two revolving circular treadmills suspended from the ceiling in a dizzying spectacle. Kooza lacks the somewhat New-Age vibe of many Cirque productions, letting the extraordinary stunts take the limelight.

13 MARCH-27 APRIL, P2 (AMSTERDAM ARENA) Borchlandweg www.cirquedusoleil.com

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LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR This dramma tragico by Gaetano Donizetti is one of the most well known and best loved showpieces of the bel canto opera style. Based on Walter Scott’s bestseller The Bride of Lammermoor, the romantic elements of forbidden love, madness and murder send shivers down the spine. The story takes place against the backdrop of the power struggle between England and Scotland at the end of the 17th century and the cast includes Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka and audience favourite Ismael Jordi. Never absent from the repertory of the venerable Metropolitan Opera for more than one season from 1903 until 1972, Lucia Di Lammermoor remains a staple of the standard operatic repertoire.

14 MARCH-6 APRIL DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA & BALLET Amstel 3 www.operaballet.nll

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PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

highlights

Off the wall

The Stedelijk Museum celebrates a Canadian heavyweight photographer who uses a cast and crew to create picture-perfect images.

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JEFF WALL, IN FRONT OF A NIGHTCLUB, 2006. COURTESY THE ARTIST

text Toby Main

n the preface to the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads – William Wordsworth’s manifesto on Romantic creation – the English poet famously declared that an individual poem should be born out of ‘emotion recollected in tranquillity’. More than two centuries have passed since Wordsworth’s lofty pronouncement, but the same definition might easily be applied to the visual work of Canadian photographer Jeff Wall, whose exhibition Tableaux, Pictures, Photographs, 1996-2013 represents the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam’s first major photography exhibition since its long-awaited reopening in 2012. With works such as 2001’s ‘Overpass’, which shows four anonymous and careworn individuals, their backs to the camera, heaving unglamorous luggage across a cloud-covered walkway, Wall distinguished himself – not only with the radiant, backlit, hyper-real light box medium that had hitherto been a medium for glossy and aspirational advertis-

ing, but also via the meticulous art direction of scenes that he had witnessed, but did not seek to capture on film until a later date. If Wall can be said to have a mantra of his own, it is ‘I begin by not photographing,’ as he told the San Francisco Museum of Modern art in 2007. Take ‘In Front of a Nightclub’ from 2006 (pictured above). Here is a picture that, at first glance at least, may appear to be as random as the most casually banal snapshot uploaded to the web by an overzealous Instagrammer: a bunch of young people, some waiting around, some smoking, some eating, outside a relatively anonymous nightspot somewhere in North America. None of the 20-plus subjects in this rag-tag scene seem remotely aware of the photographer’s presence: certainly, no one is posing for the camera. Yet, in reality, the photograph is a painstakingly conscientious re-creation that took many weeks of preparation, set building, styling and light rigging, all in

service of creating a false impression of slice-of-life spontaneity. As Wall puts it: ‘The reconstruction is a transformation that leads to something faithful.’ In other words, by enlarging an apparently throwaway scene so that it inhabits the grand scale of the kind of 19th-century epic that one might see across the Museumplein at the Rijksmuseum, Wall’s trick is to invite the beholder to scrutinise the work with equivalent effort. As Stedelijk curator Hripsimé Visser says, ‘Wall’s work is classic, yet entirely contemporary at the same time. His themes are both commonplace and tension-filled. What at first seems straightforward and intelligible is also complex and enigmatic. Wall carefully selects his mode of display to be produced with an incredible eye for detail.’ Give close attention to that detail, and the payback is lyrical indeed. UNTIL 3 AUGUST STEDELIJK MUSEUM Museumplein 10 www.stedelijk.nl

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featured artist

don’t miss these THE BARD’S BIRTHDAY 23 April 2014 marks the 450th anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare. In honour of the occasion, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre company is embarking upon a two-year tour that will see them perform their critically acclaimed rendition of Hamlet in every country in the world – a Globe to globe performance, if you will. This fresh version of the classic tragedy emphasises the play’s gallows humour and celebrates the exuberance and invention of its language. As a preview, catch award-winning novelist and playwright Tom Lanoye’s Hamlet vs Hamlet with English surtitles for a fresh take on what is arguably the Bard’s best-known play.

‘[Music] is not about acquisition of information, and it’s not even about knowledge; it’s about a real insider’s appreciation.’

SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE: 29 & 30 APRIL HAMLET VS HAMLET: 17 & 24 APRIL Stadsschouwburg, Leidseplein 26 www.ssba.nl

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY – INSOMNIO Another day, another birthday. This year, British composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle – dubbed ‘one of the most gifted composers of his generation’ by the London Times – is turning 80. Which is reason enough for Dutch contemporary music ensemble Insomnio to pair up two of his great modern classics, ‘Silbury Air’ and ‘Secret Theatre’, with the world premiere of a new work by Robin de Raaff and James Wood’s concerto ‘The Parliament of Angels’. Dutch composer De Raaff, who studied under George Benjamin, has composed a percussion concerto which combines especially well with Birtwistle’s fragmented music and Wood’s 15th-century inspired sounds.

YO-YO MA, CELLIST Born: Paris, 1955 Talent: He’s been honored with 16 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, played with everyone from Bobby McFerrin to the Kalahari Bushmen and is often dubbed the greatest living cellist by his contemporaries. Performs: 25 April, Royal Concertgebouw 

Yo-Yo Ma speaking to the San Francisco Examiner.

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The Dutch National Ballet is bringing together four leading Dutch choreographers and four world-famous Dutch artists from other disciplines for four world premieres. Remy van Kesteren (winner of the USA International Harp Competition 2013), avant-garde fashion design duo Viktor & Rolf, photographer Rineke Dijkstra and visual artist Krijn de Koning will each bring their own unique aesthetic to specially created new choreographies by Jorma Elo – who has created works for the Bolshoi Ballet – former artistic director of Dance Works Rotterdam Ton Simons, rising star Juanjo Arqués and seasoned veteran Hans van Manen.

ERWIN OLAF

DUTCH DOUBLES

‘The tradition of classical music and the opera is such that it used to be the place where social intercourse could take place between all parts of society: politicians, industrialists, artists, citizens, etc. That tradition, I think, still exists, but it’s much, much more diluted. I think that what we don’t think is important today, may suddenly become important tomorrow. It pays to pay attention to everything around and to understand why it’s there, what the placement is, and to be able to start from the inside. It is an artistic enterprise, and starting from the inside is the way to go; it’s something that has to happen organically.’

10 APRIL, MUZIEKGEBOUW AAN ’T IJ Piet Heinkade 1 www.muziekgebouw.nl

16 APRIL-7 MAY, DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA & BALLET www.balletopera.nl Amstel 3

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highlights

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

3D Print Canal House

Audio overload

ALI MOUSAVI

Amsterdam’s DUS Architects is pioneering the ultimate DIY project: print your own house.

Three of the city’s biggest music fests will be in full bloom this spring. text Brandon Hartley

ince 2001, 5 Days Off has drawn hundreds of artists and thousands of attendees to the heart of Amsterdam with stellar line-ups that have, in past editions, featured top talents like Daft Punk, Monolake and Jeff Mills. ‘We’ve built a steady platform for new talent in electronic music, combined with big international artists from all over the globe,’ says artistic director Bas van den Broeke of the festival’s success. ‘This year, we’re more focused on the alternative side.’ Sure enough, 2014’s line-up reflects this, with some of the bill’s more eclectic acts including underground electronica prodigy Darkside and neo-classical musician Nils Frahm. But there’s more to 5 Days Off than just beats of the block-rockin’ persuasion. Now in its 14th edition, the fest also squeezes in a slate of films, photography expositions and more, making it one of the season’s premiere cross-cultural extravaganzas. If you prefer your music even further beneath the radar, the aptly named Sounds of the Underground (SOTU) is probably for you. The third edition invades multiple venues around town over Easter. As the name implies, SOTU’s modus operandi is to shine

a light on new and emerging acts. ‘SOTU represents underground culture by showing the exciting contrasts,’ says organiser Mark van Soest. Highlights include FlowerCorsano Duo, a collaboration between avant-garde percussionist Chris Corsano and Vibracathedral Orchestra’s Mick Flower. And to keep revellers entertained during daylight hours, SOTU also hosts a record market, a symposium for cartoonists and a video night. Looping back around towards the mainstream of EDM, Amsterdam’s NDSM Docklands will become a playground for fans of the deep end of electronica during the twoday DGTL festival. The 2014 edition features five outdoor stages, more than 80 artists and a colossal club setup inside a warehouse. The lineup features vets like French DJ Agoria and the mysterious German Claptone, noted for both his decades-spanning samples and the plague doctor mask he wears while performing. Whatever your musical tastes, one of these will put the spring back in your (dance) step. 5 DAYS OFF 5-9 March, http://5daysoff.nl SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND 16-20 April, www.sotufestival.com DGTL 19 & 20 April, http://dgtlfestival.com

text Megan Roberts

t may sound like sciencefiction, but the technology for 3D printing was actually developed in the ’80s – although it’s taken a few decades to get out of the lab and into the real world. And now DUS Architects has begun printing a life-sized canal house on the northern bank of the IJ. The printer that will facilitate this astonishing accomplishment, called the KamerMaker (‘room-maker’), is itself something to behold. Encased in an old shipping container clad in shiny metal, it measures six metres tall and would fit (on its side) in the average living room. Which is great for portability, but poses problems when the item to be printed will exceed 15 metres… Consequently, printing will be done slice by slice, from the exterior walls all the way down to the furniture and interior design elements. Various types of plastics and wood fibre will be used with zero waste, but the architects are hopeful that bioplastics and plastic recycled on-site will eventually create a negative environmental footprint. The parts will be assembled onsite using Lego-like nodules and steel cable, which will

stitch the building together. And while this may sound like a vanity project, the real-world applications are vast – and still being explored. Despite the technique for 3D printing items of this size still being in its infancy, the process is already faster than conventional architecture, traditionally a slow and painstaking discipline. ‘This year we want to print the entire facade and the first room bit by bit,’ confirms architect Hedwig Heinsman. ‘Then we will print other rooms.’ We may not yet be at the point of replacing bricks and mortar with plastic fibres (the costs of 3D printing are currently too high to compete with traditional building techniques), but there are already very real applications on a smaller scale: printing a bespoke bathroom, for example, or custom window frames. Not to mention the future possibilities for a rapidly increasing population. Visitors are welcome to witness the process first-hand for a small fee. €2.50 seems a fair price to pay to see the future, now… Open Tue-Fri 11.00-17.00 Tolhuisweg 2 www.3dprintcanalhouse.com

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13 questions Currently touring with her heavenly third album, Satellite Love, home-grown soul songstress Giovanca tells us about some of her favourite things.

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text Maxine Knoote portrait Judith Veenendaal & Aisha Zeijpveld

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‘There’s hardly any chaos’ 1. WHAT’S YOUR FIRST AMSTERDAM MEMORY? Going to the market.  We lived in a small town next to Amsterdam and on Saturdays we’d take the car and drive to the market in Amsterdam – crowded, colourful Amsterdam, with its little dolls’ houses, where people from all over the world seemed to gather and haggle over chicken, sweet potatoes, okra, garlic and fruits. 2. WHAT SHOULD SOMEONE DO WITH A SINGLE DAY IN AMSTERDAM? Wait for summer and then really go for the clichés! Do the canal tour, cycle (and fall off), enjoy the cuteness of the town and the liberties of your choosing. Amsterdam is most beautiful when you’re out on the canals looking up at a thousand bikes and trees pink with blossom. 3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE A’DAM WORK OF ART? Hmm…. Well, I have a weak spot for the Westerkerk . It’s a tower but I see it as a work of art. Its top looks like a giant globe with a

golden crown. It rises far above the rooftops like a ship’s mast. It’s just an impressive building – and I used to live right behind it. 4. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE STATUE IN THE CITY? The National Slavery Statue . It’s not big, but its meaning is beyond big. Holland was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1863 and was a colonial power from the 1600s until 2010. That’s when the island my parents come from (Curaçao) finally ‘closed that chapter’. This monument is very important for the descendants of people who lived under colonial power – but also for their fellow citizens. 5. WHERE’S THE BEST VIEW OF AMSTERDAM? Hmmm, the Rembrandt Tower  has an impressive view, but then again all high buildings do because we don’t have many! I particularly like the view on the waterfront, across the IJ . Water, lights, boats… I could stare over the water for hours. My dad used to work in the docks, so that might explain the nostalgia.

 6. TELL US ONE THING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE CITY. The country’s greatest songwriter /producer has a studio here underneath a bridge. ;) 7. MODE OF TRANSPORT? Bike in spring and summer; cab in autumn and winter. 8. IN WHICH BUILDING WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND THE NIGHT? Hmm, I’m thinking about museums now… scary! My answer is none – except maybe The American Book Center . It’s not about the building, but about what’s in it. If they left the lights on, I’d be happy to crash there. 9. FAVOURITE AMSTERDAM DELICACY? I wouldn’t know! It isn’t chocolate, it isn’t fries – it could be something I haven’t tried yet. 10. TOP RESTAURANT? I just discovered Hotel De Goudfazant (www.hoteldegoudfazant. nl) , which serves classic French cuisine. 

 11. FAVOURITE BUILDING? Well, I already mentioned the Westerkerk, so maybe the City Library (www.oba.nl) . I love it. It’s a new building, so there’s nothing historical about it on the outside, but again, what’s inside is the treasure. It’s a super modern big library and I love the atmosphere, it’s weird, futuristic and quiet – yet not. 12. WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN AMSTERDAM? The fact that you live in the city but it’s not as suffocating as other big cities. It’s small, the pace is pretty chill, people are free to do what they want, there’s hardly any chaos. It’s a place that attracts a lot of people but it’s chilled. 13. AND WHAT’S THE WORST? The ‘smallness’ is sometimes too much. I really need to leave it from time to time to feel the immensity of things. Catch Giovanca at Podium Mozaïek on 1 March as part of her Satellite Love tour (www.podiummozaiek.nl).

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Het Ketelhuis

film

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The self-dubbed ‘Dutch canteen’ of film serves up international art-house movies alongside Holland’s finest flicks.

text Bregtje Schudel

HET KETELHUIS Pazzanistraat 4 www.hetketelhuis.nl

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PINK FILM DAYS 13-23 March www.rozefilmdagen.nl

n comparison with other Amsterdam art-house institutions such as De Uitkijk and The Movies (both over a century old), Het Ketelhuis – located smack in the middle of cultural hotspot Westergasfabriek – is definitively a new kid on the block. On the 29th of March, the cinema will celebrate its 15th birthday. Established in 1999 in the former boiler room of the Imperial Continental Gas Association by film and theatre producers Ton Schippers and Marc van Warmerdam (brother of Dutch film director Alex van Warmerdam), Het Ketelhuis had one main purpose: to provide a forum for Dutch film, documentary and TV productions. The founders’ aspirations were endearingly modest; they dubbed Het Ketelhuis ‘the

canteen of Dutch film’. The press was merrily pessimistic about the survival chances of a Dutch-oriented cinema. They called Het Ketelhuis an ‘orphanage for Dutch film’ – even ‘a national tomb’. Sadly, their prophecies of doom weren’t far-fetched. Several times Het Ketelhuis teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, but every time it came back from the brink. On one occasion, the theatre was saved almost entirely by the success of Zij Gelooft in Mij, a documentary about Amsterdam folk singer André Hazes. After a sorely needed renovation in 2006, Het Ketelhuis once again arose from the ashes, now boasting three screens and a nice café/bar to boot. It also reinvented itself. Dutch film was still important, but so were European art-house

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films and documentaries. The shift paid off. Last January Het Ketelhuis welcomed its one millionth visitor. Their secret? Screening films in context, with regular lectures and debates and speciality programming. The theatre plays host to a number of festivals, from Cinekid (for children) to IDFA (documentaries) and the Food Film Festival (this May). From 13 to 23 March, catch the 17th edition of the Pink Film Days (Roze Filmdagen), Amsterdam’s biggest gay and lesbian film festival. Don’t miss I Am Divine, a touching and outrageous documentary about ‘trash’ director John Waters’ muse, drag queen Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead). So sceptics take note: these days, this Dutch canteen serves film haute cuisine.

highlight

nightlife essentials

Our must-see film pick this issue…

Cinedans Dance on Screen Festival

ike the sphinx that is half-man, half-lion, Cinedans remains a unique and rather peculiar beast. Not ‘dance’ enough for diehard dance enthusiasts, the festival doesn’t offer standard film fare either. But that may just be the secret to its success: this will be its 11th edition. Cinedans has found a niche. Guest curator (and filmmaker) Peter Delpeut brings the fresh new Found Choreography project, wherein everyday found footage is magically transformed into beautiful dance routines (think the ‘dancing’ plastic bag in American Beauty). Another first is a special animation programme, made in collaboration with the much-loved KLIK! Film Festival Amsterdam. There are also the usual programming suspects: there’s the fifth edition of the One Minute Dance Film Contest, and the fourth instalment of Point Taken – a project where dance makers are coupled with film directors. This edition has contributions by Toer van Schayk (of the Dutch National Ballet), Guy Weizman (Club Guy & Roni) and Jaakko Toivonen (dancer, choreographer and former jury member of So You Think You Can Dance). Special guest this year is Boris Pavel Conen, mostly known for his ‘normal’ film work – his first feature film was the dystopian Temmink: The Ultimate Fight, in which convicted criminals (including Jack Wouterse) fight one another to the death – but also a gifted maker of dance movies, including Car Men and Between Entrance and Exit (both made with renowned choreographer Jirí Kylián).

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COCOON

12-16 MARCH EYE Filmmuseum, IJpromenade 1 www.cinedans.nl

SYMPHONICA

CHVRCHES

Hostess with the mostess Coco Coquette presents a sparkling, light-hearted drag cabaret in Amsterdam’s pre-eminent live sex theatre – the cleanest fun it’s probably seen in years. The ladies of Chicks With Dicks have been in business since 1993, presenting sparkling stage shows full of glitz and glamour, live singing (with their own lyrics), cabaret skits and more. Performers include Desiree dello Stiletto, Mizz Mopsie, Rose Murphy and Victoria False.

Rare proof that hype does occasionally pay, this femalefronted Scottish electro-pop trio spent their first six months together drip-feeding ultracatchy mp3s to an ever- growing web audience. Big on ’80s-synth stylings and melodyheavy pop, they’ve been selling out shows from San Francisco to Sydney ever since. Although they’ve only one immensely fun album to their name, their gigs are peppered with occasional cover surprises, from Whitney to Prince.

Sun 2 Mar, Casa Rosso, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 106 /108 www.travestiecabaret.nl

Wed 19 Mar, Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8 www.paradiso.nl

TROUW OP ZONDAG

WASTELAND

This Nordic-cosmic-discothemed edition is headlined by Todd Terje, who used to be known mainly for his silly remixes of classic pop and disco tunes – as well as for the Latin-flavoured dance floor jams he produced under this Tangoterje moniker. 2012 was clearly his breakthrough year with the ridiculously catchy song ‘Inspector Morse’. Terje’s debut album, It’s Album Time, will feature Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry and is set to be released in April. If you can’t make it today, solid programming makes any edition well worth the risk.

Leave your inhibitions at home for Europe’s most notorious straight/gay/mixed fetish fantasy extravaganza. Bringing fetishism out of the darkness of the underground and mixed it with house music and spectacular, innovative entertainment, Wasteland is Europe’s most notorious adult playground where the fetish lifestyle is celebrated, and you’re expected to dress accordingly: leather, uniforms, plastic, rubber, school uniforms, metal, fetish-burlesque and baroque are acceptable; casual wear is definitely not. The ‘door bitch’ is notoriously harsh.

Sun 9 Mar, Trouw, Wibautstraat 127www.trouwamsterdam.nl 131

Sat 5 Apr, North Sea Venue, Hemkade 48, Zaandam, www.wasteland.nl

BÉJART BALLET LAUSANNE

IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL

The majestic Swiss ballet company, led by dance legend Maurice Béjart, sweeps into Amsterdam for a week of pirouettes and stardust. From 13 to 16 March, they’ll perform Ballet for Life, an ode to Freddie Mercury that ventures from the music of Queen to Mozart, with some fashion design by Versace thrown in for good measure. On 19 & 20 March it’s Light & Boléro, an homage to Ravel’s Bolero.

For now, we’ll have to use our own imaginations for the 30th edition of Imagine – a celebration of the fantastic film genre: horror, sci-fi, anime, cult, thrillers and more. At the time of writing only the festival opener was confirmed: The Wind Rises, the latest – and probably last – animated film by Hiyao Miyazaki. So keep your eyes peeled, and your mind open. It’s always worth the risk.

Thur 13-Thur 20 Mar, Royal Theatre Carré, Amstel 115 /125 https://carre.nl

9-18 Apr, EYE Film Museum, IJpromenade 1 www.imaginefilmfestival.nl

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____ A visit to Amsterdam would not be complete without a visit to the Van Gogh Museum. You can use your I Amsterdam City Card or buy your tickets online at tickets.vangoghmuseum.com www.vangoghmuseum.com

Join us also on

mar & apr 2014

PART III

MARIA CAVALI

EAT DRINK CHIC

‘THE NINE STREETS IS WHAT I IMAGINE A NICE SHOPPING DISTRICT SHOULD BE LIKE. EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE IS HERE, AND THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON, SOMETHING TO DO.’

32 37 38 40 41 42 44

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: THE NINE STREETS COLUMN EATING OUT ON THE MENU TREND: BARBECUE PRETTY THINGS WHAT’S IN STORE

VENKEL AMSTERDAM At this healthy hotspot in De Pijp, the honey comes from the neighbours and Mother makes the mint syrup and almond milk. The hot chocolate made from raw cocoa, almonds, dates and water – no dairy – is already a household name. Venkel (Dutch for ‘fennel‘) is not just an organic salad bar, but also a store. Fresh and cool, decorated with wood, metal, jute and an abundance of plants, you’ll probably want to eat in… Albert Cuypstraat 22 www.venkelsalades.nl

‘If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.’ That’s the basic philosophy of C. COSMETICS & CARE. Caroline, owner of this beautiful shop with spa treatment rooms in the Jordaan area, is convinced our skin benefits from all-natural, organic products. Parabens and chemicals are banished from her store, which stocks only top-notch ingredients from the plant kingdom. Brands include Dr Alkaitis, Pure Altitude, Dr Baumann and superb haircare products by Less is More. Herenstraat 30a www.cosmeticsandcare.com

MARIE-CHARLOTTE PEZÉ

Tattooist Joey de Boer waxes lyrical about his ’hood.

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

Neighbourhood watch

THE NINE STREETS JOEY DE BOER, 25 tattoo artist

‘The Nine Streets is what I imagine a nice shopping district should be like. Everything you can imagine is here, and there’s always something going on, something to do.’

neighbourhood watch

The quaint and quirky streets that straddle Amsterdam’s grandest canals form the city’s most photogenic micro-neighbourhood, full to bursting with vintage shopping, speciality stores and cosy cafés. text Karin Engelbrecht photos Marie-Charlotte Pezé

Bijoux borough

he bustling, chain-store smattered Kalverstraat may be the closest thing Amsterdam has to London’s Oxford Street, but those in the know head for the Nine Streets to slate their shopping needs. These nine cobbled side streets that connect the main canals between Leidsegracht and Raadhuisstraat are awash with history and contain some of the most unique shops in the city. Located just a stone’s throw from Dam square, the Nine Streets area was constructed in the first half of the 17th century, when the Heren-, Keizers- and Prinsengracht canals were dug out around the Medieval town centre to cope with Amsterdam’s burgeoning population. Today, some 400 years later, the lively neighbourhood is home to a variety of restaurants, cafés, galleries and over 200 retailers, including more than its share of independent shops. Known to locals as De Negen Straatjes or ‘The Nine Streets’, this designation is relatively recent, only having been coined in the mid-Nineties.Djoeke Wessing, owner of the eponymous art deco shop (Huidenstraat 20; djoekewessing.nl) , was the driving force behind uniting the streets into a desirable district with a distinct identity. Looking to the area’s near neighbour, the travel-guide favour-

ite Jordaan, Wessing organised the first meeting of what was to become the area’s traders’ association in 1996. First, she had to convince a number of reticent shopkeepers, who were afraid of hassles and red tape. Next, she had to persuade the municipality to include the new name on the street signs. ‘Finally, we were an official area and literally on the map,’ she explains. So defined has the bijoux borough become, it even has its own website: www.de9straatjes.nl. TRADING LEGACY A lot may have changed since the area was constructed, but many street names still bear witness to the artisans who were active here in past centuries. Indeed, Wolven-, Beren-, Huiden- and Reestraat (or ‘Wolves’, ‘Bears’, ‘Hides’ and ‘Roe Deer’ Street) are a remnant of the trade in animal hides for the leather industry, while Runstraat is named for the oak bark used for tanning. You’ll still find plenty of leather in The Nine Streets today, from hip accessories at Liebeskind (Huidenstraat 11; http://lieb eskind-amsterdam.nl)  to classic gloves at Roeckl (Berenstraat 29; www.roeckl.com) , and from exclusive Italian leather shoes and bags at Dominio (Runstraat 15; www.dominio.nl)  to Robin &

neighbourhood watch

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

These nine cobbled streets are awash with history and contain some of the most unique shops in the city. L’ÉTOILE DE SAINT HONORÉ With the tag line ‘luxury vintage’, this charming shop (opened July 2013) is a treasure trove of upscale vintage accessories from Chanel, Hermès, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. More akin to a high-end boutique than a dusty second-hand store, the staff are knowledgeable – and passionate about their stock. Each über-desirable bag comes with a certificate of authenticity, and prices reflect that: a pristine LV monogram clutch will set you back in the region of €175. The web shop delivers worldwide and layaway options are available.

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Oude Spiegelstraat 1 http://etoile-luxuryvintage.com

MENDO This award-winning shop calls itself a ‘candy store for book aficionados’, and they won’t hear any argument from us. The interior, designed by Amsterdam ‘It’ architects Concrete, features walls constructed not of bricks, but of thousands of black books, forming the perfect backdrop for the latest glossy tomes on architecture, fashion, food, design, photography and travel.

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Berenstraat 11 http://mendo.nl

Rik Leermakers (Runstraat 30) , the leather fetishist’s fantasy closet. BEST BOUTIQUES Cutting-edge couture at Van Ravenstein (Keizersgracht 359; www.van-ravenstein.nl)  fluffs up the area’s fashion credentials, while fashion junkies can get their fix at Karl Lagerfeld (Hartenstraat 16; www.karl.com)  and find various buzzy brands and up-and-coming designers at LouLou on the 15th-century Wijde Heisteeg 9 (http://louloufashion.com) . Looking for local fashion? Head to MOSCOW (Runstraat 8; www.moscowamsterdam. nl) , Scotch & Soda (Huidenstraat 5; www. scotch-soda.com)  and SuperTrash (Huidenstraat 32; www.supertrash.com) . Local lingerie can be found at Marlies Dekkers (Berenstraat 18; www.marliesdekkers.com)  and Amsterdam-designed leather bags, shoes or accessories at Hester van Eeghen (Hartenstraat 1 & 37; www.hestervan eeghen.com)  and Smaak Amsterdam (Berenstraat 39; www. smaakamsterdam.com) . VINTAGE VALHALLA From basic second-hand goods to vintage designer labels, The Nine Streets are a vintage lover’s paradise. Bij Ons Vintage (Reestraat 13; www.bijons-vintage.nl) , with fashion, furniture and other vintage items, is one of the newest additions. A multitude of musty shops offers that crowded charm that seems to appeal to second-hand clothing shoppers. Mad Men aficionados will adore the authentic mid-century home accessories at Fifties-Sixties (Reestraat 5; www.fifties-sixties.nl) . At Waxwell Records (Gasthuismolensteeg 6; www.waxwell.com)  vinyl freaks will find everything from old-school Rap 12-inches to rare jazz funk 45s, and from Brazilian LPs to Dutch breaks.

THEO VAN ADRICHEM, 55

cultural organisation advisor ‘I’ve lived here for 30 years and I love it, but I’m a little bit afraid of the development. It’s extremely busy on weekends and the character of the shops is changing. I hope it doesn’t lose its little village soul. ‘

LIANNE & NADINE DE BIE, 20 AND 14 students

‘We love this neighbourhood with its many small shops, so unlike other areas that have too many chain stores and get too busy.‘

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   

          

KAASKAMER

FAB. BY FABIENNE

In a city of exceptional cheese shops, Kaaskamer (or ‘cheese room’) remains one of the finest. But with hundreds of varieties of cheese from all over the world it can be hard to choose. We recommend Olde Remeker, a mature organic farmhouse cheese, and Le Petit Doruvael, a gooey and aromatic washed-rind cheese, which sounds French but is, in fact, deliciously Dutch.

This local leatherwear brand offers covetable handbags, shoes and accessories that combine form and function, with a design aesthetic that is practical yet always feminine. From python leather iPhone cases to the brand’s best-selling baby bags, each piece comes with a little leather heart, which seems fitting considering the shop’s location on ‘heart street’.

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Runstraat 7 www.kaaskamer.nl

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Hartenstraat 7 http://fabbyfabienne.com

neighbourhood watch

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

From basic second-hand goods to vintage designer labels, The Nine Streets are a vintage lover’s paradise. AMSTERDAM WATCH COMPANY For watches with serious style (and for serious money), look no further. Here you’ll find vintage Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Patek Philippe and Chopard timepieces as well as a selection of new watches. The team of expert watch makers can also evaluate or restore a (broken) family heirloom.

CULTURAL ENLIGHTENMENT

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Reestraat 3 www.awco.nl

360 VOLT Design devotees take note. If you’ve ever admired the industrial lamps in Amsterdam’s many design-led local restaurants or shops, 360 Volt is a must-visit destination. Founded by a duo of designers, the Prinsengracht shop boasts the Netherlands’ largest collection of restored vintage industrial lighting from around the world, many items dating from the early 20th century.

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Prinsengracht 397 https://360volt.com

POMPADOUR PATISSERIE Stop by for coffee with freshly baked financiers for a break from shopping and admire the lavish 18th-century interior of this famous chocolatier, patisserie and tearoom. Or take some of the city’s prettiest pastries and most delicious bonbons (made with luxury French Valrhona chocolate) to go if the prices here are a bit too rich for your palate. Huidenstraat 12  www.pompadouramsterdam.nl

Since 1788, Felix Meritis (or ‘happy through merit’) has stood for the values of its founders, 40 Amsterdam citizens who set up a society to promote the arts and sciences. This neoclassical monument of the Enlightenment, one of the most magnificent buildings on the Keizersgracht, today houses the European Centre for Arts, Culture and Science, which continues the society’s proud tradition with political and religious debates, lectures and more. Pop in to experience one of the city’s best-kept secrets: the oldest existing observatory in the Netherlands, which offers some of the best views of the canal district (open from April to October). Other attractions in the area include the Biblical Museum (Herengracht 366-370)  and the super-niche Museum of Eyeglasses (Gasthuismolensteeg 7) .

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Keizersgracht 324 www.felix.meritis.nl

PART III

EAT, DRINK & CHIC

When in Amsterdam…

After 16 years here, native New Yorker Lauren Comiteau is still working out how to ‘go Dutch’.

PUPPY LOVE T

Lauren Comiteau is a journalist and writer who has been covering the Netherlands for TIME magazine, CBS Radio and others since 1996. She lives in Amsterdam with her two daughters.

his column is a love story: The Dutch and Their Dogs. Dutch people love their dogs, or honden. You may have already noticed this when enjoying a Heineken in a local café, your nearest bar mate being extraordinarily furry and in possession of four legs. Let me just say I’m slightly dog obsessed at the moment, our family having recently acquired its first pup. We now join the ranks of some one in seven Dutch households that include a canine among its members. It used to annoy me how much Dutch people liked their dogs. Taking my young daughters to dinner after 6pm raised eyebrows, while Fifi would get a water bowl placed lovingly under her salivating tongue. I, meanwhile, couldn’t get a high chair. That’s changing now, and children are almost as welcome in restaurants as dogs. There’s something comforting about living in a city world renowned for its passionate pooch practices. When Amsterdam’s official tourist board encourages expats to relocate their dogs with the words ‘Dorothy never left Toto in Kansas’, you can’t help but feel you’ve found the Emerald City. More people have stopped me on the pavement to coo over my new pup than ever did to admire my rosy-cheeked infants. I’ve even witnessed tram riders give up their coveted

seats to four-legged freeloaders. The good news there is that dogs are indeed welcome on Amsterdam’s public transport – although on the train, unless your pet is lapbound you will need to buy a €3 doggie day ticket, or dagkaart hond. Better yet, go native and place your dog in your bicycle basket or let her run alongside you on a lead as you take in the sights on two wheels. The city’s canine hospitality extends to lodgings, too, with many hotels – from five-star to budget – welcoming dogs. HotelSpecials.nl has a list of them if you select the huisdieren toegestaan, or ‘pets welcome’, option. And almost every city park is a doggie paradise, with De Pijp’s Sarphatipark reserving one half of its small-but-perfectly-formed grounds for dogs and the Flevopark offering pooches lakefront swimming. But every love story has its obstacles. And in ours, it’s the ubiquitous dog poop. Although there are so-called pooper-scooper laws in Amsterdam, the only people I’ve ever seen abide by them are foreigners (although my podenco-owning editor begs to differ). My advice? Watch where you step, bring extra flats and consider buying your furry drinking buddy a Kwispelbier. This made-in-Holland non-alcoholic doggy beer is strictly a BYOB affair, as I’ve yet to see it on offer in bars. No doubt, though, it’s only a matter of time...<

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

EATING OUT

Our top dining options, from firm favourites to precocious newcomers.

text Karin Engelbrecht

JULIUS BAR & GRILL

Ceintuurbaan 256-260 http://juliusbargrill.nl

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MARIA CAVALI

NEW

msterdam foodies may recognise the décor, which hasn’t changed much since this restaurant’s former incarnation as Witteveen. The colourful tiled floor and impressive 16-metre-long leather Chesterfield sofa remain, but the former bar in the middle is now a busy cooking station, equipped with a charcoal grill and two Big Green Egg ceramic barbecues. Named for Julius Jaspers, a Dutch celebrity chef who first turned his passion for barbecue into a bestselling cookbook, this much-talked-about 130-seater new restaurant in De Pijp opened amid a storm of criticism about slow service and lack of seasoning. Never mind the haters; we enjoyed professional service and very tasty food when we visited a month and a half later. Chillihoney-roasted mini chicken drumsticks and pork belly served with sweet-and-sour cucumber and nuoc mam cham, the classic fish-based Vietnamese dipping sauce, formed a moreish start to the meal. Our main of ribs, prepared in a sticky-sweet honey and hoisin sauce, were a particular highlight; juicy, impossibly tender and finger-lickingly good. We enjoyed the sides of grilled vegetables and triplecooked fries with thick housemade mayonnaise. The meaty menu also offers up Provençal rack of lamb; lemon chicken; hamburger with bacon, cheddar, onion and aioli; and four types of dry aged steak – although sadly no T-bone or strip steak.

eating out

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39 trendy HUYGENS’ DOK Every neighbourhood needs a meeting place with artsy allure, and with newbie Huygens’ Dok, Watergraafsmeer finally has its own. This spacious new café-restaurant, hidden in the atrium of a glass-fronted office building above an Albert Heijn supermarket, is where the neighbourhood’s yummy mummies rub shoulders with freelancers on their laptops, ’suits’ who work in the building and gym bunnies from the adjacent gym. Helmholtzstraat 61 (1st floor) www.huygensdok.nl

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critic’s choice ROOST

study in blonde wood, the sleek interior of this little coffee bar and lunch spot in Oost is as pure and honest as its worthy philosophy to prepare as much as possible fresh and in-house. It may sound obvious, but you can really taste the difference. We recommend the (glutenfree) salad with slow-cooked duck, pumpkin and baby spinach, and also the roast beef sandwich with rocket and horseradish mayo on a freshly baked Portuguese roll. Tempting treats, such as cheesecake, chocolate layer cake and carrot cake, line the counter, while excellent coffee and hot chocolate (made with real chocolate) ensure that this new spot rules the roost.

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Camperstraat 36 http://roostkoffie.nl

classic BAR MOUSTACHE

quick & simple STACH Stach’s aim of providing an alternative to unhealthy convenience meals has proved such a successful formula that there are now three outlets in the city. They all offer sandwiches, salads and deli items as well as day-fresh ready meals, including Moroccan lamb with couscous, prawn curry and Indonesian rijsttafel.

; Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 52  www.stach-food.nl

Haarlemmerstraat 150 ; Van Woustraat 154

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Its location on Utrechtsestraat, arguably one of Amsterdam’s best shopping streets, makes Bar Moustache the ideal spot for a drink or bite during a respite from retail therapy. Head to the ground-floor bar with its homely brick wall and freshfaced punters for a touch of Dutch celebrity spotting (it’s owned by former soap opera star Tim Immers) or book a table in the less crowded upstairs restaurant to nibble on Italian-inspired antipasti or the ear of a wannabe model.

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Utrechtsestraat 141 www.barmoustache.nl

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

ON THE MENU

Three of a kind to suit every taste. text Karin Engelbrecht

locavore

indo-dutch delight coffee bars

WILDE ZWIJNEN

BLAUW

ESPRESSOFABRIEK

Wilde Zwijnen’s hearty menu, with plenty of Dutch ingredients such as Beemster duck, local lamb and fish from the North Sea, has attracted foodies to the up-and-coming Indische Buurt since 2010. The quirky décor includes a wall made of recycled building materials from the site’s renovation, and old stable doors used for tables. Javaplein 23 www.wildezwijnen.com

When entering this contemporary chilli-red restaurant, you may wonder at its name – which means ‘blue’ in Dutch. Apparently, it’s a reference to the owner’s Indonesian bloodline. Either way, Blauw’s personable service and fabulous food makes it one of our top places to enjoy the Netherlands’ favourite adopted cuisine. Amstelveenseweg 158-160 www.restaurantblauw.nl

Its name, which means ‘espresso factory’ in Dutch, may sound a tad generic, but the baristas at the two-store chain claim to serve only the very best ‘slow coffee’. Linger longer for croissants, muffins or tramezzini (crustless Italian sandwiches) or sweet treats such as apple pie or muffins. Gosschalklaan 7 & IJburglaan 1489 www.espressofabriek.nl

FA. SPIJKERVET

TEMPO DOELOE

SCREAMING BEANS

Fa. Spijkervet’s locavore approach extends beyond simply knowing the provenance of their products: they believe in only buying meat from animals that were well-treated and in turn give each ingredient the respect it deserves. Nose-to-tail eating, or using virtually the entirety of any animal (or plant) served up, has rarely tasted as good. Admiraal de Ruijterweg 79 www.speijkervet.nl

Head here for what is arguably the city’s fieriest rendition of the rijsttafel (literally, ‘rice table’): dozens of small dishes, created in colonial times to give visiting dignitaries a taste of what the ‘Spice Islands’ had to offer. With a name that translates as ‘the old days’ in Indonesian, this tiny restaurant features decor touches from traditional Indonesian culture. Utrechtsestraat 75 www.tempodoeloerestaurant.nl

Screaming Beans, another two-outlet chain, started off as a cosy coffee bar in the pretty Nine Streets neighbourhood, but only became really well-known with its bigger branch in Oud-West, which serves not only coffee but also over 120 wines and sophisticated lunch and dinner menus that go way beyond the broodje. Hartenstraat 12 & Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat 35 www.screamingbeans.nl

BLUE PEPPER

HOFJE VAN WIJS

This temple to seasonal cooking in Amsterdam South is suitably set in a former monastic chapel. Chef Sander Overeinder’s unfussy cooking style is characterised by his use of seasonal, organic, local ingredients, such as organic meat from Baambrugge and Maartensdijk and forgotten veggies such as turnip-rooted parsley and black salsify, grown in nearby Osdorp. Prinses Irenestraat 19 www.restaurantas.nl

With its unfailingly excellent food and unfussy décor, this Indonesian restaurant near Leidseplein remains a class act. Executive chef Sonja Pereira serves up authentic Indonesian fare, combining influences from West Java with a light, modern touch. While certainly not the cheapest Indonesian establishment in the city, Blue Pepper is surely one of its finest. Nassaukade 366 www.restaurantbluepepper.com

To visit Hofje van Wijs is to enter a world of coffee, where the fragrance of freshly ground beans greets you at the door. This landmark coffee and tea specialist, established in 1792, is the ideal place to stop off for ‘koffie met gebak’ (coffee with cake) amid the hustle and bustle of Zeedijk. Everything is home-roasted – or home blended, in the case of teas. Zeedijk 43 www.hofjevanwijs.nl

on the menu

BARBECUE Get fired up for grilled meats.

ever mind those dodgy ‘Argentinian’ tourist traps, until recently the local barbecue culture pretty much involved enduring badly cooked meat drowned in supermarket sauces at the houses of friends-with-a-garden in the summer. Which is why we’re thrilled that the global trend for all that sizzles and smokes has finally reached critical mass in Amsterdam with the opening of several BBQ restaurants. The latest wave includes Julius Bar & Grill (see page 38) and Bar Brouw, which combines smoked meats with American beer and whiskey in a nouveau-rustic restaurant. Typically inclusive, barbecue in Amsterdam

isn’t a strictly American affair. Yokiyo has been spicing up the Red Light District with its delicious DIY Korean BBQ in a hip minimalist setting since early 2013, while Turkish delight Kosebasi has been the go-to spot for authentic flame-grilled lamb kebab since 2011. BAR BROUW Ten Katestraat 16 http://barbrouw.nl YOKIYO Oudezijds Voorburgwal 67 http://yokiyo.nl/ KOSEBASI Amsteldijk 25 http://kosebasi.nl/

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

pretty things

PRETTY THINGS Purses at the ready: these tempting stores will have you reaching for your credit card. text Elisah Jacobs

TESLA

NEW IN TOWN

WHAT: Green is the new black on the fashionable PC Hooftstraat, where the race to convince Amsterdam’s drivers of the benefits of the electric vehicle has stepped up a gear with the opening of a sexy new car showroom. Gleaming seductively on the corner of the city’s most prestigious shopping street and the Hobbemastraat, the sports car in question is by the American electric brand Tesla, with prices starting at a racy €69,000.

INTERIOR: Futuristic, with a design studio and interactive displays where car-lovers can custom design their own Tesla. With one click you can order your eco-fabulous dream car online. Tempting… MUST HAVE: The new Model S, the first premium electric sedan in the world with a range of up to 520km. It’s a full-sized electric five-door hatchback, stunning as ever. Not convinced? The New York Times describes it thus: ‘a zero emission, all-electric model that in performance,

appearance, technology and comfort puts legacy automakers to shame’. Yes, you may touch it. CONCLUSION: With a little imagination you can see the Model S as Jonathan Ivedesigned Apple product on four wheels – not least because of the integrated 17-inch iPad-like display. And let’s be honest: what other car has its own shop on the most exclusive shopping street next to designer brands like Chanel and Mulberry?

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PC Hooftstraat 29 www.teslamotors.com

43 classic CLARKS

for him

Not one, but two Amsterdam stores for Clarks: the British shoe brand, founded in 1825 by brothers Cyrus and James, has just opened a second shop in Amsterdam’s famous Nine Streets. No longer the preserve of school children (Kingston’s reggae community has an enduring love affair with the brand), you’ll find the new Spring/Summer 2014 collection of comfy sneakers, leather brogues, suede wedges and – of course – the iconic Desert boots, reimagined for women with a block heel. The shop also features a special corner that showcases the latest collaborations with brands such as Patternity – and (gasp!) Orla Kiely. The perfect spot for shoe addicts who need to be able to actually, you know, like, walk.

CHASIN’

Huidenstraat 21

 Kalverstraat 80-82  www.clarks.nl

The new flagship store of Dutch brand Chasin’ – sadly, for men only – features an abundance of technological delights such as The Wall, a huge screen where customers can make their selections. Just order your jeans, summer coat, leather sneakers or fashionable socks via the in-store tablets. For the old-school, you can also shop physically, of course. But there’s more: arty fitting rooms designed by up-andcoming designers such as Jorgos Karidas; refreshments courtesy of fritz-kola or ice-cold beer from Brouwerij ’t IJ; fine tunes rumbling out of the speakers – there’s even a garden.

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Wolvenstraat 21 Leidsestraat 39 KalverNieuwendijk 179 www.chasin.com straat 30

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bikes VAN MOOF The Dutch love to bike; it’s in their nature. No wonder the futuristic bikes of VAN MOOF have their own store in Amsterdam East, an epicentre of urban mobility. No-nonsense yet eminently stylish, the young Dutch upstarts behind Vanmoof have rethought the traditional Dutch commuter bike and made it, well, just better. Stripping back all the paraphernalia – ‘visual noise’, they call it – the tubular frame is aircraft-grade aluminium alloy; the integrated lights designed in conjunction with electronics giant Philips by the best in the automotive industry. Puncture-resistant white-wall Schwalbe cruiser tyres and a Brooks saddle are standard – and did we mention each bike is a flyweight 13kg? In the style stakes, however, a Vanmoof punches way above its weight, with appearances in Vogue Homme and GQ, to name but a few.

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Mauritskade 55 www.vanmoof.com

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PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

what’s in store

WHAT’S IN STORE Fashion-forward style – for him (M) and her (F).

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   

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text Elisah Jacobs

DE BIJENKORF DENIM DEPARTMENT (M/F) Jeans lovers may find the Denim Department in Dutch department store De Bijenkorf (jeans, jeans, jeans!) somewhat addictive. With high-end luxury brands such as Acne, Paige Denim, Victoria Beckham Jeans, Denham and Citizens of Humanity – as well as more wallet-friendly options – we defy you to leave with an empty shopping bag.

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Dam 1 www.bijenkorf.nl

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LOULOU (F)

LouLou has taken over the Nine Streets with two stores in the Huidenstraat and Wijde Heisteeg. Next to fashion brands such as American Retro, Second Female and Les Petites – plus upcoming (Dutch) designers – you’ll find fancy accessories from House of Harlow, Hoss Intropia and By Lou Lou.

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Huidenstraat 30 Wijde Heisteeg 9 www.louloufashion.com

SUPERDRY (M/F) CARHARTT (M/F) The American brand famous for its workwear since 1889 has found its way to Amsterdam with the opening of a flagship store in the Nine Street area. You’ll find hoodies, denim shirts and khakis for men; patterned button-downs and relaxed chinos for women; plus backpacks, beanies, headphones and stationery. It’s super popular with Amsterdam hipsters and the skating scene.

That’s a whole lot of fashion: 5,300m2! British brand Superdry opened a flagship store recently where men and women can shop till they drop. Think vintage Americana style plus Japanese inspired graphics – on clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and even fashionable underwear.

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Kalverstraat 178 Cornelis Schuytstraat 21 www.superdry.nl

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Hartenstraat 18 www.carhartt-wip.com

SOAP TREATMENT STORE (M/F)

FRETONS (M/F) Alongside his current collection of leather shoes, bags and clothing, Dutch designer Fred de la Bretonière has launched a casual collection full of leather sneakers and boots – and even his first kids’ collection. This season, it’s all about pretty pastels. Louboutin may have his red sole, but you can recognise a Fretons by its red lace-up eyelet. Jacob Obrechtstraat 14 www.bretoniere.nl

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HERSCHEL (M/F) Canadian brand Herschel (named after a small town in Scotland) sells funky backpacks, travel goodies, laptop sleeves, bags and wallets. For the fans: Herschel has opened a pop-up store in lifestyle shop WeSC. Just go to the first floor to enter Herschel heaven.

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Oude Hoogstraat 35 www.wescamsterdam.nl

For your outer beauty: facials, peels, mani-pedis, massages, spray tans and waxing (summer is on his way!). Ready for a die-hard treatment? You can also book Botox treatment and chemical peels.

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Van Baerlestraat 122 Spuistraat 281 www.soaptreatmentstore.com

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JUTKA & RISKA Vintage, second-hand and custom-made designs: Amsterdam vintage lovers can’t resist both, at Jutka & Riska. Find vintage Dior jackets, flowery dresses, leather (designer) bags and retro sunglasses.

 

Bilderdijkstraat 194 Haarlemmerdijk 143 www.jutkaenriska.nl

PART IV

THE

mar & apr 2014

FESTIVALS/MUSIC/ CLUBBING/EXHIBITIONS/ STAGE/FAMILY/SPORTS/ GAY & LESBIAN

ILONA SZWARC, REDUX PICTURES

For complete listings, see www.iamsterdam.com

WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2014 Anyone who has come to doubt the value and power of professional news photography in the age of the phone-wielding ‘citizen journalist’ should make time for this eye-opener. The travelling World Press Photo exhibition was established 56 years ago and celebrates the winners and runners-up of the planet’s most prestigious photojournalism contest. Hailed as the leading international forum for photojournalists, World Press Photo sets the standard for a profession which, as news-gathering budgets dwindle towards crisis point, needs support more than ever. If previous recipients of the overall prize are anything to go by, then sobering depictions of the suffering caused by human conflict will continue to loom large in 2014. 18 APRIL-22 JUNE DE NIEUWE KERK Gravenstraat 17 www.worldpressphoto.org

PART IV THE A-LIST

FESTIVALS & EVENTS FESTIVALS

rants, lauded celebrity dining haunts and trendy eateries. Fri 7-23 Mar, various restaurants, www.restaurantweek.nl. Various times & prices

SPIRIT OF AMSTERDAM This international celebration of whisky – in the unlikely HISWA setting of a Catholic church – This annual fair is the ideal allows fans of the amber liquid start to the new season for to sample more than 450 types water sports fanatics, featuring from not only Scotland and hundreds of boats, informaIreland but also the USA, Jative workshops and the latest pan, India and Taiwan. Expect delicious drinks and a warm at- gadgets on the market. Younger mosphere to match with tasting visitors are also invited to get sessions and masterclasses led their feet wet at the Water Fun Zone, offering the chance to go by whisky experts. Sat 1 Mar, Mozes & Aäronkerk, waterskiing, canoeing, sailing and plenty more. Waterlooplein 205 / 207 www. Wed 6-Sun 10 Mar, Amsterthespiritofamsterdam.com. dam RAI, Europaplein, www. Various times, €39.50 hiswarai.nl. Various times THE EX FESTIVAL & prices After more than 30 years, The CINEDANS Ex is still one of the NethThis international dance and erlands’ most exciting live movie festival features short and bands, balancing their early full-length dance films, docupost-punk ethics with brass-inmentaries, installations and a fested guests and Ethiopian special children’s programme. jazz grooves. Celebrating this This year, guest curator Peter mishmash of fun noise, they’re Delpeut introduces a unique bringing together artists like Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, festival element entitled Found Choreography – a programme Ethiopian music and dance based on submitted films of troupe Fendika and local drum‘found dance’. See page 28. mer Han Bennink as part of Wed 12-Sun 16 Mar, EYE their own one-night festival. Film Institute, IJpromenade Of course, The Ex will be at the 1, www.cinedans.nl. Various heart of it all. times & prices Sat 1 Mar, Paradiso, 20.00, €20 THE ART OF THE TRIO CYCLING & WALKING FAIR Three may sometimes be a crowd, but when it comes to A cyclist and hiker’s delight, music it’s often nothing less this annual fair is a great place than a magic number. Comto collect information, try out prised of three concerts (one (or buy) new gear and get inwith a string trio, one with an volved with lectures and workshops. Switzerland is the theme adventurous jazz trio and one with a piano trio), this one-day country of this year’s event. festival promises to be a true Sat 1 & Sun 2 Mar, Amstercelebration of musical trinity. dam RAI, Europaplein, Sun 23 Mar, Muziekgebouw www.fietsenwandelbeurs.nl. aan ’t IJ, www.muziekgebouw. 10.00, €14 nl. 14.00, €41 (for all concerts) 5 DAYS OFF CINEMASIA FESTIVAL At the beginning of March This annual film festival makes every year, 5 Days Off storms a welcome return with more into Amsterdam to present groundbreaking films from an entrancing cross-section of Asia. Past editions have inthe latest in electronic music. cluded the most vibrant film Inspired by Belgium’s 10 Days cultures, featuring everything Off, the festival features the from Hollywood hopefuls to very best in the fields of electronic music, art and media art. orphaned children and Himalayan quests for God to lip-synchFrom relatively small begining Filipino drag queens. nings in the early Noughties, Thur 4-Sun 7 Apr, De Balie, it’s grown into a citywide affair Kleine Gartmanplantsoen with events being held in the 10, www.cinemasia.nl. VariMelkweg, Paradiso and De ous times, €6-€8.50 per film Balie. See page 26. (all-access passes also availaWed 5-Sun 9 Mar, various ble for €50) locations, www.5daysoff.nl. Various times, €79 (all-access MUSEUM WEEKEND ticket), various prices for indiFor one special weekend each vidual events year, museums all around the AMSTERDAM Netherlands organise unique RESTAURANT WEEK events and lower ticket prices, inviting visitors to check out Actually running for longer what they’re all about. With adthan a week, this biannual event sees the city offer up its mission being reduced to as little as €1 at many of Amsterdam’s culinary bounty for memorable museums, it’s the ideal time to mouthfuls at cheap, forgettable visit. Approximately 400 museprices. The idea is simple: eat, drink and be merry at no added ums traditionally participate in expense. It’s a great opportunity the event, and about 20 of those are in Amsterdam. Alongside to sample some of the city’s finest dining establishments by reduced admission charges, partrying discounted menus that ticipating museums plan at least won’t leave a nasty taste in your one special activity for visitors. Sat 5 & Sun 6 Apr, various mouth. Among the wealth of locations, www.museumweek participating establishments end.nl. Various times & prices are Michelin-starred restau-

Highlight festivals

SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND With events held across the city, this five-day festival focuses on alternative and independent music culture in a variety of incarnations. As the name suggests, expect a gloriously underground experience with plenty of noise, indie rock, psychedelia, avant-garde, bass music, improv jazz and underground dance. See page 26. Wed 16-Sun 20 Apr, various locations, www.sotufestival. com. Times & prices TBA

VAGINA WOLF

PINK FILM DAYS (ROZE FILMDAGEN) With its top-draw programming, this festival has earned an excellent reputation amongst its visitors, as well as with filmmakers and festivals abroad. With the aim to highlight all aspects of quality LGBT cinema for a broad audience, expect feature films, documentaries and shorts – most of which are often missing in regular cinematic offerings. Thur 13-Sun 23 Mar, Ketelhuis Cinema/MC Theater, Westergasfabriek, www.rozefilmdagen.nl. Various times & prices

CHOCOA FESTIVAL Chocoholics’ dreams come true at this two-day festival examining the origin, production and taste of quality chocolate. Just like wine, chocolate has nuances that can be learned through tasting. Head to the Chocoa Festival to learn how to ‘slow’ taste and visit booths to learn all about the history of chocolate. Also look out for chocolate workshops organised by chocolate makers and other experts. Sat 29 & Sun 30 Mar, National Maritime Museum, Kattenburgerplein 1, www.chocoa.nl. 10.00-17.00, price TBA

Sun 13 Apr, Posthoornkerk, Haarlemmerstraat 124-126, www.pint.nl. 13.00, entrance €6 (beers priced per glass)

AWAKENINGS EASTER SPECIAL An institution in the Netherlands, Awakenings is behind some of the country’s most legendary techno events and it’s back to help you kick-start your Easter! Major names including Extrawelt, Maya Jane Coles (pictured), Gaiser, Paco Osuna and Paul Ritch will all be taking to the decks during this eight-hour marathon. And if you’re hungry for more, Awakenings stays in town for events on the two following nights. Thur 17 Mar, Gashouder, Klönneplein 1, www.awaken ings.nl. 22.00, €35

SCHELLINGWOUDER FESTIVAL Over the Easter weekend, violinist Heleen Hulst and pianist Gerard Bouwhuis organise this annual festival of classical music featuring special guest musicians and seasonal classical works. Capacity is limited in this spectacular waterside church, thus concert reservations are required by emailing vipi@xs4all.nl. Fri 18-Mon 21 Apr, Schellingwouderkerk, time & price TBA DGTL FESTIVAL Fans of top-notch beats are in for a treat this Easter as more than 80 artists and DJs descend on the city’s former industrial docklands to pump out some of the best underground electronica in the world today. Encompassing six stages, this indooroutdoor experience mixes up established and new DJs and live acts, along with an artistic flourish that connects modern innovation to industrial nostalgia. See page 26. Sat 19 & Sun 20 Apr, NDSMwerf, www.dgtlfestival.com. 12.00, €47.50 KING’S DAY King’s Day festivities invite locals and visitors alike to soak up Amsterdam’s open-air fun. In the streets, canals, parks and everywhere in between, the city is bursting with orange as everyone is invited to enjoy the nation’s biggest party of the year. The action starts the night before at putdoor stages across town and continues as ong as stamina allows. See pages 18-19. Sat 26 Apr, various locations, www.iamsterdam.com/ experience/kings-day

IMAGINE FILM www.imaginefilmfestival.nl. FESTIVAL Various times & prices From sci-fi to cult, anime to MEIBOK (SPRING BEER) ZICHTBARE LIJNEN fantasy and horror to experiFESTIVAL (VISIBLE LINES) mental: the Imagine Film Festival celebrates three decades of The spring sister of the Bokbier Until the end of April, cartoons Festival later in the year, this are the talk of the town in movie magic. While the festival beery festival celebrates meiAmsterdam West as it plays still features the very best interbock (spring beers) from the host to more than 35 acclaimed national horror releases, it has Netherlands and further afield. Amsterdam comic artists. More broadened its taste to include than a comic book festival, fantasy, cult, anime and science With a huge selection of gloriZichtbare Lijnen is a neighfiction. Imagine isn’t only about ous draught and bottled ‘bok’ beer on offer, it’s a heaven for bourhood-level event allowing the filmic side of life: in addifor both active and passive partion to dozens of long and short connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike. In many ways it’s back ticipation: look out for various films, directors are invited to to basics: you get a glass upon events and exhibitions in shop discuss their work in symposientry and this is yours for the windows and bars throughout ums. And, for hardcore horror entire visit, so take good care the district. fans, there’s the annual Night of of it! After you’ve tried a beer, Until 31 Apr, various locaTerror at the Pathé Tuschinski. rinse out your glass and it’s off tions, www.facebook.com/ Wed 9-Fri 18 Apr, EYE Film to the next brewer’s stand. zichtbarelijnen. Various times Institute, IJpromenade 1,

mar & apr 2014

MUSIC/POPULAR & JAZZ POPULAR & JAZZ

er-songwriter is best known for penning the tune that would later become the theme for the TV drama One Tree Hill. Oh, and he’s also sold tons of albums around the world. Tue 4 Mar, Heineken Music Hall, 20.00, €36

THE EX FESTIVAL After more than 30 years, The Ex is still one of the Netherlands’ most exciting live bands, balancing their early post-punk ethics with brass-infested guests TINARIWEN and Ethiopian jazz grooves. CelA good few folk and rock bands ebrating this mishmash of fun have broken out of the Tuareg noise, they’re bringing together music scene in the Sahara – artists like Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Ethiopian music and Bombino being one of the latest, having collaborated with The dance troupe Fendika and local drummer Han Bennink as part Black Keys. But Tinariwen were the first desert rockers to wow of their own one-night festival. international audiences with Of course, The Ex will be at the their hypnotic blues, mixing heart of it all. soulful, rhythmic melody with Sat 1 Mar, Paradiso, the sweeping energy of rebellion. 20.00, €20 The Mali band is back on the MICHIEL BORSTLAP TRIO road with new album Emmaer. Tue 4 Mar, Paradiso, During his three-decade career, 20.30, €18.50 he’s toured through 60 countries and has collaborated with HerDAN LE SAC VS bie Hancock and Gino Vannelli. SCROOBIUS PIP Borstlap is a national treasure This fast-talking, socially active in the Netherlands and one of hip hop duo hails from the its most versatile pianists. He’ll front a trio for this performance. UK, they borrow samples from Radiohead and one of them Sat 1 Mar, North Sea Jazz Club, has a moniker that references a 21.00, €18-€22 poem by Edward Lear. Expect DANNY BROWN a night of rhymes that may necessitate no less than five hours This American rapper has on Wikipedia to fully decipher, dropped rhymes with ASAP Rocky, Purity Ring, A-Trak and but with plenty of laughs to keep you going. Rustie. His latest full-length Wed 5 Mar, Bitterzoet, album, Old, was released in Oc20.00, €13 tober and has been racking up near universal praise ever since. DRAKE Sun 2 Mar, Melkweg, The former Degrassi: The Next 20.00, €17.50 Generation star-turned-meJAMES BLUNT gastar rapper is coming back to English singer-songwriter Blunt Amsterdam for his biggest show yet. Nothing Was the Same, his is an easy target given that his latest album, dropped in 2013. middle-of-the-road tunes are targeted towards adult radio (or, Wed 5 Mar, Ziggo Dome, 20.00, €39-€49 cutting to the chase, mums). But not only does he embrace his FALL OUT BOY place in the music world, he’s The presumed fate of this inbeen shrugging off the regular insults on Twitter, casually mak- credibly popular emo rock band from Illinois was bleak a few ing fools of any haters with his carefully crafted retorts. Turns years ago. They fought their way out of hiatus and are now back out the joke isn’t on him. on the road with songs from Sun 2 Mar, Heineken Music their latest album, 2013’s Save Hall, 20.00, €45 Rock and Roll. HAIM Sat 8 Mar, Heineken Music Hall, 19.30, €36 Three sisters + one drummer + influences ranging from RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Fleetwood Mac to En Vogue = ridiculously addictive pop songs. Elton John once declared him the ‘greatest songwriter on the Although fresh on the scene, planet’. Wainwright combines having only released their debut album in autumn 2013, HAIM jazz and vaudeville with pop and folk. He has also worked on the (which rhymes with ‘time’) is an LA-based outfit that has in- soundtracks for films like Shrek, Moulin Rouge and Brokeback spired countless fans and critics Mountain. to sing into their hairbrushes Mon 10 Mar, Royal Theatre while dancing in front of the Carré, 20.00, €49-€58 nearest mirror. Mon 3 Mar, Paradiso, THEE SILVER MOUNT ZION 19.30, €17.50 ORCHESTRA LONDON GRAMMAR This psychedelic and politically focused rock band is back on Their sound falls somewhere between Portishead and Florence the road after a four-year hiatus. Their seventh full-length album, and the Machine and they’re the magnificently titled F--k from, you guessed it, London. Off Get Free We Pour Light On This trip-hop trio released their Everything, was released first album, If You Wait, in in January. September and it’s clocked up a Mon 10 Mar, Paradiso, great deal of praise for its laid20.30, €17.50 back delivery. Mon 3 Mar, Melkweg, DAUGHTRY 19.00, €14 This rock band is still riding GAVIN DEGRAW high on a wave of fame earned by their frontman during his This down-to-earth sing-

Choice pop & jazz

THE JEZABELS Do you enjoy alt-rock? Indie? The occasional blast of disco pop? These Aussies can handle all three. Prisoner, their first full-length LP, landed in 2011. Wed 12 Mar, Bitterzoet, 20.00, €12.50 LAIBACH If nothing else, Laibach is one of the most unique acts on the planet. They’re a Slovenian and former Yugoslavian avant-garde music group that dabbles in industrial, martial and neo-classical musical styles. Thur 13 Mar, Melkweg, 19.30, €18

ROKIA TRAORÉ Singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré is one of the biggest names in Mali’s music scene, and her French-sung songs have made a pretty big international impact, too. After a decadeand-a-half of performing, last year’s Beautiful Africa proved to be one of her most intense records yet, both in terms of praise and despair about the ongoing issues in her home continent. Thur 6 Mar, Paradiso, 20.00, €22.50

THE SPRING QUARTET This group of all-star jazzists can easily sell out solo shows in Amsterdam so it’s something of a pleasant surprise to see drummer Jack DeJohnette, saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding (pictured) and pianist Leo Genovese joining forces. Spanning generations, DeJohnette is one of the most renowned jazz drummers going. On the flipside, Spalding has been one of the biggest jazz sensations in recent years. Mon 24 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €35 stint on American Idol a while back. Their debut album was one of the fastest selling of all time and their latest release, Baptized, landed in November. Tue 11 Mar, Melkweg, 19.30, €20 DIANA JONES Jones’ authentic folk tunes and heartfelt lyrics will take you on a journey back to the 19th century. Well, not literally. That wouldn’t be much fun, now would it? They didn’t have the internet back then. Or frappuccinos. But there’s no denying the beauty of Appalachian immigrant folk. Tue 11 Mar, Paradiso, 19.30, €25 HABIB KOITÉ AND KAREYCE FOTSO Two of the greatest African musicians of the modern era are coming together for this special

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Like Jesus, it seems like he’s been around for ever but he’s only 33. Still, the former boy-band star has used his time wisely in conquering the music industry and then Hollywood. Plus, he’s brought sexy back more than a few times on top of all that. What’s left for Timberlake to accomplish? Head to the Ziggo Dome and enjoy the 20/20 Experience for yourself. Just don’t expect him to shoot into outer space, Mr Kennedy. Mon 28 Apr, Ziggo Dome, 20.00, €45 - €95

THE FOUR TOPS & THE TEMPTATIONS These two legendary Motown groups have been around for over four decades and have more hits than Lennox Lewis. Here’s your chance to hear timeless soul classics like ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’, ‘My Girl’ and ‘Baby, I Need Your Lovin’ live, in concert. Fri 14 Mar, Heineken Music Hall, 20.00, €45-€52 THE VEILS The Veils’ Finn Andrews has proven himself to be a pretty prolific songwriter over the past decade. The New Zealander, mainly based in London, might not be heard on the radio too frequently, but his combination of insightful lyrics and sharp melodies exists somewhere between Travis and Bowie. Fri 14 Mar, Paradiso, 20.30, €16.50 CHVRCHES Rare proof that hype does occasionally pay, this female-fronted Scottish electro-pop trio spent their first six months together drip-feeding ultra-catchy mp3s to an ever-growing web audience. Big on ’80s-synth stylings and melody-heavy pop, they’ve been selling out shows from San Francisco to Sydney ever since. Although they’ve only one immensely fun album to their name, their gigs are peppered with occasional cover surprises, from Whitney to Prince. Wed 19 Mar, Paradiso, 19.30, €15

double concert. Koité is best CRAIG TABORN + NATE known for his supergroup, BamWOOLEY QUINTET ada, and Fotso is a young singer-songwriter who gave up her An inspirational American jazz day job as a biochemist to deliver pianist whose improvised works her harmonies to the world. veer from true jazz to classical, Tue 11 Mar, People’s Place, blues and beyond, tonight 21.00, €22.50 Taborn takes to the stage for a solo set. He’s followed by Nate MICHAEL GIRA Wooley’s band – Wooley being As the frontman of Swans since one of the most audacious trumthe early ’80s, Gira has pioneered peters in the American scene. a path in dark noise terror – Wed 19 Mar, Bimhuis, comparable in many ways with 20.30, €18 Nick Cave, but with the extra FREDDY COLE QUARTET daring to test audiences with intermissions of 18 minutes of Freddy spent many years standfeedback or incessant drilling ing in the shadows of his older – artistically brilliant but never brother, the late/great Nat King really for mass consumption. On Cole. He’s since developed his this solo tour he reverts to his own style and his hoarse, smoky acoustic guitar, performing a mix vocals are one of a kind. The of Swans, Angels of Light (his quartet’s latest album is 2013’s other band) and solo creations. This and That. Tue 11 Mar, MC Theater, Wed 19 Mar, North Sea Jazz 20.30, €16 Club, 21.00, €26

PART IV THE A-LIST

MUSIC/POPULAR & JAZZ CRISTINA BRANCO ANGEL OLSEN Gilson Lavis and singers Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall. Branco specialises in jazz and She’s a singer-songwriter who Sat 29 Mar, Paradiso, the music of her native land of recently swapped her demure 20.30, €28.50 Portugal. She’s the granddaughtunes for the thrills of pounding ter of Amália Rodrigues, the legrock rhythms with a psycheLUKA BLOOM endary singer who helped popudelic edge. Join Olsen for this He’s been described as an larise fado around the world. mid-afternoon set. It’s sure to be old-fashioned Irish bard who Fri 21 Mar, Meervaart, smashing in more ways sings about modern life. Bloom’s 20.15, €29 than one. distinctive voice and lyrics are Sun 6 Apr, Paradiso, 16.00, €9 ANNA CALVI enchanting and authentic. THE KYTEMAN ORCHESTRA Sat 29 Mar, Royal Theatre Her eclectic influences vary – THE JAM SESSIONS Carré, 20.00, €30-€38 from Nina Simone to Debussy to Nick Cave to David Bowie. Colin Benders, aka Kyteman, ANA MOURA Watch as Calvi elegantly fuses is the driving force of this It’s already been a decade that her diverse muses into a set Dutch ensemble. While rootthis Portuguese songstress has filled with mysterious and emoed in danceable hip hop, the been making an impressive intionally charged pop songs. ‘orchestra’ is renowned for its ternational dent with her sultry Sun 23 Mar, Paradiso, expansive performances that fado vocals. Along the way she’s 20.30, €18 blend in elements of opera, performed alongside the likes of drum & bass, electro, minimalDUKE ROBILLARD the Rolling Stones and Prince, ism, classical and jazzy big band and now she’s stopping off to A proper blues icon who’s been sounds. With a big clue in the dealing out big riffs and dashes showcase latest album Desfado, name, The Jam Sessions tour which includes a cover of the of rock’n’roll, swing and jazz is likely to be looser and more Joni Mitchell song ‘A since the late ’60s, Robillard reactive than ever before. Case of You’. has worked with the likes of Tue 8 Apr, Melkweg, 19.30, €27 Mon 31 Mar, North Sea Jazz Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Dr UGLY DUCKLING Club, 21.00, €28-€30 John. As well as blues greats, the guitarist will be working out This scrappy hip hop group METRONOMY numbers from his recent album burst out of the SoCal underThe creation of English Independently Blue. ground in the mid-’90s. They’ve beat-master Joseph Mount, Sun 23 Mar, North Sea Jazz outlasted many similar acts and Metronomy has remixed the Club, 21.00, €22-€25 you may have heard their rap songs of acts like Gorillaz, Franz anthems on Ideal, a quirky BBC WYE OAK Ferdinand and Roots Manuva. sitcom about drug dealers. Here he’ll be joined by his own The fuzzy songs of this BalTues 8 Apr, Bitterzoet, live band for a night of electimore indie-rock duo have 20.00, €16 tro-pop wonderment. appeared on The Walking Dead LIVE FROM BUENA VISTA: and the North American remake Tue 1 Apr, Melkweg, 19.00, €15 THE HAVANA LOUNGE of Being Human. Although preBROKEN BELLS vious album Civilian was their A host of Cuba’s greatest folk first to take off internationally, Producer Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ musicians are descending upon Burton first teamed up with their upcoming release will acthe Netherlands for an impresJames Mercer, frontman for tually be their fourth. sively in-depth all-acoustic theThe Shins, for this side project Sun 23 Mar, MC Theater, atre tour. The musicians here in 2009. Now they’re back on 21.00, €13 include Lazara Cachao, Calixto tour with songs from their secOviedo, Evelio Galan, Amik BOOKA SHADE ond full-length release, Guerra, Alberto ‘Molote’ Munoz After the Disco. This German duo combines and Jose Jill Pineda, all drawn techno with house. Their music Tue 1 Apr, Melkweg, 19.30, €20 from two of Cuba’s best-known has appeared on the popular outfits: Buena Vista Social Club AZEALIA BANKS crime drama CSI:NY and their Rapper/singer Banks is from most recent album, EVE, came New York City, mixes sass with out in 2013. class and whips up dance floor Wed 26 Mar, Melkweg, anthems that will make you 19.30, €16 shake your… well, you know. MØ Her cover of Interpol’s ‘Slow Hands’ made a splash on the Have you found yourself recently saying, ‘Please, sir, I want interwebs back in 2010 and her debut album is finally due. some Mø?’ Well, your request has been granted. Head out for Tue 1 Apr, Paradiso, 20.30, €18 a hearty helpin’ of this Danish THE BAD PLUS artist’s nutritious and delicious A jazz band for those afraid of electro pop. jazz. From Nirvana to StravinWed 26 Mar, People’s Place, sky, this trio will try their hand 21.00, €13 at just about anything. They BALLAKÉ SISSOKO have an outstanding live reputation too, showing all the This musician from Mali is a coolness and confidence of any master of the kora, a 21-string AAA: PRIVACY hyped rock star (but with more African harp. Playing one requires all ten fingers and a level musical chops). On latest album Composed in 1960, ShostakMade Possible they’ve expanded of musical multitasking that ovich’s String Quartet No. 8 the template again, embracing would make most people’s was, according to his son, inthe repetition of minimalism heads explode. Step back and tended to commemorate vicand introducing an watch Sissoko work his tims of all totalitarianism – a electronic edge. beautiful magic. detail kept hidden even after Thur 3 Apr, Bimhuis, Sat 29 Mar, Bimhuis, 20.0, €20 the passing of Stalin. As part 20.30, €23-€28 JOOLS HOLLAND’S RHYTHM of this hefty project on ‘privaEUROVISION IN CONCERT AND BLUES ORCHESTRA cy’, Kris Defoort was commisSome folks love it. Some folks Every year this former pop sioned to create a new work loathe it. Some folks love to pianist – who’s now more recfor the RCO. Then there’s ognised from his BBC television loathe it and vice versa. Head to Lang Lang (pictured), who will Melkweg to check out the comshow – gets back on the road shine the light on Ravel, one batants for the 2014 edition of with an exceptionally gifted of the world’s most private bunch of musos. They specialise Europe’s Hunger G— er… its annual pop extravaganza. And may in vivacious blasts of boocomposers. Thur 13 & Fri 14 gie-woogie and rock’n’roll, prov- the odds be ever in their favour. Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, Sat 5 Apr, Melkweg, ing he makes more sense when 21.15, €22.50-€40 19.30, €26.50 not talking. This tour features

and the Afro Cuban All Stars. Fri 11 Apr, Meervaart, 20.15, €27-€32

dy’s transformation from House of Pain frontman to blues rocker was pretty dang gutsy. Will he play ‘What It’s Like’? Of course. ENNIO MORRICONE Much like his super tough You may not recognise his name namesake, Everlast won’t ever but you’ve definitely heard his let you down. work. Morricone’s compositions Wed 23 Apr, Melkweg, have appeared in dozens of films 19.30, €18 including For a Few Dollars SHEARWATER More, The Untouchables and Kill Bill. He’ll be joined by a Once he’s done at Ziggo, Tim75-piece orchestra. berlake should head into town Sat 12 Apr, Ziggo Dome, for a falsetto battle against 20.00, €35-€85 Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg. Originally an offshoot of OkkerGARE DU NORD vil River, Shearwater is now its This popular jazzy Dutch-Bel- own impressive beast, mixing up gian crew are hosting a sensual indie and folk with surprisingly theatre tour with singer Dorona emotional prog-rock structures Alberti. Here they’ll showcase and those soaring vocals. hits like ‘Marvin & Miles’ and Mon 28 Apr, Bitterzoet, ‘Beautiful Day’ amongst tracks 21.00, €15 from new album Lifesexy. ADDRESSES Mon 14 Apr, De La Mar, 20.00, €17.50-€29.50 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3 ANGIE STONE http://bimhuis.nl Stone is a Grammy-nominated Bitterzoet soul singer who’s worked with Spuistraat 2 everybody from Prince to Lenny www.bitterzoet.com Kravitz to D’Angelo. She burst Heineken Music Hall on to the scene in 1999 with the ArenA boulevard 590 album Black Diamond and has www.heineken-music-hall.nl been delivering neo-soul to the MC Theater masses ever since. Polonceaukade 5 Thur 17 Apr, Paradiso, www.mconline.nl 20.30, €30 Meervaart Meer en Vaart 300 ZIGGY MARLEY www.meervaart.nl The son of a certain reggae legMelkweg end, Marley continues to carry Lijnbaansgracht 234A the torch of his family’s musical www.melkweg.nl legacy. His new album, Fly Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ Rasta, is scheduled to hit store Piet Heinkade 1 shelves a week before this show. www.muziekgebouw.nl Tue 22 Apr, Melkweg, North Sea Jazz Club 19.30, €30 Pazzanistraat 1 www.northseajazzclub.com EVERLAST Paradiso Say what you will about the end Weteringschans 6-8 results, but Erik Francis Schrowww.paradiso.nl People’s Place Stadhouderskade www.peoplesplaceamsterdam.nl Royal Theater Carré Amstel 115-125 www.carre.nl Ziggo Dome ArenA Boulevard 61 www.ziggodome.nl

Choice classical

CLASSICAL

IVES ENSEMBLE Alvin Lucier (born 1931) isn’t one of the mostknown names in contemporary composition but the American acoustics experimentalist, who takes his biggest cues from science, has certainly made a far-reaching impact. As the Ives Ensemble revisits five of his works, this performance will almost be like a live-action exploration of the beautiful Muziekgebouw’s natural resonances. Fri 14 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €27

LUNCH CONCERT Weekly series in Het Muziektheater, presenting a diverse range of operatic, choral and classical works every Tuesday in the venue’s foyer. Every Tue, Het Muziektheater, 12.30, free LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch (concert)? The Royal Concertgebouw’s lunchtime concerts are exactly that, showcasing everything from young, upcoming talent to chamber music and public rehearsals by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. It’s advisable to show up at least half an hour in advance to guarantee entry – especially on 26 March when the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performs an open rehearsal. Every Wed, Royal Concertgebouw, 12.30, free

mar & apr 2014

MUSIC/CLASSICAL

ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA Korean conductor MyungWhun Chung visits Amsterdam for some shows at the helm of its greatest orchestra. Beethoven’s Symphony No.2 and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique shape the spectacle. Wed 5-Fri 7 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €22.50-€70 ASKO|SCHÖNBERG + SLAGWERK DEN HAAG An especially percussive concert of contemporary works by Hannah Kulenty, Peter-Jan Wagemans, Joey Roukens and Seung-Ah Oh; conducted by Etienne Siebens and with solo violist Geneviève Strosser. Thur 6 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €27

OPERA PER TUTTI Regular opera sessions in the beautiful Vondelkerk. Each performance typically includes five or six operatic fragments or arias – some you’ll know inside out, others may be new to you. Sun 9 Mar & 6 Apr, Vondelkerk, 15.00, €10-€20 SEVERIN VON ECKARDSTEIN A masterpianist performance featuring the German ivory tickler. In this suitably bustling Sunday programme he’ll be handling known piano works and operatic excerpts from the likes of Llywelyn, Beethoven, Wagner and Scriabin. Sun 9 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €38-€47.50

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Spring is in the air, encouraging conductor Marc Albrecht and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras to turn over a new leaf with a series of works by R Schumann. Sat 15 Mar (20.15) & Sun 16 Mar (14.15), Royal Concertgebouw, €18-€48 DE NEDERLANDSE BACHVERENIGING With local elections taking place in Amsterdam this month, these Bach experts are turning back the clock almost 300 years to when Johann Sebastian Bach was living in Leipzig and was asked to compose works for the stately inauguration of the new city council. Today you can hear cantatas from that era. Sun 16 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 15.00, €38 AMSTERDAM SINFONIETTA Some 150 years after the birth of Richard Strauss, the local ensemble will perform his Metamorphosen, a composition for ‘23 solo strings’. Pianist Alexander Melnikov also joins for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.9. Wed 19 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €35

Choice classical

SIM CANETTY-CLARKE

NOORDERKERK WELTKLASSIK CONCERTS Every second Friday of the From September through May, month the Amsterdam City Amsterdam’s Noorderkerk hosts Archives presents a classical a one-hour classical concert recital. On 7 March it features every Saturday afternoon. SitBelgian Sébastien Dupuis; on 11 uated in one of the oldest and April it’s Russian pianist Sofja most charming parts of the city, Gübadamova. the Noorderkerk is an idyllic Fri 7 Mar & 11 Apr, Amsterdam setting for a matinee classical City Archives, 17.00 performance. RADIO PHILHARMONIC Every Sat, Noorderkerk, 14.00 ORCHESTRA L’AMOUR DE MOI Otto Tausk conducts and piPerformance by the Nederlands anist Dezsö Ránki guests in a Studenten Kamerkoor, with the programme that includes Beeyoung musicians performing thoven’s ‘Coriolan’ Overture in works by Bikkembergs, Purcell C; Bartók’s 3rd Piano Concerto; (reworked by Sandström) R Schumann’s Introduction and and Edlund. allegro appassionato; and DutilSat 1 Mar, Royal Concertgeleux’s ‘Le double’. bouw, 20.15, €25 Sat 8 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 14.15, €30-€35 RALPH VAN RAAT + HÅKON AUSTBØ CANTATE AMSTERDAM 2014 A double pianist spectacle as acInternational choir meeting, claimed Dutch pianist Van Raat featuring choral groups from as and Norwegian pianist Austbø far afield as Brazil, Norway, Itadelve into the heart of 20th-cenly, Switzerland and Germany. tury piano repertoire. The Sat 8 Mar, Posthoornkerk, performance includes works by 16.00, free Debussy and Messiaen. ARDITTI QUARTET + Sat 1 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan SARAH MARIA SUN ’t IJ, 20.15, €33 Soprano Sarah Maria Sun teams NETHERLANDS PHILHARup with the forward-thinking MONIC ORCHESTRA string quartet for what’s almost In this programme titled ‘Mov- a ‘greatest hits’ of contemporary ers of the Earth’ you can hear classics: works by Andriessen, Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto, Schönberg, Carter and Zorn. Beethoven’s Fifth and the Dutch Sat 8 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan premiere of Azarova’s Mover of ’t IJ, 20.15, €33 the Earth, Stopper of the Sun. NETHERLANDS Violinist Isabelle Faust is PHILHARMONIC special guest. ORCHESTRA Sat 1 & Mon 3 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €18-€48 Conductor Dmitri Slobodeniouk and cellist Quirine Viersen join BACH CHOIR AND the orchestra for a concert series ORCHESTRA OF THE looking at the similarities and NETHERLANDS diversities between French and An authentic Mozart festive Slavic classics. It includes Liszt’s spectacle featuring the likes of 1st Mephisto Walz ‘Der Tanz in Vado, ma dove?, Krönungsmesse der Dorfschenke’; Saint-Saëns’ and ending on his final compoCello Concerto No.1; Fauré’s sition: Requiem. Elégie; and Dvorák’s Seventh. Sun 2 & Sun 9 Mar, Royal ConSat 8 & Mon 10 Mar, Royal certgebouw, 14.15, €50-€75 Concertgebouw, 20.15, €18-€48

CONCERTGEBOUW CLASSICS CELEBRATES SPRING Put the spring back in your step with an evening of classical tunes that take inspiration from the season and leave you feeling musically refreshed. The concert is performed by Het Gelders Orkest, whose members are always capable of breathing new life into even the most-heard music. Mark Wigglesworth (pictured) conducts works such as Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves and The Lark Ascending, plus Elgar and Mahler/Britten.s should be performed. Wed 2 Apr, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.30, €35-€95

ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW Workers Union. during a stop in his honeymoon. ORCHESTRA Fri 28 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan Sat 5 & Tue 8 Apr, Royal Con’t IJ, 20.30, €27 certgebouw, 20.15, €18-€48 Mariss Jansons is conducting a series of Bruckner symphonies, RUSSISCHE MUSICI ST JOHN PASSION each paired with classical solo Violinist Victoria Margasyuk Large-scale rendition of Bach’s concertos. Here Beethoven’s PiSt John Passion performed by ano Concerto No.1 sits alongside and pianists Veronika Kopjova and Irina Chistiakova present COV GrootNoord, a 100-piece Bruckner’s unfinished Ninth. a programme that connects the Christian choir featuring The orchestra is joined by solo Eastern Bloc with Western all ages. pianist Lars Vogt. romanticism. Sun 6 Apr, Royal ConcertWed 19, Fri 21 (20.15) & Sun 23 Sun 30 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 14.15, €29-€36.50 Mar (14.15), Royal Concertgebouw, 14.30, €36 gebouw, €30-€120 LES GOUTS REUNIS SCHUBERT FOR FOUR LUNCH CONCERT & TOUR Duo Soinua are special guests of HANDS this ongoing concert series toFree monthly performance in Alexander Melnikov and Anday, pairing recorder with accorcollaboration with the Nationaal dreas Staier take a seat behind dion. The programme includes Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. one forte piano to perform some new works by Henrik NørdTours of the concert hall take magical works by Schubert that strom, Igor Iofe (premiere), Jelle place before the performance were composed to be played Verstraten (premiere) (tours begin at 11.00/ with four hands. and others. price: €8.50). Sun 6 Apr, Amstelkerk, Tue 25 Mar & 22 Apr, Muziek- Wed 2 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €33 16.00, €12.50 gebouw aan ’t IJ, 12.30, free ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA Continuing its Bruckner series, Mariss Jansons conducts as two polar opposites are paired together: Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.4 and Bruckner’s ‘Romantic’ Fourth. Truls Mørk is solo cellist. Wed 26 & Thur 27 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €30-€120 ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony is performed alongside Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3. Mariss Jansons conducts, with solo violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann. Fri 28 Mar, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €30-€120

LISA JACOBS BIRGIT REMMERT + Top violinist Lisa Jacobs preSTEFAN IRMER sents her own concert series OSLO SINFONIETTA Renowned alto Birgit Remmert in Amsterdam, through which is accompanied by pianist Irmer she’ll showcase great music and With percussionist Håkon Stene in this celebration of German musicians. In this evening’s solo guesting, expect a mind-bending romanticism. It features songs recital the focus is on the history rendition of Simon Steen-Anby Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, of the violin and its influence on dersen’s Black Box Music, which Heucke and Mahler. classical masterworks. pits live music, electronics and Fri 7 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan Thur 13 Mar, Vondelkerk, video against each other. Also ’t IJ, 20.15, €38 20.15, €15 featuring Andriessen’s

MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS ORCHESTRA UNPLUGGED Asko|Schönberg, the percussion Members of the Netherlands group Slagwerk Den Haag and Chamber Orchestra, led by choir Wishful Singing team up Gordan Nikolic, are joined by to perform Steve Reich’s Music pianist Dejan Lazic. The ensemfor 18 Musicians, a precisely ble will perform unplugged, on composed minimal work with a the floor of Paradiso, with the symphonic allure. audience seated snugly Fri 4 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan ’t around them. IJ, 20.15, €27 Mon 7 Apr, Paradiso, 20.15, €13.50-€25 FILM & MUSIC ST MATTHEW PASSION Pianist Maud Nelissen composes and leads live soundtracks A properly baroque take on to Charlie Chaplin’s The ImmiBach’s Matthäus-Passion grant (USA, 1917) and Grigori performed by the Amsterdam Kozintsev & Leonid Trauber’s Baroque Orchestra & Choir. Ton De Mantel (Russia, 1926). Koopman conducts with sopraSat 5 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan ’t no Hana Blazíková guesting. IJ, 20.15, €27 Wed 9 Apr, Royal Concertgebouw, 19.30, €29-€75 NETHERLANDS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA INSOMNIO Violinist Gordan Nikolic leads This year Brit composer Sir this somewhat romantic honeyHarrison Birtwistle is turning moon-inspired programme. As 80, which is reason enough for well as Schoeck’s Sommernacht ensemble Insomnio to pair up and Saint-Saëns’ Wedding two of his great modern classics Cake, the programme features (‘Silbury Air’ and ‘Secret TheMozart’s Symphony No.36 (Linz atre’) with a new percussion Symphony), which was written concerto by Robin de Raaff and

A-LIST. PART IV THE A-LIST

MUSIC/CLASSICAL James Wood’s ‘The Parliament of Angels’. See page 25. Thur 10 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €27 PARADISO ORCHESTRA Comprised of top players from the city’s classical scene, the Paradiso Orchestra has built up a reputation for its enticing but more informal performances in this historic pop temple. This time the theme is ‘One Night in Budapest’, enjoying an operatic gypsy twist with soprano Elnara Shafigullina and the Kobra Ensemble. Thur 10 Apr, Paradiso, 20.30, €22.50 ST MATTHEW PASSION As part of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s rich Passion tradition, a performance of Frank Martin’s Golgotha was given around this time last year. This season sees the return of two old acquaintances: Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Philippe Herreweghe. The Belgian conductor is joined by his very own Collegium Vocale Gent. Fri 11 (19.00) & Sun 13 Apr (12.00), Royal Concergebouw, €30-€120 SERGEY KHACHATRYAN The star American violinist teams up with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance that shines the spotlight on Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D – a technically challenging work composed in the spring of 1878. It’s paired up with Nielsen’s Helios Overture and Sibelius’s First Symphony. Sat 12 Apr, Royal Concertgebouw, 14.15, €30-€35 ST MATTHEW PASSION Soak up that authentic ‘Easter vibe’ with the old masters of Bach’s music. Yep, the Bach Choir and Orchestra of the Netherlands can’t pass up the chance to showcase their authentic version of this masterwork. Pieter Jan Leusink conducts, with a host of fantastic soloists guesting. Sat 12 (19.30), Wed 16 (19.30) & Fri 18 Apr (13.30), Royal Concertgebouw, €50-€75

mance by the KCOV Amstersandwiched between Brahms’ dam choir, backed by the Roder Double Concerto in A and Jongenskoor and featuring Debussy’s La mer, trois esquissJeroen de Vaal (tenor), Bert van es symphoniques. de Wetering (baritone), Maartje Tue 22 & Sat 26 Apr, Royal Rammeloo (soprano), Myra Concertgebouw, 20.15, €18-€48 Kroese (alto) and Jean-Léon AMSTERDAM CHAMBER Klostermann (tenor). ORCHESTRA Sun 13 Apr, Royal Concertgebouw, 19.30, €29.75-€35 In a programme titled Bella Italia! guitarist Costanza SavaBACH’S OTHER PASSION rese and soprano Johane Ansell England’s Britten Sinfonia and guest for a suitably inspirational Britten Sinfonia Voices perform Italian collection of dark and Bach’s St John Passion. The light moments by Vivaldi fearless ensemble is led by vioand Respighi. linist Jacqueline Shave. Thur 24 Apr, Royal ConcertThur 17 Apr, Royal Concertgebouw, 20.15, €60 gebouw, 20.15, €32-€84 HAMMER MUSIC WATER PASSION AFTER This programme featuring ST MATTHEW percussion ensemble Slagwerk Performed by Nieuw Ensemble Den Haag and pianist Ralph and vocal group Cappella Amvan Raat aims to remind that sterdam, Chinese maestro Tan percussion and piano share a Dun returns to Amsterdam to great deal of common ground. conduct this rendition of his Alongside ground-breaking Water Passion. Combining a classics from Cage and Lachennumber of Asian influences, mann there’s also new works from singing styles to instruand world premieres. mentation, water and nature Thur 24 Apr, Muziekgebouw is one of the key recurring eleaan ’t IJ, 20.15, €27 ments in this Passion story. YO-YO MA Thur 17 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €38 He’s one of the world’s most popular cellists, returning to ST JOHN PASSION Amsterdam to perform with The Orchestra of the 18th Cenlong-time collaborator, pianist tury and Cappella Amsterdam Kathryn Stott. The programme perform a theatrical and powfeatures the likes of Stravinsky, erful interpretation of Bach’s Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, Brahms Johannes Passion. and Guarnieri. Fri 18 Apr, Muziekgebouw aan Fri 25 Apr, Royal Concert’t IJ, 20.15, €33 gebouw, 20.15, €34-€90 SCHELLINGWOUDER SYMFONIEORKEST FESTIVAL BELLITONI & MAHLER Over the Easter weekend, vioCelebrating its 35th anniverlinist Heleen Hulst and pianist sary, Symfonieorkest Bellitoni Gerard Bouwhuis organise and conductor Jurjen Hempel this annual festival of classical revisit the Royal Concertmusic featuring special guest gebouw to perform Mahler’s musicians and seasonal classi- Second (‘Auferstehung’). They’re cal works. Capacity is limited supported by the Residentie in this spectacular waterside Bachkoor, Koninklijke Zangvechurch, thus concert reservareniging Excelsior and featuring tions are required by emailing Heleen Koele (soprano) and vipi@xs4all.nl. Carina Vinke (alto). Fri 18-Mon 21 Apr, SchellingSun 27 Apr, Royal Concertwouderkerk, time & price TBA gebouw, 14.30, €19-€22.50 ST MATTHEW PASSION Annual performance of the Passion by the Dudok Choir & Orchestra, a group with a core of 40 vocalists, plus other orchestral and choral special guests. Sun 19 Apr, De Duif, 15.30, €28

ADDRESSES Amstelkerk Amstelveld 10 www.stadsherstel.nl MATANGI QUARTET De Duif This young string quartet has Prinsengracht 754 grown into one of the Netherwww.stadsherstel.nl lands’ most reliable ensembles Dutch National Opera & Ballet over the past decade and perWaterlooplein 22 HÄNDEL’S MESSIAH formed around the world. This www.operaballet.nl afternoon’s programme is titled Baroque specialist Pieter Jan Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ ‘Great Britten’, matching Brit- Leusink and his acclaimed Bach Piet Heinkade 1 ten’s String Quartet No.3 with Choir and Orchestra of the www.muziekgebouw.nl works by Holt and Elgar. Netherlands revisit Händel’s Noorderkerk Sun 13 Apr, Amstelkerk, Messiah. As renowned as the Noordermarkt 44 15.30, €16 oratorio is, the orchestra and www.noorderkerkconcerten.nl choir will take the audience Paradiso NETHERLANDS back in time as they revisit the Weteringschans 6-8 CHAMBER CHOIR Dublin ‘edit’, which Händel www.paradiso.nl An alternative to the traditional premiered in Ireland in 1742 Posthoornkerk Passion concerts, this choral amidst a season of concerts he Haarlemmerstraat 124-126 concert tackles moving music was hosting in the city. http://posthoornkerk.tumblr.com from across the ages, including Mon 21 Apr, Royal ConcertRoyal Concertgebouw Peter Cornelius, Ernst Krenek, gebouw, 14.15, €50-€75 Concertgebouwplein 10 Johannes Brahms and www.concertgebouw.nl NETHERLANDS PHILHARHeinrich Schütz. Schellingwouderkerk MONIC ORCHESTRA Sun 13 Apr, Muziekgebouw Wijkergouw 6 aan ’t IJ, 20.15, €33 Performing Hosokawa’s Cirwww.stadsherstel.nl culating Ocean, which took Vondelkerk ST MATTHEW PASSION inspiration from the Japanese Vondelstraat 120 The annual Passion perforprint ‘The Great Wave’. It’s www.vondelkerk.nl

CLUBBING REGULAR PARTIES

back to back. Every Fri, Winston Kingdom, from 23.00

CHEEKY MONDAY Weekly cult drum & bass feast that sees international turntablists mingle with Warmoestraat’s regular drum freaks. Every Mon, Winston Kingdom, from 21.00

MC NACHT Each week promises an uncompromising blend of live performances and DJs, with Amsterdam’s hottest party promoters taking turns. Every Sat, MC Theater, from 23.00

BLACK BOX Diverse dance sounds from cutting edge guests every week. Every Wed, Studio 80, from 23.00 PARDI GRAS Get over that midweek slump with a Wednesday night party without pretentions. Every Wed, Paradiso, from 23.30 NOODLANDING One of the city’s most famous pop parties where just about anything goes – music, fashion or behaviour. Expect indie, electro, hip hop and cheesy pop. Every Thur, Paradiso, from 23.30 RHYTHM Weekly house night that promises a journey through the full spectrum of the genre, from deep soulful house vibes to hard-hitting electro basslines. Every Thur, Winston Kingdom, from 23.00 SUPER SOCIAL Practice your social skills at this Leidseplein haunt. The dance music is suitably varied, from pop to nu-disco, classics to acid. Every Thur, Chicago Social Club, from 23.00 OFFSET Weekly night with DJ Mickster & Ldopa playing diverse tunes

ENCORE Amsterdam’s home of hip hop and R&B. Expect big beats, classic hits and new songs, exploring the spectrum of hip hop and R&B. Every Sat, Melkweg, from midnight PAYBACK Budget-conscious beats. Musically, anything is possible. Every Sat, Winston Kingdom, from 23.00 SNEEKY SUNDAY Skull-crushing bass rules at this weekly celebration of dubstep, dub and jungle. Every Sun, Winston Kingdom, from 22.00 WICKED JAZZ SOUNDS Jazzy classics, nu-soul and live players collide in this swinging party that’s never the same. Every Sun, Sugar Factory, from 23.00

ONE-OFF EVENTS JORIS VOORN’S BIRTHDAY BASH The Amsterdam-based techno hotshot invited a bunch of like-minded DJs – including Kölsch and Karotte – to celebrate. Sat 1 Mar, Paradiso, 23.3006.00, €25

Choice clubbing

OBSCURA A professional New York-based DJ from the early 1970s, Danny Krivit got to enjoy the very beginnings of club music culture as we know it now. Krivit was a regular at the Loft, one of the most famous clubs ever that wasn’t even an actual club but somebody’s apartment. By the 1990s and 2000s, Krivit had become known as one of the driving forces behind New York’s Body & Soul nights and as the king of the disco re-edit. With such a true connoisseur behind the decks, this is a massive night for dancers with an interest in the roots of dance music. Fri 18 Apr, DOKA, 23.00-04.00, €12, €8 before midnight

mar & apr 2014

BREAKFAST CLUB 3-YEAR remixed a track by the legendary ANNIVERSARY smoky beat producer George If you decide to keep going after Evelyn, more commonly known as Nightmares On Wax. a night out, you might as well do it properly. Although we im- Fri 7 Mar, Paradiso, 22.00, €19 agine not all clubbers will fancy TROUW OP ZONDAG a bowl of cereal this time of day, An excellent, Nordic-cosBreakfast Club is renowned for mic-disco-themed edition of serving healthy fruit shakes on Trouw Op Zondag. Todd Terje the outskirts of the dance floor. used to be known mainly for And we guess you could probahis silly remixes of classic pop bly do with something healthy and disco tunes – as well as for when you make it this far into the Latin-flavoured dance floor the night, morning or, er, afterjams he produced under this noon. Brent Roozendaal, Jaime Tangoterje moniker. 2012 was Frias, Tom Liem and Tommy clearly his breakthrough year Kornuijt play emotive house and with the ridiculously catchy song techno beats. ‘Inspector Morse’. Terje’s debut Sun 2 Mar, DOKA, 07.00album, It’s Album Time, will fea15.00, €13 ture Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry 5 DAYS OFF: DARKSTAR and is set to be released in April. Darkstar’s first taste of cult fame Just as exciting as Todd Terje is happened when their wonderful, fellow Norwegian Prins Thomas, funky and strange track ‘Aidy’s whose signature sound is slightly Girl’s A Computer’ was released more psychedelic. Besides disco, on Kode 9’s acclaimed Hyperdub Thomas enjoys a flirt with 1970s German Krautrock. Support label back in 2009. At the time, comes from Trouw owner Olaf the band’s sound showed influBoswijk and Vakula (Ukraine). ences of post-dubstep, grime Sun 9 Mar, Trouw, 18.00, €20 and synth-wave. Soon after they released this phenomenal song, 5 DAYS OFF: I-F AND the band was discovered by YOUNG MARCO Warp Records, where they went Ferenc van der Sluijs, aka Inon to develop a more poppy terr-Ferenc or I-F, is not only sound, leading to comparisons an excellent musician who with bands such as Radiohead instigated the revival of 1980s and Animal Collective. electro with his larger-than-life Wed 5 Mar, Melkweg, 22.301997 club hit ‘Space Invaders 03.00, €8 Are Smoking Grass’; he’s also an 5 DAYS OFF: JONGENS VD excellent DJ. His 2000 mix tape WERELD UK HOUSE SPECIAL Mixed Up in the Hague shone another light on the Italo disco Looking back at the Nineties genre, which many music fans while not caring about the rigid at the time viewed as a big joke. rules of the era: that’s what Van der Sluijs cherry-picked unites the young UK house the very best tunes, mixed them producers and DJs booked for all up and put these Italian this excellent night of electronic synth-driven dance beats back dance-floor soul. on the underground music Thur 6 Mar, Paradiso, map. These days, Van der Sluijs 23.00, €20 spends his time running the 2000 AND ONE’S BIRTHDAY idealistic community radio staDylan Hermelijn, aka 2000 and tion Intergalactic FM out of The Hague. Young Marco is the aptly One, is one of those Amsternamed youngster on the bill. dam-based techno producers He’s done of few bits and pieces who’s been around for a long, long time. He’s seen so many dif- on Rush Hour records and he’s been touring abroad more and ferent genres come and go and more, one of his career highhe’s picked from them as if they lights being a 2012 set for the were à la carte menus – a way of hyped Boiler Room Collective. working that led leading elecSun 9 Mar, Paradiso, tronic music magazine Resident 22.00, €14 Advisor to describe him as ‘one of the most versatile, in-demand BOSTON STRIP international artists, commandNight Slugs head honcho Bok ing weekly performances on the Bok couldn’t be more British in house, techno and tech-house his approach to club music; he global club and festival circuits’. plays anything raw and uncomExpect Hermelijn to spin some promising regardless of beat of the most exciting beats in and rhythm structures. Expect techno during his own belated plenty of bass and house materibirthday bash. al that makes your pupils move Fri 7 Mar, Studio 80, right towards the back of your 23.00, €15 eyeballs. Joining Bok Bok on the 5 DAYS OFF: HOAX bill is fellow Night Slugs artist Girl Unit. Hoax presents a killer line-up for Fri 21 Mar, DOKA, 23.00those into the fashionable mix 04.00, €10 of post-wonky and dubstep with some bombastic elements of DOWN BELOW cheesy trance. The biggest name Possibly the last real house and on the bill is Glasgow’s Hudson techno legend to emerge from Mohawke collaborator Rustie (Warp Records). Expect him to Detroit, Omar S is a hard-working Ford employee who makes play the sonic equivalent of a this tracks in the evening hours futuristic candy store. Further and then marks his obscurehighlights on the bill are Los looking 12-inch records with Angeles’ abstract hip hop beat markers that were – allegedly producer Shlomo, and Jameszoo – previously owned by the large (Den Bosch, NL) who recently

Choice clubbing

PIXEL & RUSH HOUR With producers such as FunkinEven, Blawan and Lee Gamble dropping mind-bending tunes, London has reclaimed its position as one of the global hotbeds of leftfield techno. Amsterdam’s Rush Hour Records naturally has a good connection with the scene and has invited wonder child Actress (Darren J Cunningham; pictured) over for a live set. Having produced everything from stomping house to Prince-like futuristic funk cuts, Cunningham will most likely perform his deeper, ambient output tonight. Sat 1 Mar, Trouw, 23.00, €18, €10 before midnight

TAPE Shy dude James Pants, from Spokane, Washington, doesn’t come alive until he’s behind the turntables. This is where he becomes an incredibly funny comedian-cum-DJ, very much in a Gaslamp Killer vein. Except his music isn’t dubstep or pumped-up Jimi Hendrix bass lines, but hip hop, boogie, funk and wave. Local support comes from Jameszoo. Fri 11 Apr, DOKA, 23.00-04.00, €12

OWAP The best of America’s house veterans: Masters At Work’s main man Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzales, Todd Terry (pictured) and Rush. The latter has promised to play a soulful, old-school house set and to leave his über-aggressive tunes at home in Chicago. The fourth vet is Mr C, once the front man of euro-dance outfit The Shamen. Sun 20 Apr, Gashouder, 22.0007.00, €37

automobile manufacturer. For pop music of high musical value; some reason often mentioned quite unique in a world where alongside fellow Detroit muMiley Cyrus and One Direction sicians Moodymann and Theo dominate the charts. Parrish, Omar S’s sound is much Wed 2 Apr, Heineken Music darker and feels even more Hall, 20.00, €29 underground. Supporting are KNEKELHUIS DISCO Interstellar Funk, who’s recently released an excellent EP on Rush One of the highlights of last Hour’s sub-label Voyage Direct. year’s first edition of the excelFri 21 Mar, Trouw, De Verlent Dekmantel Festival, Chidieping, 23.00, €10, €8 before cago’s DJ Traxx plays anything midnight weird, electronic and funky from the most sinister wave tracks STROMAE LIVE through to mind-melting acid The most prominent YouTube house tunes from the sewer. star on the European continent Traxx hasn’t made it to the major is Paul van Haver, aka Stromae, venues yet – probably because from Brussels, Belgium. The vidhis beats are a little too chaleo for his ground-breaking hip lenging for such environments. hop/afro/EDM crossover tune This is how much his colleague, ‘Papaoutai’ hit 100 million views James T Cotton, likes this true on music platform VEVO just a musician’s musician: ‘The pinmonth ago. This man manages nacle of his art, whether he is to create big-room dance and DJing or producing, is his ability

to seize the moment and make crucial changes only when they are necessary. This is Jakbeat in its rawest form.’ Fri 4 Apr, DOKA, 23.0004.00, €12 AWAKENINGS EASTER SPECIAL True, the acoustics of this 19th-century gas factory are downright poor, but its oldschool rave atmosphere is hard to beat, even if you’re a grumpy old audiophile. The line-up is quite soft by Awakenings standards, with London techno girl with-bass-background Maya Jane Coles headlining and a very early (10pm) B2B set by Dominik Eulberg and Gabriel Ananda being one of the other interesting features. Also playing are Paco Osuna and Secret Cinema, among others. Thur 17 Apr, Gashouder, 22.0008.00, €35 AWAKENINGS UK SPECIAL Great Britain is where it’s at with techno these days, and Awakenings’ Rocco Veenboer knows it. The most interesting name on the line-up is Anthony Child, aka Surgeon, whose eerie sets often include hammering tunes by Aphex Twin or self-made, dark remixes of tracks by the likes of post-rock band Mogwai. Other selectors include Harvey McKay, Alan Fitzpatrick, Gary Beck and the young Scottish production duo Clouds. Sat 19 Apr, Gashouder, 22.0008.00, €40 KLANGKARUSSELL You know you’ve done well as a deep-house act when you get to perform early on a school night so that people with families and jobs can come and see you. With ‘Sonnentanz’, this Austrian production duo hit the top ten in six countries last year, including the UK and the Netherlands. Expect a sound that holds the middle ground between underground house and elevator muzak. Sun 20 Apr, Melkweg, 19.30, €19 ADDRESSES Chicago Social Club Leidseplein 12 www.boomchicago.nl DOKA Wibautstraat 150 www.doka-amsterdam.nl Gashouder Klönneplein 1 www.westergasfabriek.nl Heineken Music Hall ArenA boulevard 590 www.heineken-music-hall.nl Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A www.melkweg.nl Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8 www.paradiso.nl Studio 80 Rembrandtplein 17 www.studio-80.nl Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238 www.sugarfactory.nl Trouw Wibautstraat 127 www.trouwamsterdam.nl Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 131 www.winston.nl

PART IV THE A-LIST.

EXHIBITIONS & MUSEUMS TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS PARIS! PARIS! Quirky exhibition devoted to wonderfully designed advertising fans from the City of Light. Created between 1900 and 1940, the fans were once used to promote Parisian cafes, casinos and an assortment of luxury brands. Museum of Bags and Purses, until 2 Mar

GAUGUIN, BONNARD, DENIS: A RUSSIAN TASTE FOR FRENCH ART Shining a light on three major late 19th- and early 20th-century artists. Paul Gauguin was a shining example for Pierre Bonnard and Maurice Denis, who were united with other artists under the title ‘Les Nabis’. This extensive exhibition displays the work of the Nabis artists alongside paintings and drawings by their predecessors, contemporaries and immediate successors. Hermitage Amsterdam, until 30 Mar

GOLDEN YEARS: ROB HORNSTRA’S RUSSIA Dutch photographer Rob ASCO NO MOVIES Hornstra has been working together with filmmaker Arnold Intriguing insight into the van Bruggen since 2009 to world of Mexican-American document the region of Sochi artists’ collective Asco, active in Russia: site of the 2014 on the streets of Los Angeles Winter Olympics. This exhibifrom 1972 until 1987. The tion of his touchingly honest group became famous for their illustrative photographs shows radical, low-budget theatrical the different shades of a region activities known as No Movies, caught between war performed in public at sites and tourism. of recent social or political Huis Marseille, until 9 Mar upheaval, such as the scene of a recent shooting or police WILLIAM KLEIN intervention. With a career spanning more de Appel arts centre, than 60 years, Klein’s work until 13 Apr had a tremendous influence FACELESS on photography in the second half of the 20th century. Subtitled ‘Seduction, SurveilFoam, until 12 Mar lance, Privacy’, this exhibition aims to explore the contempoCOBRA ART PRIZE 2013: rary trend of hiding, masking METAHAVEN or altering the face. Exhibition of work by Dutch Mediamatic Fabriek, design collective Metahaven, until 13 Apr winners of the fifth Cobra Art NINA YUEN Prize Amstelveen. The collective were awarded the honour Magic and nature, her father for their experimental, engagand teenage students, artist ing, interdisciplinary work. Joe Andoe and feminist author CoBrA Museum, until 16 Mar Simone de Beauvoir all play a role in Nina Yuen’s recent FONG LENG – work. See page 23. FASHION & ART de Appel arts centre, Extensive exhibition of work until 13 Apr by Dutch-Chinese fashion ETTY HILLESUM designer and artist Fong Leng, featuring works drawn from January 2014 marked the the museum’s collection along- centenary of the birth of Etty side exclusive pieces going on Hillesum, a Jewish victim of display for the first time. the atrocities of World War Amsterdam Museum, II who – just like Anne Frank until 16 Mar – recorded her experiences and thoughts in diary entries REMBRANDT–AUERBACH: and letters. This exhibition RAW TRUTH includes a selection of Etty’s Contemporary artists have exercise books (which she used long been inspired by the as her diaries), together with Rijksmuseum’s impressive photographs, intimate letters collection of works by Dutch and one of the last postcards Masters and none less so than she sent. acclaimed British post-war Hollandsche Schouwburg, artist Frank Auerbach. During until 25 Apr the Sixties, he became fasciREMBRANDT, OR NOT? nated by Rembrandt’s frank portrayals of reality and ease Art fans will probably have with which he struck the very gotten up close to the works core of his subjects. The six of Rembrandt in museums works displayed in this exhibiand galleries the world over. tion illustrate Auerbach’s take But how can anyone be sure on this approach. if it’s the real deal? This exRijksmuseum, until 16 Mar hibition uses 60 drawings by Rembrandt, his pupils and SCHÖNBERG & contemporaries to examine KANDINSKY. ARTISTIC how to recognise a genuine REVOLUTIONARIES Rembrandt. Exhibition illuminating the Rembrandt House Museum, pivotal relationship between until 27 Apr Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and Austrian composer BARBIE’S BIRTHDAY BASH Arnold Schönberg. Barbie was introduced to the Jewish Historical Museum, Netherlands in 1964 and the until 16 Mar Museum of Bags & Purses celebrates her golden jubilee

Choice exhibits

TRYPTICH IN MEMORY OF GEORGE DYER, 1971

UNTITLED (PROSTITUTE SERIES 1975-1971)

FRANCIS BACON: IN MEMORY OF GEORGE DYER De Nieuwe Kerek’s ‘Masterpieces’ series continues with Francis Bacon’s triptych, created in the early Seventies in memoriam of his partner of more than seven years. Dyer took his own life in 1971 in the Parisian hotel room he was sharing with Bacon, just two days before the retrospective of Bacon’s work at the Grand Palais. De Nieuwe Kerk, until 30 Mar

KAVEH GOLESTAN – THE CITADEL Exhibition featuring 45 vintage photographs of women pictured between 1975 and 1977 in the Citadel of Shahr-e No: the Red Light District of Tehran, the capital of Iran. Artist and photojournalist Golesten (1950-2003) was a leading Iranian documentary photographer and a pioneering force in the field of street photography. Foam, 21 Mar-4 May

with an exhibition devoted to ent frank visual dossiers of the doll’s quintessential fashthe period during and after ion choices. The exhibition South African Apartheid. The features 50 Barbie outfits from exhibition focuses on exam1960 to 2008, ranging from ining where photographers chic Parisian haute couture whose earlier work opposed and leisurewear to disco getthe Apartheid regime pointed up and bridal costumes. their cameras after 1980 and Museum of Bags & Purses, whether South African democuntil 4 May racy has ultimately been given a face. Featuring work by HEINEKEN’S AMSTERDAM David Goldblatt, Paul Alberts, Exhibition exploring how the Pieter Hugo, Santu Mofokeng famous founder of one of the and many others. world’s most successful beer Huis Marseille, until 8 June brands also played an important role in the development of 400 YEARS OF CHILDREN’S PORTRAITS the city. See page 64. Amsterdam City Archives, The Van Loon family has a until 11 May strong tradition of commissioning portraits of their TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT children running back nearly EXHIBITION four centuries, with works This spellbinding exhibition being produced by a hit-list devoted to the ‘unsinkable of renowned artists. Katinka ship’ takes visitors back in Lampe recently painted the time with authentic artefacts youngest generation of the from the doomed cruise liner family and upon a visit to Muthat sailed into history on a seum Van Loon, noticed the fateful night in April of 1912. similarity between her work Amsterdam Expo, and that of her predecessors. until 11 May As such, this exhibition brings all of the portraits of Van Loon FÉLIX VALLOTTON: FIRE children together for the first BENEATH THE ICE time, celebrating the various Exploring the work of Franstyles and sizes, ranging from co-Swiss artist Félix Vallotton miniature to monumental. (1865-1928), a leading figure Museum Van Loon, until in the Nabis (Prophets) move9 Jun ment. This circle of young, MARCEL WANDERS: avant-garde artists embarked PINNED UP on a new path whose highly decorative style was influenced The largest ever exhibition of by Gauguin and Japanese work by revered Dutch designprints. Around 60 of Valloter Marcel Wanders, acclaimed ton’s paintings – many on loan for his contemporary furniture, – are displayed alongside some interior designs and art direc40 prints from the Van Gogh tion. The museum becomes Museum’s collection to provide the first to cover the entire an overview of every facet of oeuvre of Wanders’ work with Vallotton’s oeuvre an exhibition featuring objects, Van Gogh Museum, photographs, design drawings, until 1 Jun prototypes, sculptural objects and virtual interiors. APARTHEID & AFTER Stedelijk Museum, Twelve photographers presuntil 15 Jun

BLACK & WHITE Using personal stories, photos, videos, contemporary art and historical documents, this exhibition aims to present a true picture of how black and white people live together and view each other in the Netherlands. The exhibition also reveals a monument to freedom, carrying the names of 11,000 freed slaves. Tropenmuseum, until 1 Jul JEFF WALL: TABLEAUX, PICTURES, PHOTOGRAPHS 1996-2013 Extraordinary selection of nearly 40 works delving into the oeuvre of Canadian photographer Jeff Wall, acclaimed for his light box-based work exploring themes such as male-female relationships and the boundary between metropolis and nature. Includes the previously-unseen 2013 diptych ‘Summer Afternoons’. See page 24. Stedelijk Museum, until 3 Aug THE GIJS+EMMY SPECTACLE Survey exhibition of fashion and jewellery created by renowned husband and wife design team Gijs Bakker and Emmy van Leersum between 1967 and 1972. As the Sixties drew to a close, Bakker and Van Leersum took the world of design by storm with their revolutionary avant-garde jewellery and clothing. Stedelijk Museum, until 24 Aug ALL THE CHILDREN HAVE DISAPPEARED Harrowing exhibition delving into the stories of nearly 1,300 Jewish children who were transported from the Herzogenbusch concentration camp to the Sobibor extermination camp on 6 & 7 June 1943. A major element of the exhibition is a wall of remembrance displaying the names of the 1,296 children, 160 of them accompanied by photographs. Dutch Resistance Museum, until 31 Aug THE DARK CHAPTER Family-oriented exhibition looking at the history of the slave trade from a maritime perspective, focusing on the dramatic story of a slave ship called the Leusden – a boat which sank without a trace in Suriname in 1738 with many slaves trapped on board. Het Scheepvaartmuseum, until 31 Aug EXPEDITION SILK ROAD Major new exhibition providing a glimpse into the long-lost civilisations that flourished along the legendary Silk Road – a 4,000 mile trading and cultural transmission route running through Asia. Subtitled ‘Treasures from the Hermitage’, the exhibition features 250 exceptional objects drawn from the museum’s collection including murals, Buddhas, precious silks, silver, glass, gold and terracotta. Hermitage Amsterdam, until 5 Sep

mar & apr 2014

EXHIBITIONS & MUSEUMS PAULIEN OLTHETEN & ANOUK KRUITHOF Two young artists present a fresh interpretation of (street) photography. Oltheton’s work reveals a distinct fascination for people on the street: in recording them going about their daily business, she uncovers meaning in the most mundane human routines. Kruithof uses her camera to access the outside world, drawing on her photographs to create sculptures, installations, pamphlets and books. Stedelijk Museum, 14 Mar-8 Jun TAIYO ONORATO & NICO KREBS Exhibition of works by the winners of the acclaimed Foam Paul Huf Award 2013, featuring a combination of photography, site-specific work and film. Since teaming up more than a decade ago, the duo have built up a solid reputation for their intelligent, ironic commentary on subjects including the history of photography and the role of the photographer. Foam, 21 Mar-11 May FOAM 3H: OLA LANKO – ALL YEAR ROUND New project taking an unconventional look at the notion of time. Ola Lanko presents a literal reflection of a year using 365 photographs, inviting the audience to experience the momentum of the passing of time in combination with the continuous, repetitive process of day turning to night and back to day. Foam, 21 Mar-14 May

tojournalism contest. Hailed as Company back in 1602. With the leading international forum much of its original interior for photojournalists, World intact, the museum collection Press Photo sets the standcomprises paintings, antique ard for a profession which, furnishings and objects d’art. as news-gathering budgets ONS’ LIEVE HEER OP dwindle towards crisis point, SOLDER (OUR LORD IN needs support more than ever. THE ATTIC) If previous recipients of the overall prize are anything to go This clandestine church in a by, then sobering depictions of 17th-century canal house attic the suffering caused by human dates back to the Reformation, conflict will continue to loom when Catholics were not perlarge in 2014. mitted to practice their faith 18 Apr-22 June, De Nieuwe in public. Today, it’s one of the Kerk city’s most unique attractions.

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS ANNE FRANK HOUSE Prinsengracht 263 is where Anne Frank lived in hiding with her family for more than two years during World War II. Now converted into a museum, it contains a sobering exhibition about the persecution of the Jews and persecution in a wider context. BODY WORLDS After captivating visitors the world over, the oft-controversial exhibition of human specimens including wholebody plastinates, organs and translucent body slices takes up permanent residence in central Amsterdam. Featuring an extensive selection of authentic human specimens, the emphasis of this exhibition is on the various aspects of life and love. Damrak 66, ongoing EYE FILM INSTITUTE Cinematography museum home to an internationally renowned collection of films covering the whole history of cinema, from the first silent movies to the latest contemporary productions.

RICHARD MOSSE – THE ENCLAVE First displayed at the Venice Biennale, this monumental multimedia installation is constructed of six large projections GEELVINCK HINLOPEN showing images of the civil war HOUSE in Congo. The images were shot using infrared film developed A decadent canal-side manespecially to detect camouflage, sion showcasing 17th-century resulting in a blistering, psypatrician wealth, located on chedelic jungle landscape. the Golden Bend of the grandFoam, 21 Mar-21 Jun est canal of all, the Herengracht. Highlights include ROMAN VISHNIAC ornamental gardens as well as (RE)DISCOVERED sumptuous themed salons. Extensive retrospective of HET GRACHTENHUIS work by Russian-American photographer Roman Vishniac, (MUSEUM OF THE CANALS) best known for his pre-war de- A tribute to the Canal District, pictions of East European Jews. with multimedia exhibitits The exhibition features recently showing how the engineering discovered prints, film images, marvel was built on swamppersonal correspondence and land during the 17th-century photos that have been develexpansion. oped for the first time using HORTUS BOTANICUS recently digitised negatives. Jewish Historical Museum, For nearly four centuries, Am4 Apr-24 Aug sterdam’s Hortus Botanicus has regaled visitors with its lush WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2014 greenhouses and exotic plants. Anyone who has come to doubt Originally founded in 1638 to the value and power of professerve as a herb garden for the sional news photography in city’s doctors and pharmacists, the age of the phone-wielding it’s one of the oldest botanical ‘citizen journalist’ should make gardens in the world. time for this eye-opener. The MUSEUM VAN LOON travelling World Press Photo exhibition was established 56 The Van Loons belonged to years ago and celebrates the the city’s governing elite, and winners and runners-up of the were among the founders of planet’s most prestigious phothe mighty Dutch East India

Square is one of three palaces still in use by the Dutch royal family. It is used for state visits, award ceremonies and other official receptions. When the palace is not being used by the royal family, it is open to the public. Visitors can explore the magnificent interior and discover the rich history of the building.

Kalverstraat 92 http://amsterdammuseum.nl Anne Frank House Prinsengracht 263-267 www.annefrank.org de Appel arts centre Prins Hendrikkade 142 www.deappel.nl Museum of Bags & Purses Herengracht 573 www.tassenmuseum.nl Biblical Museum STEDELIJK MUSEUM Herengracht 366-368 The museum’s permanent colwww.bijbelsmuseum.nl lection is now on display in the De Brakke Grond beautifully restored historical Nes 45 www.brakkegrond.nl Cobra Museum Sandbergplein 1 Amstelveen www.cobra-museum.nl Dutch Resistance Museum Plantage Kerklaan 61 www.verzetsmuseum.org EYE Film Institute IJpromenade 1 www.eyefilm.nl Foam Keizersgracht 609 http://foam.org Geelvinck Hinlopen House Keizersgracht 633 http://geelvinck.nl Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7 www.vangoghmuseum.nl Het Grachtenhuis (Museum of the Canals) THE DWARF EMPIRE, SANNE DE WILDE Herengracht 386 http://hetgrachtenhuis.nl THE DWARF EMPIRE Hermitage Amsterdam The first solo exhibition by Flemish photographer Sanne De Amstel 51 www.hermitage.nl Wilde examines life at ‘The Dwarf Empire’, an amusement Hollandse Schouwburg park in South China populated by some 100 people with Plantage Middenlaan 24 dwarfism who perform twice-daily shows for tourists. A www.hollandscheschouwburg.nl kind of human zoo, the park requires employees to be less Hortus Botanicus than 130cm tall. Dressed in pink tutus, they perform a slapPlantage Middenlaan 2a stick version of Swan Lake and other skits of dubious moral http://dehortus.nl taste. De Wilde’s images reveal a diffuse role-play and Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401 shows us how the photographer herself becomes part of an www.huismarseille.nl artificial reality. De Brakke Grond, until 14 Mar Imagine IC Frankemaheerd 2 REMBRANDTHUIS building, with fixed spots for www.imagineic.nl The house that Rembrandt highlights such as ‘The Beanery’ Jewish Historical Museum called home for nearly 20 years by Edward Kienholz and works Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1 boasts an impressive collection by Willem de Kooning and Andy www.jhm.nl of drawings and paintings by Warhol. Half of the ground floor Museum Van Loon the Old Master himself as well is reserved for the best pieces Keizersgracht 672 as by his contemporaries. The from the design collection. www.museumvanloon.nl Rembrandthuis is also home to Mediamatic Fabriek TROPENMUSEUM 290 of Rembrandt’s etchings VOC-kade 10 – a near complete collection – The ‘Museum of the Tropwww.mediamatic.net and an alternating selection is ics’ has eight geographically De Nieuwe Kerk on permanent display. themed permanent exhibiDam square tions and an ongoing series www.nieuwekerk.nl RIJKSMUSEUM of temporary presentations, Ons’ Lieve Heer Op Solder After a decade of unprecedentincluding both modern and (Our Lord in the Attic) ed renovation, the Rijksmusetraditional visual arts and Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40 um finally showed off its new photographic work. www.opsolder.nl (and old) look in April 2013. Rembrandthuis WILLET-HOLTHUYSEN Visit the state museum and Jodenbreestraat 4 MUSEUM embark on a journey through www.rembrandthuis.nl Dutch art and history from the The only completely period Rijksmuseum Middle Ages and Renaissance furnished canal-side house in Jan Luijkenstraat 1 right up until the 20th century. Amsterdam open daily to the www.rijksmuseum.nl public, with a remarkable colRoyal Palace HET SCHEEPVAART lection of Golden Age art and Dam square MUSEUM (NATIONAL silverware. www.paleisamsterdam.nl MARITIME MUSEUM) Het Scheepvaartmuseum ADDRESSES The National Maritime Mu(National Maritime Musuem) seum comprises a series of Allard Pierson Museum Kattenburgerplein 1 small exhibitions exploring Oude Turfmarkt 127 www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl various elements of maritime www.allardpiersonmuseum.nl Stedelijk Museum life through history. Moored Amsterdam City Archives Museumplein 10 outside is the Amsterdam, an Vijzelstraat 32 http://stedelijk.nl exact replica of a famous Dutch http://stadsarchief. Tropenmuseum East India Company ship. amsterdam.nl Linnaeusstraat 2 Amsterdam Expo www.tropenmuseum.nl ROYAL PALACE Gustav Mahlerlaan 24 Willet-Holthuysen Museum The Koninklijk Paleis (Royal www.amsterdamexpo.nl Herengracht 605 Palace) on Amsterdam’s Dam Amsterdam Museum www.willetholthuysen.nl

Choice exhibits

PART IV THE A-LIST

STAGE PERFORMANCE: OPERA: ARABELLA stand-up comics to the city. Each and Paul Lightfoot. There’s also CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – KOOZA show will include four or five a world premiere by associate Following on from Der Rosenkasets and be entirely in English. choreographer Johan Inger, fea- valier, Arabella was to become The latest Cirque du Soleil specMarch features Dan Gagnon, turing music by Philip Glass. tacular sees the world-famous the second Viennese comedy by Sun 30 & Mon 31 Mar, troupe return to its origins in a Bob Maclaren and Caroline ClifRichard Strauss and Hugo von COMEDY: EASYLAUGHS ford; in April it’s Isak Jansson Stadsschouwburg, 20.00, tribute to two enduring circus Hofmannsthal. It premiered in and Nigel Williams. €17.50-€32.50 This international comedy group traditions: acrobatics and clown1933, in the crisis years, when Fri 21 Mar & 11 Apr, Boom performs a hilarious, hi-octane, ing. See page 23. the rise of National Socialism THEATRE: HAIR Chicago, 22.30, €12-€15 completely improvised show Thur 13 Mar-Sun 27 Apr, P2 could no longer be checked, so The infamous ‘tribal love-rock despite all the humour, the opera at the CREA Café every Friday (Amsterdam ArenA), various PERFORMANCE: ASHTON musical’ returns to the Amster- is about a society in times of denight. There’s also an early-bird times and prices BROTHERS – TREASURES dam stage as part of an Engshow, guest performers from cline. In the title role, the famous OPERA: LUCIA DI Although perhaps not so well lish-language touring producaround the world, various forGerman soprano Annette Dasch LAMMERMOOR known internationally, this slap- tion. So let the sun shine in and mats and open podiums. is making her debut with De stick comedy troupe have been embrace the peace and love! Every Fri, Crea Café, 20.00 & Based on Walter Scott’s bestNederlandse Opera. responsible for a fantastic run Wed 2 Apr, Meervaart, 21.00, €5-€10 seller The Bride of Lammermoor, Fri 11 Apr-Fri 2 May, Dutch Na20.15, €34-€39 this opera’s romantic elements of of elaborate shows throughout tional Opera & Ballet, various COMEDY: BADABOOM times, €15-€150 PERFORMANCE: This new weekly event in the MIKE TYSON DANCE: ANNE FRANK smaller upstairs theatre is a Okay, it sounds unlikely, but this As a major theatrical production breeding ground for upcoming really is the former heavyweight Dutch and international comedy about Anne Frank opens in champion of the world taking talents (with a bit more emphaAmsterdam (but in Dutch), this to the stage to talk about his sis on performances in Dutch). alternative project utilises the life. Directed by Spike Lee, this Every Fri, Boom Chicago, international language of music show has been to Broadway and and dance. Spanish flamenco star 21.00, €15 is now working its way around Maria Juncal is the chief storyCOMEDY: SHOT OF IMPROV the world. The Undispited Truth teller, performing to a mix of one-man show sees Tyson talk Shot of Improv sees the entire Yiddish and gypsy folk music. about his personal life and expeBoom Chicago cast take to the Sat 12 Apr, Meervaart, riences away from the shocking stage, so the laughs are guar20.15, €20-€25 headlines everyone remembers. anteed to keep on comin’. ComOPERA: LA BOHÈME Fri 4 Apr, Royal Theatre Carré, pletely different each week, it 20.00, €55-€75 starts big and never slows down. Puccini’s populist La Bohème Every Sat, Boom Chicago, is one of the most performed DANCE: PROGRAMME IV 22.30, €14 operas around the world, still Nederlands Dans Theater prepresenting a musically glowing COMEDY: STAND-UP sents an evening with Hofesh take on bohemian life in Paris. COMEDY SHOW Shechter, one of Britain’s most This interpretation is by STIOP. celebrated artists. His work, A professional stand-up show, Tue 15 & Wed 16 Apr, Royal COMEDY CENTRAL PRESENTS: TOMMY TIERNAN with a young, urban feel to it, typically featuring four sets and Theatre Carré, 20.00, He’s one of Ireland’s biggest stand-ups of the moment, hits the audience directly. The lasting two hours. The guests €19-€45 programme includes Uprising vary from upcoming talents to playing to arena-sized audiences when not performing DANCE: DUTCH DOUBLES and In Your Rooms. well-known professionals, and on international TV shows. As such, his intimate appearThur 10-Sat 12 Apr, Royal Theshows can feature up to two inThe Dutch National Ballet is ance in Amsterdam is likely to draw in-the-know audiatre Carré, 20.00, €18-€42 ternational guests – but keep in bringing together four leading ences, so grab tickets while you can for an evening of mind that at least half the show choreographers working in the Tiernan’s distinct take on the ‘big issue’: sex, religion and COMEDY: GREG SHAPIRO will be in Dutch. Netherlands and four worldfamily. Fri 4 Apr, Boom Chicago, 22.30, €20 PRESENTS… Every Thur-Sun, Comedy Café, famous Dutch artists from other Renowned ‘American Nedervarious times & prices disciplines for four world prelander’ Greg Shapiro is back forbidden love, a ghost, madness the past decade. Their energetic mieres. See page 25. DANCE: FAIRYTALES combinations of acrobatics, on tour and this time around, and a murder send shivers down Wed 16 Apr-Wed 7 May, Dutch magic, music and general clown- he’s got comedic company from National Opera & Ballet, variIn a co-production with the the spine. See page 23. ing about is accessible to all ages Brendon Burns, a boisterous prestigious American Ballet Fri 14 Mar-Sun 6 Apr, Dutch ous times, €15-€48 and cultures. Australian who’s served his Theatre, the Dutch National National Opera & Ballet, variTHEATRE: HAMLET Fri 21 (20.00), Sat 22 (20.00) comic time in the UK. Ballet presents a brand-new inous times, €15-€150 VS HAMLET & Sun 23 Mar (14.00), Royal Thur 10 Apr, Meervaart, 20.30, terpretation of the fairy-tale balPERFORMANCE: SHEN YUN Theatre Carré, €17-€34 €11.50-€16.50 let Firebird, choreographed by Hamlet vs Hamlet digs into the Alexei Ratmansky. See page 22. Through the universal language THEATRE: DE STORM Sat 1-Sun 16 Mar, Dutch of music and dance, the Shen Yun Het Nationale Toneel, under the National Opera & Ballet, variPerforming Arts troupe weaves direction of Johan Doesburg, ous times, €15-€35 a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends and mod- brings its acclaimed interpretaCOMEDY: SUNDAY MATINEE ern heroic tales, taking you on a tion of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to Amsterdam. Comedy clubs typically aren’t journey through 5,000 years of very kid friendly, but Boom Chinese culture. These stunning Mon 24 Mar, Stadsschouwburg, 20.00, €17.50-€32.50 Chicago has changed all of that. performances are tied together The Amsterdam comedy troupe by a unique orchestra blending THEATRE: THE PELICAN recently expanded the borders of music from East and West. Toneelgroep Amsterdam brings its English-language hijinks to Tue 18-Thur 20 Mar, Dutch August Strindberg’s The Pelican include a Sunday Matinee series National Opera & Ballet, (De Pelikaan) to life. that’s appropriate for all ages. 20.00, €40-€150 Thur 27 Mar, StadsschouwSun 2 Mar, Boom Chicago, PERFORMANCE: burg, 20.30, €10.50-€32.50 15.00, €5-€35 DJ MOZ’ART PERFORMANCE: THE DANCE: BÉJART BALLET Following recent successful BEATLES STORY LAUSANNE crossover productions, dance Step back in time for a historic The majestic Swiss ballet company ISH continues its colmusical tribute to The Beatles. company, led by dance legend laboration with Vocaallab in DJ The performance is led by the Maurice Béjart, sweeps into Moz’ART. It’s set to be a fabulous DANTON’S DEATH Beatles Revival, a Czech tribute Amsterdam for a week of piroucelebration in which magical A dramatisation of the events leading to the beheading act that look and sound like the ettes and stardust. From 13 to 16 classical melodies are mashed of Georges Danton – one of the architects of the French original Liverpudlians. March, they’ll perform Ballet for up with DJ electronics, hip hop, Revolution – by his one-time friend Maximilien de RobeSat 29 Mar, Meervaart, Life, an ode to Freddie Mercury urban dance and ballet. 20.15, €15-€25 that ventures from the music of Fri 21 Mar, Muziekgebouw aan spierre. Once friends in the fight for common ideals, Queen to Mozart, with fashion ’t IJ, 20.15, €27.50 Danton and Robespierre spiralled into a relationship of DANCE: PROGRAMME B by Versace. On 19 & 20 March suspicion and disagreements. What will one man do to COMEDY: AMSTERDAM NDT 2 concludes its season it’s Light & Boléro, an homage to reach his goal? Much of the play is lifted from historical ENGLISH COMEDY NIGHTS with Postscript, a pas-de-trois Ravel’s Bolero. documents and touches on themes of responsibility, revThur 13-Thur 20 March, This monthly feature presented and two duets full of innovative olution and power. Thur 27 Mar & 10 Apr, Stadsschouwpartner work, written by resiRoyal Theatre Carré, various by the Boom Chicago crew burg, 20.00, €20-€32.50 dent choreographers Sol León times, €25-€84 brings the best international

THEATRE, DANCE & COMEDY

Highlight comedy

JAN VERSWEYVELD

Highlight theatre

mar & apr 2014

STAGE psyche of the adolescent mind of one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters. See page 25. Thur 17 & 24 Apr, Stadsschouwburg, 20.00, €20-€32.50 PERFORMANCE: RIVERDANCE Twenty years after its global breakthrough and some five years since its fancy footwork graced the Amsterdam stage, the original Riverdance is back. It transforms traditional Irish step dancing into a massive music and dance production, where the high kicks and little flicks

FILM FAVOURITES THEATRE: HAMLET To mark the 450th anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre is hitting the road for a two-year tour that will see them perform Hamlet in every country around the world. See page 25. Tue 29 & Wed 30 Apr, Stadsschouwburg, 20.30, €10-€37.50 ADDRESSES Boom Chicago Rozentheater, Rozengracht 117 020 423 0101 www.boomchicago.nl

Highlight dance

AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS When his wife (Rooney Mara) shoots a cop (Ben Foster), a local bank robber (Casey Affleck) takes the blame – and the jail time. But will she be waiting for him when he gets out? Impressive, otherworldly drama about love and loss. Direction: David Lowery Release: 6 March

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL The characters in Wes Anderson’s movies seem to live in another reality that’s just slightly out of synch with – and definitely more colourful than – our own. In this, his latest offering, Ralph Fiennes is Gustave H, a legendary concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel. Direction: Wes Anderson Release: 13 March

PEARL Rotterdam’s sublime Scapino Ballet returns to Amsterdam to showcase a suitably baroque repertoire. As well as the flowing, technical dance performances and dazzling dresses, the score is performed live by the Combattimento Consort and includes some lesser-known baroque selections alongside some magnificent Vivaldi. Thur 17 Apr, Stadsschouwburg, 20.30, €13.50-€37.50 are amplified through the synchronicity of the large cast. Fri 18-Sun 20 Apr, Heineken Music Hall, 20.00, €49-€65 PERFORMANCE: SHANGHAI NIGHTS The Chinese National Circus returns to the Netherlands to perform a show inspired by the past and future of Shanghai. As you would expect from such a renowned performance troupe, the costumes will be colourful and the action precise and dazzling. Some 50 artists will be juggling, tumbling, climbing and balancing in a show that captures the essence of Eastern mysticism. Fri 18-Sun 20 Apr, RAI Theater, various times, €47.50-€59.50 DANCE: ZERO Nanine Linning’s Zero is an exciting multidisciplinary experience that combines dance, film and music to tell a story about the last hours before the end of the world. Linning and her ten dancers fantasise about this intriguing concept to music by Julia Wolf, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass. These forceful sounds and movements are supported by video from Roger Muskee. Tue 22 & Wed 23 Apr, Stadsschouwburg, 20.30, €17.50-€37.50

Comedy Café Max Euweplein 43-45 020 638 3971 www.comedycafe.nl Crea Café Nieuwe Achtergracht 170 020 5251 400 www.crea.uva.nl Dutch National Opera & Ballet Amstel 3, 020 625 5455 www.operaballet.nl Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard 590 0900 687 4242 www.heineken-music-hall.nl Meervaart Meer en Vaart 300 020 410 7777 www.meervaart.nl Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ Piet Heinkade 1 020 788 2000 www.muziekgebouw.nl P2 (Amsterdam ArenA) ArenA Boulevard 020 311 1333 www.amsterdamarena.nl RAI Theater Europaplein 020 549 1212 www.raitheater.nl Royal Theatre Carré Amstel 115 0900 252 5255 http://carre.nl Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 020 624 2311 www.stadsschouwburgamsterdam.nl

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Obnoxious or loathsome movie characters aren’t uncommon, but Violet Weston (nominated Meryl Streep), the cantankerous materfamilias of a miserable Oklahoma family, is a whole different kind of beast. You don’t just loathe her, you’d like to bash her head in with a skillet. You’ll have to wait in line, though. Direction: John Wells Release: 20 March

OSCAR WEEKEND AT PATHÉ DE MUNT Getting ready for the Oscars? Pathé de Munt is screening all the big Oscar contenders, back-to-back, on the big screen. €25 will get you a day pass and unlimited entrance. 1 & 2 March, Pathé de Munt, Vijzelstraat 15

KILL YOUR DARLINGS Daniel Radcliffe has swapped Hogwarts for Columbia University for this biopic of legendary poet Allen Ginsberg and his fateful meeting with fellow student Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). Also with Ben Foster (as William Burroughs) and Jack Huston (as Jack Kerouac). Direction: John Krokidas Release: 27 March

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Fame and privacy usually don’t get along. Still, Charles Dickens very nearly managed to keep his secret mistress, Nelly Ternan, a secret. Almost. Director Ralph Fiennes – who stars as Dickens – eschews big dramatics, and instead gives us a subtle and layered historical romance. Direction: Ralph Fiennes Release: 27 March

IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL For now, we’ll have to use our own imaginations for the 30th edition of Imagine – a celebration of the fantastic film genre. At the time of writing only the festival opener was known: The Wind Rises, the latest animated film by Hiyao Miyazaki. So keep your eyes peeled, and your mind open.

9-19 April, EYE Film Institute, IJpromenade 1, www.imaginefilmfestival.nl

LE WEEK-END Films by director Roger Michell always seem to end one of two ways: either hurtful (Enduring Love) or hopeful (Notting Hill). A Weekend in Paris, though occasionally thorny, belongs to the latter camp. An aged married couple (Lindsay Duncan and Jim Broadbent) try to jumpstart their marriage. Penned by Hanif Kureishi. Direction: Roger Michell Release: 17 April

RUN & JUMP A humourless brain researcher (Nebraska’s Will Forte) moves in with the family of a stroke victim, but quickly gets deeply entangled in their personal family tragedy. Strong feature film debut by female director Steph Green. Direction: Steph Green Release: 17 April

GOLDEN OLDIES In the mood for something different? Both Rialto and EYE have some nice golden oldies on offer. Rialto is screening the Billy Wilder classic Sunset Boulevard, while EYE honours Charlie Chaplin with The Kid and Modern Times.

Rialto, Ceintuurbaan 338, rialtofilm.nl & EYE Film Institute, IJpromenade 1, www.eyefilm.nl

PART IV THE A-LIST

KIDS & FAMILY AMSTERDAM DUNGEON Brings 500 years of history to life with 11 shows, seven actors and one terrifying experience. Rokin 78, www.thedungeons. com. Open daily 11.00-17.00; €21, ages 5-17 €12.50

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM Boasts a variety of exhibitions designed just for kids. Moored just outside the museum, the Dutch East India Company ship Amsterdam is a big hit. Kattenburgerplein 1, www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl. Open daily 09.00-17.00; €15, ages 5-17 €7.50

AMSTERDAM FOREST Amsterdam’s largest park and recreational area is home to a goat farm (with a petting zoo), a Pancake House, a ‘FunForest’ climbing park, a vintage tram, a botanical garden and a rowing lake. Bicycle, canoe, kayak and pedal boat rental available. www.amsterdamsebos.nl

SCIENCE CENTER NEMO Introduces young and old to the world of science and technology. Five floors are filled with exhibitions, theatre and more. Hear, feel and see how the world works: everything is interactive. Oosterdok 2, www.e-nemo.nl. Open daily 10.00-17.00; €13.50

ANNE FRANK HOUSE This is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her diary during World War II. Prinsengracht 267, www.anne frank.org. Open Mon-Fri, Sun 09.00-19.00, Sat 09.00-21.00; €9, ages 10-17 €4.50

TROPENMUSEUM JUNIOR Focused on non-Western cultures, the interactive exhibits here introduce children to new cultures in a playful way that sparks their curiosity. Linnaeusstraat 2, www.tro penmuseum.nl. Open Tue-Sun 10.00-17.00; various prices

advertorial

Highlight Artis ARTIS. RONALD VAN WEEREN

ATTRACTIONS

ARTIS ROYAL ZOO Welcome to Artis Royal Zoo, located right in the centre of Amsterdam. It is a place where nature and cultural heritage come together; a place where stories have existed since 1838 and where new stories are created daily. Experience them for yourself. Admire the tropical fish in the Aquarium – one of the many historical monuments at the Zoo. Travel through time in the Planetarium. Enjoy the giraffes. See them gallop amongst the zebra, springbok and oryx. Walk through the historical Bird House and study the numerous species of free-flying birds. Surround yourself by hundreds of fluttering butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion. Stroll through the historical park, full of flowers. From early April, Artis is going to be the most colourful place in the whole of Amsterdam. The flowers will be blooming until late into the autumn and it’s going to be a riot of colour more vibrant than all our parrots and toucans put together. Every flower, every tree, every animal, every building and exhibit tells its own story – everyday anew. Together they tell the big story of nature and her meaning to society. A greater understanding of nature leads to greater respect for all living things. The Zoo’s greater story is a story about ourselves.

KINDERKOOKKAFE TUNFUN At the ‘Kids Cook Café’, children (ages five to 12) do absolutely TunFun is an indoor paradise for everything to help run the reschildren under 12. Under adult taurant, including cooking, serv- supervision, kids can enjoy hours ing, bar-tending and tidying up. of active, creative and advenVondelpark 6B, www.kinder turous fun in a huge 4,000m2 kookkafe.nl. Open daily 10.00indoor playground. 17.00; various prices Mr Visserplein 7, www.tunfun. nl. Open daily 10.00-18.00; SOUND GARDEN adults free, ages 1-12 €8.50 Children between seven and 12 VERZETSMUSEUM JUNIOR learn how to compose music using all sorts of sound installa- The Dutch Resistance Museum tions and computers during this details the history of the Dutch interactive workshop. resistance in World War II durMuziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Piet ing the country’s occupation by Heinkade 1, www.muziekge Germany. The museum’s dedicatbouw.nl. Wed & Sun, 15.00ed Junior building shows young 16.30; €8.50 visitors (ages nine-14) how four EXPERIENCE ARTIS ROYAL ZOO peers lived during wartime. Discover its stories. Artis is open to the public every day, MADAME TUSSAUDS Verzetsmuseum, www.verzets but on Saturdays and Sundays at 12.15pm it’s possible to AMSTERDAM museum.org. Open Mon, Sat & participate in an English guided tour. Come listen to the The collection of wax figures Sun 11.00-17.00; Tue-Fri 10.00many stories of the oldest and most famous zoo in the includes plenty of pop-culture 17.00. Adults €8, ages 7-15 €4.50, Netherlands. From Friday 18-Monday 21 April, don’t miss heroes: pose for photos with the under-sixs free likes of David Beckham, Justin Just Hatched. Kids can hold a newly-hatched chick and WOESTE WESTEN Bieber and Beyoncé. feel how soft and delicate it is. PLAYGROUND Dam 20, www.madame tussauds.nl. Open daily 10.00Kids can dig, climb, play in the 18.30; €22, ages 5-15 €17 sand, explore and check out the HET NEDERLANDS FAIRGROUND frogs and bugs that call the park MIRANDABAD POOL MARIONETTENTHEATER home. Most days a supervisor is Whether you’re one for being Subtropical swimming pool present, meaning kids can play A charming marionette theatre flung around high above the city, complex with a beach, palm freely while parents kick back. with performances for children racing around in the dodgems, trees, several indoor and outdoor Westerpark, www.woestewesten. aged four to ten (sometimes to being spooked in the haunted pools and wave machines. nl. Playground supervisor is 12). Puppets bring magical tales house or simply sightseeing from De Mirandalaan 9, www. present Mon & Tue 12.00-18.00, like Rumpelstiltskin, Pinocchio the top of a Ferris wheel, the fairmirandabad.nl. Various times Wed-Sun 11.00-18.00 and The Magic Violin to life. ground is guaranteed great fun. & prices Productions are in Dutch but the 7-16 Mar, Westerpark; 21-30 Mar, music and visuals ensure that Osdorp park; 4-13 Apr, AmsterDISCOVERY CORNER EVENTS language is no barrier. damse Bos; 17 Apr-1 May, Dam Kids can choose from more than Every Sat & Sun, Jacob Obrechtsquare, www.iamsterdam.com SCHIPHOL BEHIND 30 experiments including how straat 28, www.nederlands marTHE SCENES CASTLE IN THE AIR to develop photos in a darkroom, ionettentheater.nl. make crisps from a potato, conIn the ‘behind the scenes’ bus 14.00, €7.50 This Opera-comique tells the struct a sailing boat and make tour, discover what it takes to story of Jeannot and Jeannette, SUNDAY MARKET scented soap. For ages four to 14. make all those planes fly and two beautifully detailed marBurgemeester Röellstraat 145, explore parts of the airport you A great day out for the whole ionettes on their way to Paris. www.ontdekhoek.nl. Open Wed- normally wouldn’t see. A Combi family! Artists, designers and They earn money through song Sun 10.00-17.00 (Tue & Thur by Deal (two hours) includes the craftspeople flog their wares and and dance, until one day Jeannot appt only); €8, children €10 tour, plus children can decorate delicious food and drink is on of- buys a lottery ticket – and wins. their own pancake and make fer to fuel your shopping frenzy. Jacques Offenbach wrote Castle PANCAKE BOAT their own ice cream for dessert. There’s always some entertainin the Air (Le 66!) in 1856, yet A cosy boat, all-you-can-eat panParents are treated to a hamment or crafty workshop on and the theme of money and how cakes and a view of Amsterdam’s burger or cheeseburger. plenty of kids’ clothing and toy it can change people, is just as canals make the Pancake Boat a Every Wed-Sun, Amsterdam stalls to browse through. relevant today. great activity for all ages. Airport Schiphol Terminal 1, Sun 1 Mar & 6 Apr, WestergasSun 9 & Sun 16 Mar, AmsterMs van Riemsdijkweg t/o 38, www.schipholbehindthescenes. fabriek, Haarlemmerweg, dam Marionette Theatre, www. www.pannenkoekenboot.nl. nl. 11.00, 12.30, 14.30 & 16.00; www.sundaymarket.nl. marionettentheater.nl. 15.00, Various times & prices €22.50, children €12.50 12.00-18.00, free €15, under-14s €6

EASTER On Easter Sunday, local petting zoos in Amsterdam often host special parties with an egg hunt, egg decorating, festive treats and fun activities. Around Easter, farms in the Amsterdam area also hold ‘lamb days’, where kids can cuddle and feed new-born lambs. Artis Royal Zoo always has a fun line-up of activities scheduled during the Easter holiday, including special (educational) egg hunts taking place between 14 and 21 April. For family-friendly brunches or dinners during Easter weekend, the Hard Rock Cafe has kids’ activities on Easter Sunday, including face painting. On Sunday and Monday, the Pannenkoekenboot (Pancake Boat) will host brunch and Easter cruises including allyou-can-eat pancakes. 19 & 20 Apr, various locations THE MAGIC FLUTE AMozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) blends poetic and comic elements in this enchanting tale of love, courage and virtue. Mon 21 & Sun 27 Apr, Amsterdam Marionette Theatre, www. marionettentheater.nl. Various times & prices KING’S DAY – BREDEWEG FESTIVAL Characterised by a family-friendly vibe, this bustling street festival features a street market, fair, theatre performances and concerts. It typically all gets started on King’s Night with some street opera. Then on King’s Day itself, there’s live music of all styles, great food and lots of family fun including rides, storytellers, face painters, craft workshops and performance artists. 25 & 26 Apr, District of Oost, www.bredewegfestival.nl KING’S DAY – VONDELPARK The first stop for families on King’s Day has to be the Vondelpark. Every year, Amsterdam’s largest park is reserved for the littlest people who have the chance to sell the toys they’ve outgrown and clothes they’ve cast off over the year. Many youngsters also become buskers for the day, bringing the already vibrant Vondelpark into song. And you can rest assured that the proceeds go back into the business of being a kid! 26 Apr, Vondelpark, www.iamsterdam.com KING’S DAY – CITYWIDE ACTIVITIES A whole host of children’s activities are organised across the city including face-painting, games and sports events. In addition to the Vondelpark, the areas traditionally designated as kid-friendly on King’s Day are: Amstelpark, Amstelveld, Amsterdamse Poort shopping centre, Buikslotermeerplein, Dapperplein, Frederiksplein, IJplein and surrounding area, Leliegracht (‘even’ side of the street), Park Frankendael, Plein 40-45, Sarphatipark and Stadspark Osdorp. 26 Apr, across Amsterdam, www. iamsterdam.com

mar & apr 2014

SPORTS AJAX V FC TWENTE doubles the number of teams from the province of Friesland After winning the league title in the Eredivisie to two. in 2010/’11, a year later Twente FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE Sun 9 Mar, Amsterdam (aka the Tukkers) faced Ajax ArenA, ArenA Boulevard, www. in a final match of the season Get your skates on for the amsterdamarena.nl. 16.30, weekly Friday Night Skate, an showdown for the title. Ajax various prices institution in Amsterdam! Detriumphed and took home parting from the Vondelpark, the title (as they did in the FRIDAY NIGHT RUN the skating routes take in all subsequent year, and the year Organised by the Phanos athareas of the city, allowing you after that). letics association every second to skate in places where you Sun 30 Mar, Amsterdam Friday of the month, this free ArenA, ArenA Boulevard, www. wouldn’t on your own. group running event is open to Every Friday, departs Vonamsterdamarena.nl. 14.30, delpark Pavilion, www.friday both recreational and more sevarious prices rious sportsters. Beginners can nightskate.com. 20.30, free NESCIOLOOP join in the 40-minute run at a KPN NK ALLROUND slower tempo and there’s also The next instalment of the & SPRINT the standard one-hour run. Rondje Mokum (Amsterdam Fri 14 Mar & 11 Apr, OlymThe Dutch Championship Circuit) takes running enthupic Stadium, www.friday speed skating event will see the siasts to Amsterdam Oost/ nightrun.nl. 19.30, free cream of the Dutch crop deIJburg for a challenging 15km scend on Amsterdam to battle course. Starting and finishing BRETTENLOOP it out over a range of distances at the AV’23 athletics club This will be the fifth edition at the specially constructed ice grounds, the event includes of this running competition rink at the Olympic Stadium. two passings over the Nescioorganised in and around De Sat 1&Sun 2 Mar, Olympic brug and trails through the Bretten nature reserve in Stadium, www.olympisch charming Diemerpark. If Amsterdam West. Starting stadion.nl. Various times 15kms seems like a bit of a and finishing at the Westergas& prices stretch, you can also take on fabriek, choose from 5km and the 7.5km version: half the STAND UP PADDLING TOUR 10km courses or go for broke distance but certainly not half with the half marathon! Kids There’s no messing around the fun! can also get involved with the lying on your board with this Sun 6 Apr, AV’23, Radioweg 1.2km sponsored children’s water sport: you start on your 89, www.nescioloop.nl. Various run, raising money for a good feet and (hopefully!) stay times & prices cause in the process. that way. Stand up paddling ROKJESDAGLOOP Sun 23 Mar, Westergasfabriek, – unsurprisingly – involves www.aacamsterdam.nl. paddling while on a large surf The late Dutch author and Various times & prices board, and what better place to columnist Martin Bril prodo that in Amsterdam than on vided the inspiration for this SOCIAL SQUASH NITE the city’s famous canals! annual running event when he Squash City host a Social Sun 2 Mar, departs Amstercoined the term rokjesdag (litSquash Nite every last Friday dam RAI, Europaplein, www. erally ‘short dress day’) for the of the month: an evening of hiswarai.nl/suptocht. 11.00, first day of the year on which squash and socialising open to free (limited places; registrawomen switch en masse from all! Meet new faces, work up tion required) winter to summer clothes. An a sweat on the court and cool ode to the beginning of spring, MOKUMSE VROUWENLOOP down with a drink at the bar the event now invites female after the action. No registraHelping celebrate Internarunners to take on a 5 or 10km tion needed, just turn up on tional Women’s Day on the course while there’s also a 1km the night. preceding day, this all-lady run for youngsters. running event features 2.5km, Fri 28 Mar & 25 Apr, Squash Sun 6 Apr, Amsterdam Science City, Ketelmakerstraat 6, 5km and 7.5km courses as well Park/Flevopark, www.rokjes www.squashcity.com. 18.00, as a mother-daughter warmdagloop.nl. Various times €12.50 ( free for members) up circuit of the athletics track. & prices Running or walking (or someFRIDAY NIGHT RUN AMSTERDAM DIVING CUP where in between) around NIEUW-WEST the Sloterplas in Amsterdam Watch the world’s best divers The District of Nieuw-West gets Nieuw-West is welcomed, make a splash at the 19th in on the running action with making the event perfect for edition of this international their very own Friday Night those just starting out on their diving tournament. Run organised by the AAC running career. Thur 10-Sun 13 Apr, Sloterathletics association every last Sun 9 Mar, Sportpark parkbad, www.amsterdamdiv Ookmeer, Willinklaan 7, www. Friday of the month. The route ingcup.nl. Times & prices TBA varies each week and there are aacamsterdam.nl. Various AJAX V ADO DEN HAAG two groups to join: one departtimes & prices ing for a 30-minute run and Feyenoord isn’t the only club LOUIS VINKLOOP another that takes on the more that loves to win against Ajax challenging one-hour variant. Organised by the AV Atos Amsterdam: there’s also a Fri 28 Mar & 25 Apr, Sportathletics association, the strong element of rivalry Louis Vinkloop in Amsterdam- park Ookmeer, Willinklaan 7, between Ajax and ADO Den www.aacamsterdam.nl. Noord is the second event in Haag, and this is one of the 19.30, free the Rondje Mokum (Amstermatches of the season for this dam Circuit) programme of team from The Hague. ELECTRIC RUN running competitions. AlongSun 13 Apr, Amsterdam As part of their 15th birthday ArenA, ArenA Boulevard, www. side the professional 10km event, there’s also a 5km and celebrations, Dutch TV station amsterdamarena.nl. 12.30, Net5 invites you to take on a 10km event for recreational various prices 5km evening running course runners, all weaving their way NATIONAL SPORTS WEEK through urban and countryside through an electric wonderland packed with music and areas of the northern district Held annually in April, of Amsterdam. And for young- mesmerising light shows. Grab National Sports Week sees er runners aged between seven your most colourful, lumineshundreds of sports clubs, cent, illuminated and extraterand 12, there’s a special businesses and organisations restrial outfit before running, 1km event. encourage you to get a sweat Sun 9 Mar, AV Atos, Sportpark dancing or skipping your way going by hosting special touraround the course and celeElzenhagen, www.louisvink naments, introductory clinics loop.nl. Various times & prices. brating your sporting success and demonstrations. at the afterparty. From Sat 19 Apr, various AJAX V SC CAMBUUR Sat 29 Mar, NDSM-werf, locations, www.nationale www.electricrun.nl. 18.00, A new arrival to the top Dutch sportweek.nl. Various price TBA division this year, SC Cambuur times, free

EVENTS

LOCATIONS

WG Plein 281, www.ski-inn.nl. Various times & prices

SLOTEN GOLF COURSE KLIMHAL AMSTERDAM This nine-hole golf course on The perfect place for the beginner and the advanced climber. the outskirts of Amsterdam features both wooded and water Its main wall is 21 metres high, with a climbing surface of more areas. Head on to the fairway or practice your swing at the than 2,300m2 and a boulderdriving range. ing area of 250m2. Sloterweg 1045, www.golf Naritaweg 48, www.klim baansloten.nl. Open Mon-Fri halamsterdam.nl. Various 08.30-18.00, various prices times & prices

Highlight sports

HEAD OF THE RIVER AMSTEL Rowing regattas are always exciting affairs, but as the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in England proves, nothing quite captures the sporting public’s imagination quite like when rowers leave behind their dedicated track venues and take to unpredictable river waters. Whether you’re competing, watching from the banks in the city or following the action from start to finish by biking with the rowers, it’s a remarkable river spectacle! Sat 22 & Sun 23 Mar, River Amstel, Amsterdam (to Ouderkerk), www.head oftheriver.nl. Time TBA, free to watch DE KLIMMUUR Rock climbing in the centre of Amsterdam. Enjoy a fun and safe event for beginners, or a more challenging climb for experienced rock hoppers. Various courses are available. Dijksgracht 2, www.deklim muur.nl. Various times & prices KNIJN BOWLING Ten-pin bowling for everyone: suitable for family events, 50+, beginners or competitive players. One of its most popular occasions is Disco Bowling – every Friday and Saturday night from 23.00 to 00.30. Scheldeplein 3, www.knijn bowling.nl. Various times & prices

WELLNESS THE CITY STREET SPA British expat Chantal Naughton’s powder blue boutique spa is a favourite with the city’s Canal Belt clique. Prinsengracht 764, http://thecitystreetspa.com KOAN FLOAT Leave the real world behind as you experience the tranquillity of a floatation tank or a wide variety of massage sessions. Herengracht 321, www.koan float.nl. Various times & prices THE ORIGINAL DR FISH The feeling of fish nibbling at your hands and feet may feel a little strange at first, but you’ll soon discover just how relaxing it is. They also offer facials, body massages and manicures. Van Baerlestraat 45, www. the original-drfish.nl. Various times & prices

LASERCITY AMSTERDAM Less painful than paintballing, but certainly no less fun, the laser gaming adventures on offer here are perfect for large and small group outings. The 600m2 playing area is also the biggest laser gaming centre in SPA ZUIVER the region. VOC-kade 14, www.laser Completely unwind and enjoy gamenamsterdam.nl. Various the comfortable surroundings times & prices and luxurious treatments of Spa Zuiver. With facilities including SKI INN AMSTERDAM saunas, baths, hammam treatWhether you’re looking to warm ments, relaxation chambers, up for a winter vacation or just sports, swimming pool and curious to try your hand at a dining and hotel options, it’s spot of skiing or snowboarding, perfect for anyone looking to you can do just that in the heart relax and recharge. Please note: of Amsterdam. The indoor clothing is not obligatory. rolling slopes of the Ski Inn are Koenenkade 8, www.spazuiver. adaptable for all skill levels. nl. Various times & prices

PART IV THE A-LIST

GAY & LESBIAN dark, while enjoying a screenberjack party and of course Sat 26 Apr, around town, variing of the gems of gay cinema. a Mister Bear Netherlands ous times & prices Whether it’s the latest film by election are just some of the Pedro Almodovar, Gregg Araki NAKED SWIMMING or John Cameron Mitchell, work from an upcoming direcThe Marnixbad pools contain tor or a classic gay film, you’re much less chlorine than most – sure to catch the best LGBT which is good news since you’ll movies in great company. be exposing your sensitive bits. You’ll be welcomed half an Every Tue, Marnixbad, 21.00, GAY PUB CRAWL hour before the screening with various prices Does exactly what it says in the a drink and after the film, you TUESDAY BLUESDAY tin, taking in ‘Gay Street’s fincan enjoy two drinks for the est drinking establishments. price of one at Taboo bar. Plus, Sameplace café hosts a club Every Sat, departs Taboo, every month, you’re eligible to night with a special focus on 20.00 win a DVD package. blues, soul and contemporary Wed 5 Mar & 2 Apr, Pathé de music. While there’s no IT’S SHOWTIME FOLKS Munt, 21.00, €10 entrance fee, you are asked to It’s show time almost every spend at least €10 at the bar CATACOMBE night at Lellebel, the most when you’re a single man, or outrageous drag show bar in A mixed party where all lifethe same amount if you’re town, but Saturdays are espestyles are welcome – whether a couple. cially fabulous, with the bar’s straight, gay or bi, as long as Every Tue, Same Place, 21.00 most glamorous stars coming the mind is open and kinky. DRINK & COCKTAIL together for a supernova of Dress code: fetish, leather, EVENING cabaret fun. latex, metal, uniform, rubber. SYMPHONICA Every Sat, Lellebel, 20.00 Apply for tickets by the webEvery Thursday, enjoy a site: www.catacombe.nl. mouth-watering cocktail at Hostess with the mostess Coco Coquette presents a BUBBLES & BITES Sat 8 Mar, Church, 22.00, drag show bar Lellebel on the sparkling, light-hearted drag cabaret in Amsterdam’s Free bites from 17.00-1900; price TBA corner of Rembrabdtplein. pre-eminent live sex theatre – the cleanest fun it’s cheap bubbles – just €2.50 Relax in the pleasant company probably seen in years. The ladies of Chicks With Dicks NETHERBEARS AT THE – all night. of your hostesses Miss Saphira, have been in business since 1993, presenting sparkling QUEEN’S HEAD Every Sun, Prik, 16.00 Electra Shock, May Butterstage shows full of glitz and glamour, live singing (with Bi-weekly get-together by cream and Ginger G-Spot. Get DOUBLE HAPPY HOUR their own lyrics), cabaret skits and more. Performers Netherbears, the slightly less a taste of Sugi’s Mojito, May’s Because why wouldn’t you stocky bear men (according to Mango or Electra’s Sunrise… include Desiree dello Stiletto, Mizz Mopsie, Rose Murwant to start the working week their website). And yes, those are phy and Victoria False.Sun 2 Mar, Casa Rosso, 16.00, with a hangover? Line up for Sun 9 & 23 Mar, 13 & 27 Apr, cocktails, cheeky. €15 incl. drinks bargain-priced cocktails The Queen’s Head, www. Every Thur, Lellebel, 20.00 and shots. netherbears.nl, 19.00 ADDRESSES BLUE Every Sun, Taboo, 18.00 highlights. PINK FILM DAYS Amstel Fifty Four Thur 20-Sun 23 Mar, various Kooky clubbing with AmsterLADY GALORE’S Amstel 54 Catch the 17th edition of the locations, www.amsterdam dam’s drag supremo Jennifer DRAG NIGHT www.amstelfiftyfour.nl Pink Film Days (Roze Filmdabearpride.com. Various times Hopelezz. Drinks are €2.50. Casa Rosso Come and join Lady Galore gen), Amsterdam’s biggest gay & prices Every Thur, Church, 22.00, €5 Oudezijds Achterburgwal 106 and her wonderful assistant and lesbian film festival. Don’t LGBTQ OOSTERPART & THE PONY CLUB www.casarosso.nl Annie Alcohol along with miss I Am Divine, a touching LGBTQ CAFE Church some guest performers and outrageous documentary If you want to quit horsing Kerkstraat 52 and surprises. about ‘trash’ director John WaLow-key neighbourhood around and get serious about www.clubchurch.nl Every Sun, Amstel Fifty Four, ters’ muse, drag queen Divine drinks in the east of the city. starting the weekend on Eden Amsterdam 20.00 (aka Harris Glenn Milstead). Fri 28 Mar & 25 Apr, Eden Thursday (and who doesn’t?), Manor Hotel Thur 13-Sat 23 Mar, various Amsterdam Manor Hotel, you couldn’t ask for a better SUNDAY CAROUSEL Linnaeusstraat 89 locations, www.rozefilmdagen. 21.00, free place than The Pony Club. www.lgbtqoosterpark. Be transported to exotic climes nl. Various times & prices Three floors of DJs spin an EUROVISION IN CONCERT blogspot.com with Arabian and Turkish energetic mix of pop, disco, GARBO FOR WOMEN Engel van Amsterdam music courtesy of old and new New entries for this year’s house and electro alongside Zeedijk 21 Single ladies strut their stuff Eurovision Songcontest, perperformances to lift your spir- divas from Lellebel, with Miss www.engelamsterdam.nl Rini leading the charge. at this regular ladies-only formed live on stage. its. Arrive before midnight and Lellebel Every Sun, Lellebel, 22.00 meet-up, celebrating its ninth Sat 5 Apr, Melkweg, 19.30, get in for free. Utrechtsestraat 4 anniversary in 2014. €30.10 Every Thur, Club NYX, 23.00, www.lellebel.nl Sat 15 Mar & 19 Apr, Strand €5, free before midnight WASTELAND West, 18.00, €8 Marnixbad THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY Leave your inhibitions at home Marnixplein 1 ONE-OFF EVENTS FUNHOUSE for Europe’s most notorious www.hetmarnix.nl Celebrate the weekend with We’re promised guest DJs GSP, straight /gay mixed fetish fanClub NYX tunes, nibbles and drinks. MISTER B PLAYGROUNDS Be-Rik, Roman da Mirz and tasy extravaganza. Welcomes Reguliersdwarsstraat 42 After a week of hard work, ManMachine, hot gogo fetishionistas from all over the http://clubnyx.nl unwind with a drink, some Leather stalwart Mister B dancers, great visuals and globe since 1994, when the Pathé de Munt snacks and tunes by the celebrates its 20th anniveramazing lasers. first edition brought fetishism Vijzelstraat 15, www.pathe.nl resident DJ. sary and so they’re throwing Sat 15 Mar, Westerunie, out of the darkness of the unPrik Every Fri, Engel van Amstera birthday bash at the Eagle 22.00, €20 derground and mixed it with Spuistraat 109 dam, 17.00, free Amsterdam (which celebrates house music and spectacular, www.prikamsterdam.nl its 35th birthday). Come in UNDERCOVER THANK GODDESS, innovative entertainment. The Queen’s Head your fetish gear to meet porn IT’S FRIDAY Sexy masked party. Pay €5 Wasteland is Europe’s most Zeedijk 20 stars Joe Gunner and Geoffrey deposit at the door or bring notorious adult playground www.queenshead.nl Welcome the weekend with Paine and dance to tunes by your own. where the fetish lifestyle is Same Place live performances and an Antwerp’s DJ G Bynx. Sat 15 Mar, Church, celebrated, and you’re expected Nassaukade 120 open stage. Start the weekend Sat 1 Mar, Eagle Amsterdam, 22.00, price TBA to dress accordingly: leather, www.sameplace.nl celebrations with your hostess 22.00 uniforms, plastic, rubber, Strand West Miss Sugi La Ri accompanied HORSEMEN & KNIGHTS F*CKING POP QUEERS school uniforms, metal, fetStavangerweg 900 by stars such as Ginger G-Spot, ish-burlesque and baroque are www.garboforwomen.nl May Buttercream, Electra Fucking Pop Queers advertises Big willy gay sex party. Dress code: naked or underwear. acceptable; casual streetwear is Sugar Factory Shock and more. And if you itself with the tagline ‘It’s Fun! Drop ’em and if you measure definitely not. The ‘door bitch’ Lijnbaansgracht 238 want to become a star yourself, It’s Pop! And it’s sooo Gay!’. up, entrance is free. is notoriously harsh. You have www.sugarfactory.nl the open stage is there for This ego-free irreverence is Sun 16 Mar & 20 Apr, The been warned. Taboo you to shine. also present in the whimsical Warehouse, 15.00, €8 Sat 5 Apr, North Sea Venue, Reguliersdwarsstraat 45 Every Fri, Lellebel, 20.00 themes and the cheeky mix of 22.00, €49.50 www.taboobar.nl dance-floor fillers and fluffy AMSTERDAM BEAR PRIDE ZONDERBROEK The Warehouse pop songs. KING’S DAY Amsterdam’s gay businesses Warmoesstraat 96 Every Friday and Sunday night Sat 1 Mar & 1 Apr, Sugar get together to celebrate hairy Gay-friendly open-air parties www.warehouseamsterdam.com and every first Saturday of the Factory, 23.00, €12.50 men and their lovers. Bowling, are concentrated arund RegWesterunie month, drop all your pretences GAY MOVIE NIGHT a pub crawl, dancing, cruising, uliersdwarsstraat, the HomoKlonneplein 4-6 and dance without pants at bingo, a canal cruise, a lummonument and the Amstel. http://westerunie.nl Club Church in Amsterdam. Nurse your hangover in the

The dress code is strictly enforced: briefs and jocks are welcome; swimming trunks, boxers, sports shorts or going commando are also permitted. Board shorts, Bermudas or other streetwear prohibited. Every Fri & Sun, Church, various times, €10

Highlight gay

MAARCEL VAN DER VLUGT

REGULAR EVENTS

mar &apr 2014

ADVERTORIAL

More I AMSTERDAM CITY CARD

You’ll be surprised at how much of Amsterdam you can see in a single day with your I amsterdam City Card. CRUISE THE CANALS Amsterdam is best viewed from the water, and a canal cruise is also one of the best ways to acquaint yourself with the city. During your trip, you can also jot down a few places that you might want to visit later. Take a canal cruise and choose between Blue Boat or Holland International. FREE with the I amsterdam City Card

LUNCH BREAK

25 % discount at participating restaurants & cafés

Rest your tired feet and fill up on a pancake at the Pancake Bakery or Pancakes! Amsterdam. The Pancake Bakery is housed in a 17th-century Dutch East India Company canal house on the Prinsengracht, while Pancakes! Amsterdam is located in the picturesque Nine Streets neighbourhood. Both serve sweet and savoury varieties, and both offer 25% discount with the I amsterdam City Card.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

VISIT AN ATTRACTION Dive into Amsterdam’s cultural scene and explore one of Amsterdam’s unusual museums or attractions for an extra dose of culture. The Grachtenhuis (Museum of the Canals) is a tribute to the Canal District, one of the world’s greatest urban projects: the 17th century Amsterdam canal district is presented in six rooms. Visit the multimedia, interactive exhibition and travel through 400 years of history in 40 minutes! FREE entrance with the I amsterdam City Card

Located at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek, the North Sea Jazz Club is a thriving outlet for the city’s vibrant jazz scene, complete with late-night bar and restaurant.

25% discount at participating nightlife venues

A DAY IN AMSTERDAM WITH THE I AMSTERDAM CITY CARD As well as free or discounted entrance to the city’s top museums, the I amsterdam City Card includes a free canal cruise, 25% discount at participating attractions and 25% off at selsect cafés and restaurants – more than enough to fill a day. So what are you waiting for? Start saving now! 24 hrs – €47 48 hrs – €57 72 hrs – €67

GET YOUR CITY CARD The I amsterdam City Card is available at Visitor Information Centres, hotels, canal cruise companies and GVB Tickets & Info offices. For more information, see iamsterdam.com/citycard

need to know

CLOSING

NEED TO

KNOW

Transport to tipping, your ABC of navigating Amsterdam.

illustration Qamar van Leeuwen

THE AMSTERDAM & REGION DAY TICKET This ticket entitles you to unlimited travel in Amsterdam and the surrounding region – day and night – on bus, tram and metro for 24 hours. Included within the region are great tourist attractions including historic Haarlem, industrial heritage highlight Zaanse Schans, North Sea beaches and the bulb region around Flora Holland auction centre – and of course, your journey to and from Schiphol Airport. A ticket costs just €13.50 and can be purchased from Visitor Information Centres, GVB, EBS and Conexxion ticket points.

TAXIS To keep traffic flowing at peak efficiency, there are REGULATED TAXI RANKS across the city – including outside Central Station and on Leidseplein. REGULATED FARES have also been introduced. These are listed below for a regular, fourpassenger taxi.

Maximum start price: €2.83 Maximum price per kilometre: €2.08 Maximum price per minute: €0.34 For more information, see www.taxi.amsterdam.nl

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS In an emergency (police, ambulance, fire) CALL 112 To report theft or other petty crimes, CALL 0900 8844 For non-urgent medical advice CALL 020 427 5011

CANAL CRUISES There’s nothing like seeing Amsterdam from the water, and canal cruises are among the city’s most popular attractions. There are a host of companies with departure points across town and commentary in a multitude of languages, providing everything from hop-on, hop-off services mooring at all the key attractions to romantic dinner and evening cruises. www.iamsterdam.com

PUBLIC TRANSPORT An extensive network of trams, trains, metro and boats connects Amsterdam’s neighbourhoods. Disposable OV-CHIPKAARTEN, which have an inbuilt chip, can be used on all forms of transport and may be purchased or topped up with credit at locations across the city – just don’t forget to check in and check out or your card may be invalidated. TRAMS and BUSES are the most common forms of public transport within the centre, while TRAINS and the METRO are efficient for travelling longer distances. Behind Central Station, FERRIES transport passengers across the River IJ to the north of Amsterdam – completely free of charge.

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRES

COFFEESHOPS Coffeeshops are permitted to sell UP TO FIVE GRAMS OF CANNABIS TO ANY PATRON OVER THE AGE OF 18. All hard drugs and the sale/purchase of soft drugs on the street are strictly illegal and punishable by law. Note that smoking regular tobacco in a coffeeshop is illegal.

BIKES Most locals swear by their bikes as the best – and often their only – means of transport. With 400 kilometres of dedicated bicycle paths, it’s not hard to see why. Bike rental companies are located across the city. Just follow these simple rules to remain safe: STAY IN LANE: use the right-hand bicycle lane FOLLOW THE RULES: adhere to all traffic signs and lights INDICATE: always signal before turning LIGHT AT NIGHT: it is illegal to cycle without lights in the dark WATCH OUT FOR TRAM TRACKS: cross them at a sharp angle LOCK UP: bike theft is prevalent; always chain up to a bike stand DON’T IMITATE THE DUTCH: Amsterdammers are notorious for breaking the rules. Don’t follow their example!

FOR INFORMATION AND TO BOOK EXCURSIONS, VISIT ONE OF THE VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRES IN AMSTERDAM: Tel: +31 (0)20 702 6000 Open Mon-Fri 09.00-17.00 info@iamsterdam.com www.iamsterdam.com http://twitter.com/Iamsterdam VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE CENTRAL STATION* Stationsplein 10 (across from Central Station) Until 20 Mar: open Mon 10.00-14.00; Tue & Wed 10.00-17.00; Thur -Sat 09.00-17.00; Sun 10.00-17.00 From 20 Mar: open Mon-Sat 09.00-17.00; Sun 09.00-16.00 VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE SCHIPHOL AIRPORT Schiphol Airport, Arrivals 2 at Schiphol Plaza Open daily 07.00-22.00 *Last Minute Ticket Shop

TAX-FREE SHOPPING Non-EU residents are eligible for Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds on purchases made within the European Union. In the Netherlands, VAT is 21% and the minimum spend is €50. There are three ways to reclaim your VAT: • Shop only at retailers affiliated with Global Blue, ask for a tax-free cheque and then reclaim the VAT at their desk at Schiphol Airport: WWW. GLOBAL-BLUE.COM • Shop wherever you like, save your receipt and reclaim the VAT online or at the VAT Free service desk at Schiphol Airport: WWW.VATFREE.COM • Visit Customs before leaving the EU to get your receipts stamped, then send them back to the shop for a full VAT refund

LAST MINUTE TICKET SHOPS Enjoy discounted theatre tickets on the day of performance. Check the Last Minute Ticket Shop screens and buy tickets at the following locations for same-day performances: VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE CENTRAL STATION Stationsplein 10 (across from Central Station) Open daily 10.00-17.00 STADSSCHOUWBURG AMSTERDAM Leidseplein 26 Open Mon-Sat 12.00-18.00 AMSTERDAM PUBLIC LIBRARY (OBA) Oosterdokskade 143 Open Mon-Fri 10.00-19.30; Sat & Sun 10.00-18.00 www.lastminuteticketshop.nl

CLOSING

BEYOND

A’DAM

Get out of town for these don’t-miss attractions beyond the city limits.

beyond amsterdam

‘MY PAINT IS LIKE A ROCKET, WHICH DESCRIBES ITS OWN SPACE. I TRY TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. WHAT IS HAPPENING I CANNOT FORESEE, IT IS A SURPRISE.’ SEE KAREL APPEL’S ‘ROCKETS’ IN PERSON, AT THE COBRA MUSEUM AMSTELVEEN.

text Megan Roberts

FRANS HALS MUSEUM Haarlem’s most popular attraction has a collection of Golden Age Old Master paintings to rival Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Founded in 1862 to house the City’s rich art collection, much of it seized during the Reformation when Catholicism was outlawed, the museum has more than a dozen paintings of the Old Master after whom the museum is named on permanent display – the largest collection in the world. Alongside his iconic Civic Guards’ portraits, works by Hals’ predecessors and contemporaries contextualise his paintings, while furniture, ceramics, glass and silverware tell the story of the city itself. Groot Heiligland 62, Haarlem www.franshalsmuseum.nl

GETTING THERE: From Central Station, trains to Haarlem take around 15min. The museum is a 20minute walk – or catch Stadsbus 3 (direction Schalkwijk Centrum).

ALKMAAR CHEESE MARKET Alkmaar has been famous for its cheese since 1593 – so much so that its inhabitants are colloquially known as kaaskoppen (‘cheese heads’). Watch as enormous wheels of cheese are piled high on the cobblestoned square at Alkmaar Market. Learn about the old Dutch market way of life, where bidders traditionally compete by clapping their hands and with a stern clap the deal is sealed. Once a buyer has been found, men in white uniforms carry the wheels of cheese to the 14th-century Weigh House to tally the bill. Catch the performance every Friday morning, from 4 April to 5 September. Waagplein, Alkmaar www.kaasmarkt.nl GETTING THERE: From Central Station, trains to Alkmaar take around 40min.

MAN RAY, NOIRE ET BLANCHE (BLACK AND WHITE), 1926, © MAN RAY TRUST / ADAGP, C/O PICTORIGHT AMSTERDAM 2013 © MAN RAY TRUST / ADAGP - PICTORIGHT / TELIMAGE - 2013.

BRANCUSI, ROSSO, MAN RAY – FRAMING SCULPTURE Showing the work of three of the most influential artists of the 20th century: Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), Medardo Rosso (18581928) and Man Ray (1890-1976). Masterpieces will be flown in from top collections all over the world, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York – many of which have never been shown in the Netherlands before. A group of 40 sculptures and more than 60 photographs that the artists took of their sculptures afford a unique insight into their artistic practice. Until 11 May Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Museumpark 18-20, Rotterdam www.boijmans.nl

GETTING THERE: From Central Station, trains to Rotterdam take about an hour.

DON’T REJECT A SHOE BECAUSE YOU CAN’T RUN IN IT. IT’S OK NOT TO RUN. YOU SEE MORE.

‘NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN BETTER ABLE TO SUGGEST WHAT MIGHT BE CALLED THE SENSE OF ALIVENESS THAT IS PRESENT IN HALS’S BEST PORTRAITS. HE MANAGED TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION OF HAVING PAINTED JUST WHAT HE SAW.’

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN CONFIRMS OUR FETISH FOR FASHION; SEE HOW FAR IT GOES, AT S.H.O.E.S.

GIUSEPPE CAPOGROSSI, SURFACE 210, 1957 SOLOMON R GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, NEW YORK

SEE IF YOU AGREE WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES, AT THE FRANS HALS MUSEUM.

ART OF ANOTHER KIND

S.H.O.E.S. HEAD OVER HEELS

PIAZZA DELL’ORCHESTRA The Holland Symfonia transforms Zaandam’s Hemburgterrein into a charming Italian village square for a series of family-friendly al fresco performances. The musicians play the villagers, preparing for an annual music competition. Introducing children to some of the greats of classical music, the programme includes works by Verdi, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Rossini and famous arias such as ‘O mio babbino caro’ from Puccini. Sunday 30 March Hemburgterrein Hemkade 18, Zaandam GETTING THERE: From Central Station, trains to Zaandam take around 15min.

Exploring the story of women’s shoe design from 1900 to the present, this fascinating exhibition includes Victorian shoes that were made well over a century ago, the first ‘stiletto’ heels, ’70s platform shoes plus extraordinary contemporary designs.

Until 11 May Kunsthal Rotterdam, Museumpark Westzeedijk 341, Rotterdam www.kunsthal.nl

GETTING THERE: From Central Station, trains to Rotterdam take around an hour.

The majority of works in this exhibition adorned the walls of New York’s Solomon R Guggenheim Museum when it opened to the public in 1959 in its new Frank Lloyd Wrightdesigned building. A treasure trove of postwar abstraction, it features pieces by CoBrA artists including Appel, Alechijnsky and Jorn alongside important works by acclaimed artists including Pollock, De Kooning, Rothko, Bourgeois, Mathieu, Dubuffet and Capogrossi. The exhibition takes its title from the French art critic Michel Tapié, who wrote of ‘un art autre’, defining the avant-garde painting of his day by its otherness, irrationality and rejection of traditions. A must-see exhibition. From 4 April CoBrA Museum of Modern Art Sandbergplein 1, Amstelveen www.cobra-museum.nl

GETTING THERE: From Central Station, Bus 170 takes about 45min.

CLOSING

THEN AND NOW

then & now

15 FEBRUARY 1864 As beer giant Heineken celebrates 150 years, Amsterdam’s City Archives commemorates the founder’s legacy.

NEXT ISSUE

AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR HEINEKEN’S AMSTERDAM

MAY & JUN 2014

Gaasperpark 7 & 8 June



HOLLAND FESTIVAL COLLECTION STADSARCHIEF AMSTERDAM. GUSTAVE L A AMAND (LITHOGRAPHER), 1873

Art, dance, theatre, opera and more, of the mainstream and leftfield varieties. various locations 1-28 June



Heineken’s Amsterdam: until 11 May, Amsterdam City Archives, Vijzelstraat 32 www.stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl Heineken Experience: Stadhouderskade 78 www.heinekenexperience.com

 ANNE Complete with purpose-built theatre, a new play about the life of Anne Frank opens.



ROLLING KITCHENS

PETER KOOIJMAN

28 May -1 June

Danzigerkade 5 opens 8 May

OPEN GARDEN DAYS



Food-truck frenzy hits Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek.

Slate your voyeuristic inclinations with a glimpse into Amsterdam’s secret canal-side secret gardens. various locations 20-22 June

LAILA SCHOOTS

ÉRICK LABBÉ

Back in the mid-19th century, an enterprising young man bought a brewery on Amsterdam’s Damrak. With over 500 breweries already operating in the city, Gerard Heineken had hardly spotted a gap in the market. Nevertheless, with his new light Bavarian-style beer (as opposed to the heavy, fermented version touted by his competitors) Heineken quickly expanded the business and built a brand new brewery on Amsterdam’s Stadhouderskade just four years later, laying the foundations for the all-conquering multinational. Today, as well as sampling Heineken’s products at practically every café in town, visitors can head to that former brewery, now the Heineken Experience, for a sleek and fully immersive brand experience that takes you behind the scenes of one of the world’s most successful beer brands. And don’t miss the exhibition Heineken’s Amsterdam at the City Archives – full of interesting artefacts and vintage advertising – which celebrates Heineken’s legacy and explores how the famous founder also played an important role in the development of the city.

A weekend of deep house, dubstep, electro, tech-house and techno beyond compare.

CLOSING

ON THE WAY

OUT

We asked people leaving Schiphol Airport for their Amsterdam advice.

on the way out

JULIA PADBERG, 27 banker, flying to Myanmar

‘Utrechtsestraat is my favourite shopping street, with trendy, independent shops and lots of really nice cafés.’

text & photos Marie-Charlotte Pezé

SAMI BARNAWI, 25 from Saudi Arabia

‘Winkel in the Haarlemmerbuurt has the best apple pie I have ever tasted.’

ELAISE HILDENBERG, 30 works at Blokker, going to see her boyfriend off ‘I love the Amsterdam Bos. It’s a bit of forest in the city and it’s a haven of peace and quiet.’

CARINE BLAQUIERE, 26 & ADRIAN CONSTANTINESCU, 29

horse dressage professionals from Montreal ‘It’s very interesting to see the Anne Frank House after reading the book. It helps transpose it into reality.’

RUUD OUDMAN, 39 investor, going to Alicante ‘The new Rijksmuseum is a must-see.’

editor-in-chief Bart van Oosterhout art director & basic design Loes Koomen designer Zlatka Siljdedic copy editor Megan Roberts staff photographer Marie-Charlotte Pezé cover image detail from ’Tulp en een papaver’, attributed to Willem van Leen, 1763-1825 cover design Lizzy Bekker contributors Maria Cavali, Lauren Comiteau, Karin Engelbrecht, Brandon Hartley, Elisah Jacobs, Qamar van Leeuwen, Toby Main, Bregtje Schudel, Mark Smith listings EdenFrost (Tamar Bosschaart, Steven McCarron & Dave Nice), Christiaan de Wit

Admire the art of diamondpolishing in Amsterdam Every year Amsterdam welcomes over one million visitors who are particularly interested in the fascinating diamond craftsmanship. The Gassan Group is the combination of the leading diamond-polishing factories in Amsterdam. Gassan Diamonds, is located in a beautiful restored originally steam driven diamond factory and was built in 1879. In 2013 more than 400.000 visitors had a tour through the magnificent diamond factory and in 2013 Gassan has been declared Best Family Business in the Netherlands by the Family Enterprise Foundation in partnership with KPMG. The company still concentrates primarily on diamond cutting, wholesaling and retailing in set diamonds, loose polished diamonds, gold jewelry and watches. Gassan Diamonds has a unique position within the diamond industry by introducing a new cut, the Gassan 121. Another patented brand of Gassan is Choices by DL, a revolutionary brand that allows to vary and customize your jewelry daily. Gassan Diamonds offers free guided tours in 27 languages, a own mooring site, coffeeshop and a beautiful boutique with a large collection fashion jewelry and brilliant souvenirs. Gassan Dam Square is located in the heart of Amsterdam and as the largest jewelry store in Holland they sell an elaborate selection of loose polished diamonds and gold jewelry and watch brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Chopard, Breguet, Audemars Piquet and many others. A highly trained staff provides customers with personal and expert advice to ensure that the customer can make the perfect choice. Besides highly sales staff also by Rolex educated watchmakers are available. In 1967 Gassan Schiphol B.V. started the first Diamond counter at Schiphol Airport. Nowadays this company has thirteen selling locations at the Airside and one at Landside. Gassan is one of the largest concessionaires of the Schiphol Group.